"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.
Wash your dirty hands,
'Cause you've had them all over me. Scrub with Brillo pads,
But I know you'll never come clean. And your friends say you're the victim,
I keep hearin' that I was wrong;
It's like my eight years were all one big con
'Cause I, 'cause I said we'd be forever,
And I know I made that change.
Now we can't even be together even though you know that right now
I could use the friend to talk to.
These days my needs don't mean anything.
Eyes are never dry since the night you ran when I asked for help.
Talk of suicide made you wish you'd invested in someone else.
And I know you touched my heart and drew back a crippled fist,
But I need to hear the kind lips I kissed for years.
And I said we'd be forever,
And I know I made that change.
Now we can't even be together long enough to let resentment go away.
I thought things had settled;
I guess things'll rise to fall.
And our history misled me, so I was too comfortable.
'Cause you were so dutiful,
I figured I'd always have it made;
And then suddenly you're willing to trade losses for the saves.
And right now I could use a friend to talk to,
But these days my needs don't mean anything.
Your brand new friends have me all wrong;
Tell them how I always mean well.
I feel the wedge they drive, so right now I'm pissed as hell.
And I could use a friend to talk to.
These days my needs don't mean anything.
'Cause you've had them all over me. Scrub with Brillo pads,
But I know you'll never come clean. And your friends say you're the victim,
I keep hearin' that I was wrong;
It's like my eight years were all one big con
'Cause I, 'cause I said we'd be forever,
And I know I made that change.
Now we can't even be together even though you know that right now
I could use the friend to talk to.
These days my needs don't mean anything.
Eyes are never dry since the night you ran when I asked for help.
Talk of suicide made you wish you'd invested in someone else.
And I know you touched my heart and drew back a crippled fist,
But I need to hear the kind lips I kissed for years.
And I said we'd be forever,
And I know I made that change.
Now we can't even be together long enough to let resentment go away.
I thought things had settled;
I guess things'll rise to fall.
And our history misled me, so I was too comfortable.
'Cause you were so dutiful,
I figured I'd always have it made;
And then suddenly you're willing to trade losses for the saves.
And right now I could use a friend to talk to,
But these days my needs don't mean anything.
Your brand new friends have me all wrong;
Tell them how I always mean well.
I feel the wedge they drive, so right now I'm pissed as hell.
And I could use a friend to talk to.
These days my needs don't mean anything.
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I assume the "Brand new friends" line has something to do with a new boyfriend maybe, and for sure the people that have helped convince her that he was totally wrong for her and that somebody else is the answer.