"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.
Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breaking my heart you're leaving
Baby, I'm grieving
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breaking my heart in two
Because I never want to see you sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Baby, I love you
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breaking my heart you're leaving
Baby, I'm grieving
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breaking my heart in two
Because I never want to see you sad girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Baby, I love you
But if you want to leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Beware
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Ooh baby baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you like a child, girl
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I love this song. It is so beautiful. I think Cat Stevens is just warning someone to be careful about the choices she makes.
My take it you will. It’s about a woman that leaves her old man not by his choice and takes the kid with her. The first verse he’s singing to his ex old lady and in the second verse he’s singing to his little girl.
Oh this song .... used to take my horse 15 miles up big Tuhunga Canyon.... little am/fm ... pabst bottles hear this song and spend all dayahahung sitting on a rock looking, listening and KNOWING what is was ...REAL and what was true illusion.<br /> When we loose everything to someone or something ... we give it up 'freely' ... in this case ... The world CHANGED, started in 62 and by 67 was unstoppable. Peace love power of mother earth, don't kill LOVE just because you CAN and really mean it... it was real, right and GOOD ... Fit what was right in front of us instead of what was placed in front of us ....<br /> bur our COST? Innocence.Believing in getting pinned, Barbie & Ken and that you were going to marry a doctor, have 2.5 perfect kids, become an alcoholic and the smile on our face was stitched there. <br /> <br /> To 'grok' what was really right in front of everyone, we had to loose that ice cream parlor & Van Nuys Blvd cruise night, and necking for hours on a quiet side street or bobs big boy parking lot before running a dodge that thought he was bad ... or drinking coffee at Al's in Sunland ...<br /> <br /> The safe fantasy world that grew around us as a result of that PISSING contest the men will always play into instead of walking away with a smile ... Vietnam, people would STILL be going on if WE hadn't made it STOP. Life mag would show up ... instead of the new rug interior at whoa-its house, it was raw pics of dead boys both next door and Asian and it was REAL. You only saw ugly if your family was ugly or looked at that accident ... sometimes you looked and realized with a scream that the picture, the face, it was that senior you went out with 3 years ago, wasn't it? OMG! We didn't have instant who is where. It took days to get the real info, 10 hours if you pushed. Maybe you could have done something? So you lost your Cleaver innocence, Took a stand and said NO MORE!!! Hey, maybe, like Golda, if we loved our kids more than we hated our neighbors because he tanned different, or didn't believe what everyone knew was the ONLY way to God .... Or was one of THOSE people who actually believed a nation could exterminate a race ...<br /> <br /> <br /> But if you wanna leave, take good care<br /> I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there<br /> But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware<br /> <br /> Is MORE than warning your kid about bad people ... it was you giving it up to make a change And BOY DID WE MAKE A CHANGE ... and when we were done, we were looked at oddly, and did horrible things like have sex and smoke some plant ... and didn't Johnny come back from THAT boys house smelling of beer<br /> But at least Johnny could COME HOME, in one piece ... Lot of bad, beware ... to live though it, to GROK you lost innocent, but gained the boy next door at 18 instead of waiting 2 years just knowing HE wasn't going too....<br /> <br /> THAT is what that song told me. It opened my eyes, I saw what MEN had done with the world, and to change you had to start SOMEWHERE ... of course, women are still inferior ... we get breast cancer and our hubby's can get hard 24/7 so they can cheat while we fight cancer ... good enough, they can leave if we lose flesh meant to feed and our sons so they can treat the ones they love like trash ... I am trying to understand that, but at least the love of my life didn't leave at 17 and come home NOT the same.<br /> <br /> If only Stevens remained a hippie, but I don't think he could take the hippie mind set once he truly groked what it was all about. From the frying pan to the fire.<br /> <br /> I fight cancer, hubby is bopping 20 year younger double e's, baby in 3 months, and I just won't die ... and I cannot stop loving him, and everyone just because life is a miracle. And I am torn in two, but I still believe that a hug is a wondrous incredible thing that ONLY we can do.<br /> <br /> Simple to say it's a child, friend, dog ... REALLY f'd to tell the truth. That no matter what we do, pissing contests will continue, and women will take what they can get so they are comfy who cares what she makes him leave, abandon, i am a non entity ... but I now have a relationship with my son cause he KNOWS now it wasn't all me and that I am not that Horrid strange, embarrassing hippie GOD what if she says something?<br /> And MY GOD, hes going to Afghanistan and I still don't believe in war cause I love my kids more than I hate my neighbor who has money and isn't going to die maybe in months or PLEASE NO another year ... But GOD help the idiot that touches him, cause even Golda had a line you did not cross.<br /> <br /> GROK people, but use it. When you SEE, know ... and use it? Wow it ROCKS> And I love you. <br /> <br /> When we women get our balls back, it will change again. AND it will NEVER be pissing contests cause the size our your appendage didn't matter.