"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.
Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down, break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me,
But that you're just not in love
Immediately I pretended
To be feeling similarly
And led you to believe it was OK
To just walk away from the one thing
That's unyielding and sacred to me
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath a disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
So what do you do
When somebody you're so devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I will survive"
Do you lash out and say "How dare you leave this way?"
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
It'll break you down
Only if you let it
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind
Tryin' to break me down
But I won't let it, forget it (forget it)
I be feelin' like you bringing me down
Taking me around
Stressin' me out
I think I better go and get out
And let me release some stress (stress)
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain
Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all
But nevertheless Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here (here)
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Steady breakin' me on down, break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me,
But that you're just not in love
Immediately I pretended
To be feeling similarly
And led you to believe it was OK
To just walk away from the one thing
That's unyielding and sacred to me
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath a disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
So what do you do
When somebody you're so devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I will survive"
Do you lash out and say "How dare you leave this way?"
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
It'll break you down
Only if you let it
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind
Tryin' to break me down
But I won't let it, forget it (forget it)
I be feelin' like you bringing me down
Taking me around
Stressin' me out
I think I better go and get out
And let me release some stress (stress)
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain
Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all
But nevertheless Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here (here)
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
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One of my favourites, and I do like Mariah a lot. Reminds me of the time I started to listen to it, after making love with the dearest friend of mine, and realising that it was more for me than just a one night stand, but not for him...so I kept on acting like it meant nothing, but I never quite got to be the same towards him, since I'm still broken about it, but nobody knows it. I hear this song and tears flow from my eyes instantly. "And I'm going the extremes to prove I'm fine without you, but in reality I'm slowly loosing my my mind, underneath the guise of a smile gradually I'm dying inside, friends ask me how I feel and I lie convincingly, 'cause I don't want to reveal that fact that I'm suffering..." Nobody knows I feel this way...but I'm slowly starting to show it so I can let go...