"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.
[intro]
Uh-huh (keep loving)
Uh-huh (you baby)
In atlantic city (yeah)
Where all the girls at baby
This song goes out
To all the women in the club at night
(sing it for me, sing it for me)
Lemme see you with your hands
And your glasses in the air (sing it for me, baby)
You're the kind of girl
Every brotha wants
And needs in their life, yeah yeah
No matter what the situation is
You stand by me
Whether I'm wrong or right, ooh
And even when we're in the middle of an argument, huh
Cussin' each other out, oh yeah
In my heart, I'm admiring your fiesty ways
Then we kiss and make up
Love won't let us break up
1 - baby keep on lovin' me
Loving me just like you do
I want you to please believe
I'm gon' keep on lovin' you
If by chance, for whatever reason
I got held up (? )
And landed myself in jail, ooh
You would call everyone you knew
Raisin' hell, to help me make bail, ooh
That's why I don't mind spoilin' you
Spendin' quality time, huh
'cause you hold me down, ooh yeah
There's so many lonely women
That could learn from you
You know how to keep a man
You just let him be a man, oh
Repeat 1
Listen babe
Damn what people say (I ain't goin' nowhere)
I see myself with you, forever baby
'til my dying day (I ain't goin' nowhere)
Nowhere, so promise me you'll keep on loving me
Repeat 1 w/ ad-libs to fade
Uh-huh (keep loving)
Uh-huh (you baby)
In atlantic city (yeah)
Where all the girls at baby
This song goes out
To all the women in the club at night
(sing it for me, sing it for me)
Lemme see you with your hands
And your glasses in the air (sing it for me, baby)
You're the kind of girl
Every brotha wants
And needs in their life, yeah yeah
No matter what the situation is
You stand by me
Whether I'm wrong or right, ooh
And even when we're in the middle of an argument, huh
Cussin' each other out, oh yeah
In my heart, I'm admiring your fiesty ways
Then we kiss and make up
Love won't let us break up
1 - baby keep on lovin' me
Loving me just like you do
I want you to please believe
I'm gon' keep on lovin' you
If by chance, for whatever reason
I got held up (? )
And landed myself in jail, ooh
You would call everyone you knew
Raisin' hell, to help me make bail, ooh
That's why I don't mind spoilin' you
Spendin' quality time, huh
'cause you hold me down, ooh yeah
There's so many lonely women
That could learn from you
You know how to keep a man
You just let him be a man, oh
Repeat 1
Listen babe
Damn what people say (I ain't goin' nowhere)
I see myself with you, forever baby
'til my dying day (I ain't goin' nowhere)
Nowhere, so promise me you'll keep on loving me
Repeat 1 w/ ad-libs to fade
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Fast Car
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