"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.
The ashes drift away, smoke of our confusion
We turn our frightened faces to each other, say goodbye
Waited for the sign, waited for the moment
Waited for the miracle to arrive
I guess they lied
Look at your future
Take a look at your burning sky
Look at your future
Look at your burning sky
The others, they have gone
Who wants to live forever
With nothing left to hold onto the past that we once knew?
We believed in heaven, we believed in angels
With arms of purest white
To hold us, catch us when we fall
Look at your future
Take a look at your burning sky
Look at your future
Now look at your burning sky
Now it's Omega-Zero day
The red star shines its last rays
The sun that gave us life yesterday
Is now the sun that takes our lives away
Take a look at your future
Look at your burning sky
Look at your future
Look at your burning sky
Now it's Omega-Zero day
The red star shines its last rays
The sun that gave us life yesterday
Is now the sun that takes our lives away
Now it's Omega-Zero day
The red star shines its last rays
The sun that gave us life yesterday
Is now the sun that takes our lives away
We turn our frightened faces to each other, say goodbye
Waited for the sign, waited for the moment
Waited for the miracle to arrive
I guess they lied
Look at your future
Take a look at your burning sky
Look at your future
Look at your burning sky
The others, they have gone
Who wants to live forever
With nothing left to hold onto the past that we once knew?
We believed in heaven, we believed in angels
With arms of purest white
To hold us, catch us when we fall
Look at your future
Take a look at your burning sky
Look at your future
Now look at your burning sky
Now it's Omega-Zero day
The red star shines its last rays
The sun that gave us life yesterday
Is now the sun that takes our lives away
Take a look at your future
Look at your burning sky
Look at your future
Look at your burning sky
Now it's Omega-Zero day
The red star shines its last rays
The sun that gave us life yesterday
Is now the sun that takes our lives away
Now it's Omega-Zero day
The red star shines its last rays
The sun that gave us life yesterday
Is now the sun that takes our lives away
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To me, this song means either one of these two things:
OR