"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
Hey, hey
Don't wanna be a drag
Everybody gotta pay
I know you know
'Bout the emperor's clothes
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby, give me one more chance
Ooh
Alright
Hey
Well, it's Saturday night and I just gotta rip it up
Sunday morning, I just gotta give it up, hey
Come Monday, mama, and I just gotta run away
You know it's such a drag to face another day
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby give me one more chance
Hey, hey
Alright
Ow
You know the more it change
The more it stays the same
You gotta hang on in,
You gotta cut the string
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know, you don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby give me one more chance
Come on, baby
Hey, hey
Alright
Hey, hey
Alright
Hey, hey
Don't wanna be a drag
Everybody gotta pay
I know you know
'Bout the emperor's clothes
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby, give me one more chance
Ooh
Alright
Hey
Well, it's Saturday night and I just gotta rip it up
Sunday morning, I just gotta give it up, hey
Come Monday, mama, and I just gotta run away
You know it's such a drag to face another day
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby give me one more chance
Hey, hey
Alright
Ow
You know the more it change
The more it stays the same
You gotta hang on in,
You gotta cut the string
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know, you don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby give me one more chance
Come on, baby
Hey, hey
Alright
Hey, hey
Alright
Lyrics submitted by planetearth
What You Got Lyrics as written by John Lennon
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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is he wailing out of sadness or just cause he thinks this is a wailing sort of song? I think the version on Wonsaponatime is better, though only slightly. Oh, and why is no one commenting?