"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.
lets dance while we still can these days are numbered short we can watch moments pass or we can see them as our last and take them for all they're worth so lets dance while we can throw caution to the wind and roll on full force until drained so that burn remains through worst of times and not wait for another day or for the perfect day to up and rise we never know what new days take so why waste all the hours to grow with those we know and i'm asking why we waste time alone when we should know to roll on full force and take advantage of these days that shape our lives and not wait for another day just because we have not enough time to roll on full force till drained so that burn remains through worst of times and not wait another day or for the perfect day to up and rise off my ass out my front door and up to yours to sit down with a fucking cup of coffee and shoot the shit
Lyrics submitted by standardarmy
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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True 'dat, "schlieffen." This song really inspires me to take hold of the day and whatever situations I'm in. If you have the live at the hardback album by HWM, they have a touching story for this.