"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.
Some fifteen year old kid sits on his porch
Just half-past noon, trying to figure out just what he's doing
Why he had to grow up so soon
With all the gangs, all the guns, watcha gonna learn in school?
There's got to be some way out of here
He says, "Man, this life is cruel"
I knew this Puerto Rican girl who lied to change her life
She changed her name, her face
Because the grass looked greener on the other side
She turned her back, she ran away straight into the night
Her friends, her family feel the pain but she's the one who cries
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
I want everything
I've had enough of having nothing, I won't take just anything
I got my mind set on something, all I want is everything
It's my life Mr., I ain't running, I'm no puppet on a string
I want more than I see coming
All I want is everything, all I want is everything
My next door neighbor Donnie
Died in his room just the other day
His brother come home
Found him dead on the floor with a needle in his vein
Cops come down with a body bag
They said Donnie was a casualty
I said, all it's about is the boy checked out
He couldn't handle reality
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
I want everything
I've had enough of having nothing, I won't take just anything
I got my mind set on something, all I want is everything
It's my life Mr. I ain't running, I'm no puppet on a string
I want more than I see coming
All I want is everything, all I want is everything
Just half-past noon, trying to figure out just what he's doing
Why he had to grow up so soon
With all the gangs, all the guns, watcha gonna learn in school?
There's got to be some way out of here
He says, "Man, this life is cruel"
I knew this Puerto Rican girl who lied to change her life
She changed her name, her face
Because the grass looked greener on the other side
She turned her back, she ran away straight into the night
Her friends, her family feel the pain but she's the one who cries
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
I want everything
I've had enough of having nothing, I won't take just anything
I got my mind set on something, all I want is everything
It's my life Mr., I ain't running, I'm no puppet on a string
I want more than I see coming
All I want is everything, all I want is everything
My next door neighbor Donnie
Died in his room just the other day
His brother come home
Found him dead on the floor with a needle in his vein
Cops come down with a body bag
They said Donnie was a casualty
I said, all it's about is the boy checked out
He couldn't handle reality
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
I want everything
I've had enough of having nothing, I won't take just anything
I got my mind set on something, all I want is everything
It's my life Mr. I ain't running, I'm no puppet on a string
I want more than I see coming
All I want is everything, all I want is everything
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
All I Want is Everything Lyrics as written by Richard Sambora Jon Bon Jovi
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This song is a typical "story-telling" bon jovi song (as Jon was influenced by many of the great musical story tellers like Bob Dylan). You can hear all the little stories that take place about "a puerto-rican girl" and "donnie" and the song talks about (funnily enough) wanting everything. A very cool song, very rockin!!!!