"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.
Everything is good and brown
I'm here again
With a sunshine smile upon my face
My friends are close at hand
And all my inhibitions have disappeared without a trace
I'm glad, oh, that I found
Ooh, somebody who I can rely on
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Say, at the speed of cheeba, you and I go deeper
Maybe I'm gonna have to get high just to get by
Now, you know I got that
I got that cheeba, cheeba kinda space cowboy vibe
Everything is good, oh, and green
Say, I'm red again
And I don't suppose I'm coming down
I can see clearly, so high in sky
A man with psychedelic picture frames
Of happiness to shade his eyes
He's glad, oh, that he found
Somebody who he can rely on
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Say, at the speed of cheeba, help me go deeper
You and I, you and I, you and I, hey, oh
Now, this is the return of the space cowboy
He's got that, he's got that interplanetary, good
Good vibe zone
Oh, good times, hard times, good vibes, hey
Oh, I like what you're doing on that, yeah
This time
Oh now, now, this is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, hmm, interplanetary, good vibe zone
At the speed of cheeba, oh, you and I, you and I go deeper
Hey, maybe I'm gonna have to get high this time
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Say, at the speed of cheeba, oh we're going deeper
You and I, you and I, you and I
You and I, you and I, you and I
You and I, you and I, you and I, hey
We're going deeper, yeah
We're going deeper, yeah
We're going deeper, yeah
Now, this is the return of the space cowboy
Good times, hard times, good vibes, oh
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Ha-ha-ha
Yeah, aw, hmm, I know from where it's comin' from
Now we're going, people
At the speed of cheeba
You and I go deeper
I'll stay with you on this
On this interplanetary level
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, hey, a good vibe zone
Speed, speed, at the speed of cheeba
Oh, you and I, you and I, oh, you and I go
Hey, hey, hey, you and I go deeper, deeper
I wanna go, I wanna go deeper with you
You know, you got that, you got that space cowboy vibe
Interplanetary, good vibes, good vibes, good times
At the speed of cheeba, I got cheeba on the brain
Go now, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go
I'm here again
With a sunshine smile upon my face
My friends are close at hand
And all my inhibitions have disappeared without a trace
I'm glad, oh, that I found
Ooh, somebody who I can rely on
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Say, at the speed of cheeba, you and I go deeper
Maybe I'm gonna have to get high just to get by
Now, you know I got that
I got that cheeba, cheeba kinda space cowboy vibe
Everything is good, oh, and green
Say, I'm red again
And I don't suppose I'm coming down
I can see clearly, so high in sky
A man with psychedelic picture frames
Of happiness to shade his eyes
He's glad, oh, that he found
Somebody who he can rely on
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Say, at the speed of cheeba, help me go deeper
You and I, you and I, you and I, hey, oh
Now, this is the return of the space cowboy
He's got that, he's got that interplanetary, good
Good vibe zone
Oh, good times, hard times, good vibes, hey
Oh, I like what you're doing on that, yeah
This time
Oh now, now, this is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, hmm, interplanetary, good vibe zone
At the speed of cheeba, oh, you and I, you and I go deeper
Hey, maybe I'm gonna have to get high this time
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Say, at the speed of cheeba, oh we're going deeper
You and I, you and I, you and I
You and I, you and I, you and I
You and I, you and I, you and I, hey
We're going deeper, yeah
We're going deeper, yeah
We're going deeper, yeah
Now, this is the return of the space cowboy
Good times, hard times, good vibes, oh
Interplanetary, good vibe zone
Ha-ha-ha
Yeah, aw, hmm, I know from where it's comin' from
Now we're going, people
At the speed of cheeba
You and I go deeper
I'll stay with you on this
On this interplanetary level
This is the return of the space cowboy
Interplanetary, hey, a good vibe zone
Speed, speed, at the speed of cheeba
Oh, you and I, you and I, oh, you and I go
Hey, hey, hey, you and I go deeper, deeper
I wanna go, I wanna go deeper with you
You know, you got that, you got that space cowboy vibe
Interplanetary, good vibes, good vibes, good times
At the speed of cheeba, I got cheeba on the brain
Go now, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go
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Fast Car
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when i hear 'interplanetary, good vibe zone'
i think it's saying 'interplanetary kebab zone'
fits in with the stoner munch ethic!
Also i thought it said 'say it at the speed of Jiva, man you're an Ikon Diva.'
hence the name of several rubbish clubs in essex!