"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.
Wet ground and the snow is still not falling
Circumstances are alarming, darling
The future is just a word, that's how I recall it
The past is much more present in our yawning
But I heard you right
Something was lost from the start
Oh babe, what should we do, what should we say?
Should we give it away?
The future looked so bright then
What happened tonight?
Now aeroplanes are crashing
Who turned out the light?
Seemingly it seems to me I'm subject to a joke
And it's not a test
Wet ground and the stars are still out shining
Neon lights were never oh, so blinding
Prosecute the ones who stand accused
Let the others go or leave them dying
But I heard you right
Everything was here before
We shouldn't add or put away a thing
Let nobody win
The future looked so bright then
What happened tonight?
Now aeroplanes are crashing
Who turned out the light?
Seemingly it seems to me I'm subject to a joke
And it's not a sin
Circumstances are alarming, darling
The future is just a word, that's how I recall it
The past is much more present in our yawning
But I heard you right
Something was lost from the start
Oh babe, what should we do, what should we say?
Should we give it away?
The future looked so bright then
What happened tonight?
Now aeroplanes are crashing
Who turned out the light?
Seemingly it seems to me I'm subject to a joke
And it's not a test
Wet ground and the stars are still out shining
Neon lights were never oh, so blinding
Prosecute the ones who stand accused
Let the others go or leave them dying
But I heard you right
Everything was here before
We shouldn't add or put away a thing
Let nobody win
The future looked so bright then
What happened tonight?
Now aeroplanes are crashing
Who turned out the light?
Seemingly it seems to me I'm subject to a joke
And it's not a sin
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