"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.
Day after day
I let you down
Promise you to change
Then change my mind
And every time I promise you
It will all be fine
It won't be like this next time
The days you wait
Turn into years
Always wait
Helpless tears
Hopeless nights
And all the fears
It will always be like this
You give me everything you have
Hoping it will someday be enough
To melt my heart
To make me fall in love
Day after day
I let you down
Promise you to change it all
Then change my mind
And every time I promise you
Soon be fine
It won't be like this next time
But tonight we play I think
The final act
I push too hard
And you crack
Walk away
Don't look back
This time you've really gone
You give me everything you have
Knowing it can never be enough
My heart's too old
Too hard
Too cold
For your love
I let you down
Promise you to change
Then change my mind
And every time I promise you
It will all be fine
It won't be like this next time
The days you wait
Turn into years
Always wait
Helpless tears
Hopeless nights
And all the fears
It will always be like this
You give me everything you have
Hoping it will someday be enough
To melt my heart
To make me fall in love
Day after day
I let you down
Promise you to change it all
Then change my mind
And every time I promise you
Soon be fine
It won't be like this next time
But tonight we play I think
The final act
I push too hard
And you crack
Walk away
Don't look back
This time you've really gone
You give me everything you have
Knowing it can never be enough
My heart's too old
Too hard
Too cold
For your love
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