"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.
Every night while I'm undressin'
Sayin' my prayers and lightly confessin'
I can hear hot licks
From a set of drums upstairs
Well, it couldn't be Johnny 'cause he isn't there
Johnny's overseas, we no not where
But, believe it or not, every night on the dot
I can hear a tenor drum say
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that kid in the G.I. lid
Gonna choo-choo down the track?
Poor ol' me, I'm beat as can be
And my rim has even started to rust
Look at these sticks tryin' to take out the licks
They're covered with an inch of dust, beep-a-dust
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack?
If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick
Chewin', chewin', chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japanese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack?
If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick
Chewin', chewin', chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japanese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back, Mom?
Sayin' my prayers and lightly confessin'
I can hear hot licks
From a set of drums upstairs
Well, it couldn't be Johnny 'cause he isn't there
Johnny's overseas, we no not where
But, believe it or not, every night on the dot
I can hear a tenor drum say
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that kid in the G.I. lid
Gonna choo-choo down the track?
Poor ol' me, I'm beat as can be
And my rim has even started to rust
Look at these sticks tryin' to take out the licks
They're covered with an inch of dust, beep-a-dust
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack?
If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick
Chewin', chewin', chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japanese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack?
If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick
Chewin', chewin', chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japanese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back, Mom?
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by casualsinger
Billy-A-Dick Lyrics as written by Paul Francis Webster Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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She wants someone back so much she thinks she can hear him playing the drums! When I was little I thought it was about a cat (weird huh?) I don't know where I got that from. But I love the song, it is one of those songs that my mother used to play when she cleaned lol. I grew up with this song (even though I thought I was singing about a cat)