"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.
One thousand feet in the atmosphere
you're there and losing light
Shrinking skin wishing death
on worthless liars and beauty queens
One million hours from the city
where the lights wont burn our eyes
That's where the wild things are
that's where gold falls from the sky.
So take this gun and load it slowly
point it straight up at the sky
Mark the spot where you stand
cause it will come back down at the end of July
And it's not fair
I know somewhere my life won't be like this.
Pulling out the poison with a kiss on the bottle's lips
Lada da dat la da da da la da da la lada
Ride fast from the cast
holding the monsters underneath your bed
Hiding out for weeks on end
Jumping down on their bruised hands
Jumping down on the weekend
I forever I win
Standing straight in the firefight reading liars their rights.
Shooting at the dark and things you never see kiss the ring and punch your knees
Run until you can't breathe
they can't catch up without hearts
they don't believe in that sorta thing
And somewhere between here and there
there's billboards and silver spoons
and the phones won't stop ringing.
My heads reaming…I am famous…
and then I wont care at all about anything just like you…
I'm just like you
I don't care at all about anything…
you're there and losing light
Shrinking skin wishing death
on worthless liars and beauty queens
One million hours from the city
where the lights wont burn our eyes
That's where the wild things are
that's where gold falls from the sky.
So take this gun and load it slowly
point it straight up at the sky
Mark the spot where you stand
cause it will come back down at the end of July
And it's not fair
I know somewhere my life won't be like this.
Pulling out the poison with a kiss on the bottle's lips
Lada da dat la da da da la da da la lada
Ride fast from the cast
holding the monsters underneath your bed
Hiding out for weeks on end
Jumping down on their bruised hands
Jumping down on the weekend
I forever I win
Standing straight in the firefight reading liars their rights.
Shooting at the dark and things you never see kiss the ring and punch your knees
Run until you can't breathe
they can't catch up without hearts
they don't believe in that sorta thing
And somewhere between here and there
there's billboards and silver spoons
and the phones won't stop ringing.
My heads reaming…I am famous…
and then I wont care at all about anything just like you…
I'm just like you
I don't care at all about anything…
Lyrics submitted by DaysofThePhoenix2
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Fast Car
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