"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
I was at the supermarket
Watching people cut in line
I started thinking about human nature
What would you do
if there was no more food?
My mind began to wander
About greed and hunger
And just how many other countries
Are getting ready for another war
But the sun was shining
And everything seemed fine
So count me in
I'll see you on the other side
Chemical bomb
Chemical bomb
Eyes melt, Skin explodes
Everybody's dead
It won't be long
It won't be long
People gonna run around
Losing their heads
A river of blood
Who's gonna live?
The earth is tired of human kind
And I think this world
Is gonna wash up in Hell
La la la la la
La la la la la
La lala la la la la
Then I had another vision
In the crowded grocery store
I saw the Pale Rider on his horse
Decapitating people in the parking lot
And all the shoppers were beasts
What could I do to hide?
Back in this world of humankind
I think we've already lost our minds
But the sun was shining
And everything seemed fine
So count me in
I'll see you on the other side
Chemical bomb
Chemical bomb
Eyes melt, Skin explodes
Everybody's dead
It won't be long
It won't be long
People gonna run around
Losing their heads
A river of blood
Who's gonna live?
The earth is tired of human kind
And I think this world
Is gonna wash up in Hell
La la la la la
La la la la la
La lala la la la la
maybe.... maybe... maybe...
Watching people cut in line
I started thinking about human nature
What would you do
if there was no more food?
My mind began to wander
About greed and hunger
And just how many other countries
Are getting ready for another war
But the sun was shining
And everything seemed fine
So count me in
I'll see you on the other side
Chemical bomb
Chemical bomb
Eyes melt, Skin explodes
Everybody's dead
It won't be long
It won't be long
People gonna run around
Losing their heads
A river of blood
Who's gonna live?
The earth is tired of human kind
And I think this world
Is gonna wash up in Hell
La la la la la
La la la la la
La lala la la la la
Then I had another vision
In the crowded grocery store
I saw the Pale Rider on his horse
Decapitating people in the parking lot
And all the shoppers were beasts
What could I do to hide?
Back in this world of humankind
I think we've already lost our minds
But the sun was shining
And everything seemed fine
So count me in
I'll see you on the other side
Chemical bomb
Chemical bomb
Eyes melt, Skin explodes
Everybody's dead
It won't be long
It won't be long
People gonna run around
Losing their heads
A river of blood
Who's gonna live?
The earth is tired of human kind
And I think this world
Is gonna wash up in Hell
La la la la la
La la la la la
La lala la la la la
maybe.... maybe... maybe...
Lyrics submitted by evilmprss
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This song cracks me up every time, the cabaret style singing of "eyes melt, skin explodes, everybody's dead" is just sick genius.