"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 wrote the words to this song on the back of a photograph
Behind your back it goes
A little something like this is way too big to miss
I got a letter in the mail
The sender failed to let me know where
It came from
Opened it up and sure enough there we were
Arm in arm (up in arms) again
I know it's small but my last call's been called half an hour ago
I know it's late but do you think you could at least fix it for me
The I'll go I'll go alone I swear
I won't tell a soul
I'll drink this beer and write in fear of a song that everybody hates
Armageddon, let the light in
Before we say goodbye give us something to believe in
Armageddon, we're not begging
For too much I don't think
Just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute)
Before we sink
I wrote the words to this song on the back of a photograph
Behind your back it goes
A little something like this is way to big to miss
I got a letter in the mail
The sender failed to let me know where
It came from
Opened it up and sure enough there we were
Arm in arm (up in arms) again
Armageddon, let the light in
Before we say goodbye give us something to believe in
Armageddon, we're not begging
For too much I don't think
Just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute)
Before we sink
We sink
We sink
We sink
We sink
We sink
Armageddon, let the light in
Before we say goodbye give us something to believe in
Armageddon, we're not begging
For too much I don't think
Just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute)
Before we sink
Behind your back it goes
A little something like this is way too big to miss
I got a letter in the mail
The sender failed to let me know where
It came from
Opened it up and sure enough there we were
Arm in arm (up in arms) again
I know it's small but my last call's been called half an hour ago
I know it's late but do you think you could at least fix it for me
The I'll go I'll go alone I swear
I won't tell a soul
I'll drink this beer and write in fear of a song that everybody hates
Armageddon, let the light in
Before we say goodbye give us something to believe in
Armageddon, we're not begging
For too much I don't think
Just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute)
Before we sink
I wrote the words to this song on the back of a photograph
Behind your back it goes
A little something like this is way to big to miss
I got a letter in the mail
The sender failed to let me know where
It came from
Opened it up and sure enough there we were
Arm in arm (up in arms) again
Armageddon, let the light in
Before we say goodbye give us something to believe in
Armageddon, we're not begging
For too much I don't think
Just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute)
Before we sink
We sink
We sink
We sink
We sink
We sink
Armageddon, let the light in
Before we say goodbye give us something to believe in
Armageddon, we're not begging
For too much I don't think
Just need a goodbye kiss (one last salute)
Before we sink
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Ok is it just me or did this discussion turn into a people bashing thread? Nothing most of you guys are saying has anything to do with the MEANING of this song. kudos to the people actually TRIED to discuss the meaning of this song. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Or if you do, at least try to back yourself up with a reason. That's how this works.