"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.
Eighteen lights tore away your sweet eyes
Knowing you will never see your home
Blue light shines
Says to me you're my kind
Hailing down below
No rise in the open sky
Now do you see
What this thing has took to heart
No rise in the open sky
Now do you see
A coldest feeling over me
The way Virginia lies
You should see her smile
I still hear her say
You belong to me
I knew you Diamond
That's why I moved on
Saying which heart is mine
Which heart is mine
Which heart is mine
Which heart
Knowing you will never see your home
Blue light shines
Says to me you're my kind
Hailing down below
No rise in the open sky
Now do you see
What this thing has took to heart
No rise in the open sky
Now do you see
A coldest feeling over me
The way Virginia lies
You should see her smile
I still hear her say
You belong to me
I knew you Diamond
That's why I moved on
Saying which heart is mine
Which heart is mine
Which heart is mine
Which heart
Lyrics submitted by cheerleader_corpses
Sad, Sad Virginia Lyrics as written by Kim Martini David Hays
Lyrics © WHIRLED MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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fucking song has some of the most incredible transitions i've ever heard. not to mention the thematic elements the song explores are gorgeous. from the drums to the harmonics, and the bass fluidly moving around the very simple, subdued structure.