"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.
WELL THE MEN COME IN THESE PLACES
AND THE MEN ARE ALL THE SAME
YOU DON`T LOOK AT THEIR FACES
AND YOU DON`T ASK THEIR NAMES
YOU DON`T THINK OF THEM AS HUMAN
YOU DON`T THINK OF THEM AT ALL
YOU KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE MONEY
KEEPING YOUR EYES ON THE WALL
(CHORUS)
I`M YOUR PRIVATE DANCER
A DANCER FOR MONEY
I`LL DO WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO
I`M YOUR PRIVATE DANCER
A DANCER FOR MONEY
AND ANY OLD MUSIC WILL DO
I WANT TO MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS
I WANT TO LIVE OUT BY THE SEA
HAVE A HUSBAND AND SOME CHILDREN
YEAH I GUESS I WANT A FAMILY
ALL THE MEN COME IN THESE PLACES
AND THE MEN ARE ALL THE SAME
YOU DON`T LOOK AT THEIR FACES
AND YOU DON`T ASK THEIR NAMES
(CHORUS TWICE)
DEUTSCHMARKS OR DOLLARS
AMERICAN EXPRESS WILL DO NICELY - THANK YOU
LET ME LOOSEN UP YOUR COLLAR
TELL ME DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE SHIMMY AGAIN
(CHORUS)
AND THE MEN ARE ALL THE SAME
YOU DON`T LOOK AT THEIR FACES
AND YOU DON`T ASK THEIR NAMES
YOU DON`T THINK OF THEM AS HUMAN
YOU DON`T THINK OF THEM AT ALL
YOU KEEP YOUR MIND ON THE MONEY
KEEPING YOUR EYES ON THE WALL
(CHORUS)
I`M YOUR PRIVATE DANCER
A DANCER FOR MONEY
I`LL DO WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO
I`M YOUR PRIVATE DANCER
A DANCER FOR MONEY
AND ANY OLD MUSIC WILL DO
I WANT TO MAKE A MILLION DOLLARS
I WANT TO LIVE OUT BY THE SEA
HAVE A HUSBAND AND SOME CHILDREN
YEAH I GUESS I WANT A FAMILY
ALL THE MEN COME IN THESE PLACES
AND THE MEN ARE ALL THE SAME
YOU DON`T LOOK AT THEIR FACES
AND YOU DON`T ASK THEIR NAMES
(CHORUS TWICE)
DEUTSCHMARKS OR DOLLARS
AMERICAN EXPRESS WILL DO NICELY - THANK YOU
LET ME LOOSEN UP YOUR COLLAR
TELL ME DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE SHIMMY AGAIN
(CHORUS)
Lyrics submitted by anafashion
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Fast Car
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This song's kinda cool, a bit old, but not too bad.
Written by Mark Knopfler, and yes, it's the Dire Straits backing her. It's about a prostitute of course, but after it became a big hit, Tina got mail from people who were disgusted "Why are you singing this - it's about a HOOKER! Have you been a hooker, Tina?" Not wishing to make the obvious point to these jerks, Tina pretended she hadn't understood that the character in the song was a "little lady", she'd thought it was about dancers invited to parties and doing nothing but nice - show dancing. :-)
Can't believe there are so little Tina songs! I absolutely love this one, Tina's voice is amazing (Y)
I think it's about more than prostitution - I think it's about any woman that gives up her dream of real love for the comfortable life....
I believe this is a song about the prostitution of every woman's life. and how women settle for things like security, money, permanent housing, children etc.
@enslavedtobooks This is about what women have to do unless they make their own way in life, which is what Tina ended up doing. That is why she only asked for her name and walked away from all of Ike Turner's money.
It means that men are really selfish and they simply use women. This was surely Tina's experience until she found her one true love who actually gave her his kidney. This song is about the pain that men inflict upon women when they never consider anything except their own needs and that in fact is what most men do.