"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.
I am a victim of the science age
A child of the storm, whoa, yes
I can't remember when I was your age
For me, it says no more, no more
Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk, oh yeah, ah
I am the ruler of these netherworlds
The underground, whoa, yes
On every wall and place, my fearsome name is hung
Just look around, whoa, yes
Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk, ah
Oh
I am the ruler of these netherworlds
The underground, oh, oh
On every wall and place, my fearsome name is hung
Look around, whoa, yeah
Nobody rules these streets at night but me, nobody, ah
The Atomic Punk
A child of the storm, whoa, yes
I can't remember when I was your age
For me, it says no more, no more
Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk, oh yeah, ah
I am the ruler of these netherworlds
The underground, whoa, yes
On every wall and place, my fearsome name is hung
Just look around, whoa, yes
Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk, ah
Oh
I am the ruler of these netherworlds
The underground, oh, oh
On every wall and place, my fearsome name is hung
Look around, whoa, yeah
Nobody rules these streets at night but me, nobody, ah
The Atomic Punk
Lyrics submitted by UseYourIllusion
Atomic Punk Lyrics as written by Edward Van Halen Alex Van Halen
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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10west how can this be about satan according to you almost every van halen song is about satan well i have to let you know that "Atomic Punk" is about how DLR became super popular because of Van Halen I am a victim of the science age (he is part of the generation that is granted all the new technological advantages science has made) A child of the storm (someone that had it rough when young) ... (rest selfexplanatory) ...A ruler of these nether worlds The underground (the personality of sunset blvd at the time it was underground music because pop metal wasnt main stream) On every wall and place my fearsome name is heard (saying that everyone critized his ways of being a frontman and his "unique" personality. Because of this everyone knew who he was.) Nobody rules these streets at night but me.. the Atomic Punk (That nobody that played at sunset blvd. at the time specially Quiet Riot, Van Halen rival band in its early yrs, played better than the all mighty van halen and DLR A.K.A. the Atomic Punk. Its supposed to be like a superhero name that hides DLR name)
@kicker20 I think the explanation that it's about Satan is 1000 times more logical.<br /> <br /> "I am a victim of the science age", meaning DLR is an MKULTRA victiim or rather the 'science age' is really a godless people who've been overrun by the spiritual forces of the devil.<br /> <br /> you see the world burning from nuclear war, now you got a president of the US who is a homosexual, thus the Atomic Punk plus other faggots with their fingers on nuclear missile buttons.<br /> <br /> Nobody rules these streets at night but me, Satan rules the streets of America. Good people don't go out at night in the US like other countries, other countries there's people walking around til 3 in the morning, women walking alone, in US everyone hides in their houses after sun sets they don't socialize and socially organize in any sort of intelligent way so Satan rules over them.
also notice Satan deleted the comment you are referring to, which is odd because why are you singing a rock song to boast of your conquest and then deleting the comments of some nobody who merely points out what you are doing? It's because the devil hates it when people point out what's really going on, there is a kind of getting off on people not knowing or understanding what the songs are really about. Sort of like the thrill psychopathic liars get in lying to people or decieving them.