"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'm small and I'm tired
I'm blurred to bits and wired
I'm nothing in this universe
Nothing but pieces of dust
Appearing in more repeats
The mirror man has seen defeat
Hide away, be old and grey
Alfred J Pru frock would be proud of me
Keep it together hold it together
Keep it together hold it together
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Sleep so heavy that it's out of the question
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Wake up and pour myself another ice-breaker
Going now so happy and so loose
Making bigger holes in my stomach
Losing losing split down the middle
With no end and no beginning
I'm small and I'm tired
I'm blurred to bits and wired
I'm nothing in this universe
Nothing but pieces of dust
Keep it together hold it together
Keep it together hold it together
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Sleep so heavy that it's out of the question
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Wake up and pour myself another ice-breaker
Keep it together hold it together
Keep it together hold it together
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Sleep so heavy that it's out of the question
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Wake up and pour myself another ice-breaker
Ice-breaker
Ice-breaker
Ice-breaker
I'm blurred to bits and wired
I'm nothing in this universe
Nothing but pieces of dust
Appearing in more repeats
The mirror man has seen defeat
Hide away, be old and grey
Alfred J Pru frock would be proud of me
Keep it together hold it together
Keep it together hold it together
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Sleep so heavy that it's out of the question
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Wake up and pour myself another ice-breaker
Going now so happy and so loose
Making bigger holes in my stomach
Losing losing split down the middle
With no end and no beginning
I'm small and I'm tired
I'm blurred to bits and wired
I'm nothing in this universe
Nothing but pieces of dust
Keep it together hold it together
Keep it together hold it together
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Sleep so heavy that it's out of the question
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Wake up and pour myself another ice-breaker
Keep it together hold it together
Keep it together hold it together
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Sleep so heavy that it's out of the question
Little someone in my own little Guernica
Wake up and pour myself another ice-breaker
Ice-breaker
Ice-breaker
Ice-breaker
Lyrics submitted by MyLastDays
My Guernica Lyrics as written by Jones Bradfield
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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In case some people don't know who Alfred J. Prufrock is, he's the character in TS Eliot's famous poem 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock', a poem that exhibits melancholy sentiments and fears about the modern age, growing old, etc. that really suit these lyrics. This song is kinda hard to figure out the meaning of precisely, but it sounds like just another one about Nicky feeling insignificant in the grand scope of the universe and feeling depressed about this and about getting older too maybe. "In my own little Guernica" -- I guess would translate to "my own little warzone", scene of chaotic and confused misery or despair or something.