"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.
There's clothes all over the floor
Don't remember them being here before
Smell of perfume is in here, why's lipstick on the mirror
And still I don't understand
No pictures left in the hall
There's three new holes in my wall
Where the hell's my credit cards, why's my wallet in the yard
And still I don't understand
Well, now I guess I should've listened
When you said you'd had enough
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Why's love gotta be so tough
Should see the look on my face
My shit's all over the place
Why's this happening to me, why'd you take both sets of keys
And still I don't understand
Well, now I guess I should've listened
When you said you'd had enough
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Why's love gotta be so tough
Oh, and now I guess I should've listened
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh, ahh-oh, ahh-ahh, ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
There's clothes all over my floor
I don't remember them being there before
There are no candles in here, lipstick's still on my mirror
And still I don't understand
Oh, and now I guess I should've listened
When you said you'd had enough
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Why must love be so tough
Well, now I guess I should've listened
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
When you said you'd had enough
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
Why's love gotta be so tough
Don't remember them being here before
Smell of perfume is in here, why's lipstick on the mirror
And still I don't understand
No pictures left in the hall
There's three new holes in my wall
Where the hell's my credit cards, why's my wallet in the yard
And still I don't understand
Well, now I guess I should've listened
When you said you'd had enough
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Why's love gotta be so tough
Should see the look on my face
My shit's all over the place
Why's this happening to me, why'd you take both sets of keys
And still I don't understand
Well, now I guess I should've listened
When you said you'd had enough
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Why's love gotta be so tough
Oh, and now I guess I should've listened
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh, ahh-oh, ahh-ahh, ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
There's clothes all over my floor
I don't remember them being there before
There are no candles in here, lipstick's still on my mirror
And still I don't understand
Oh, and now I guess I should've listened
When you said you'd had enough
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Why must love be so tough
Well, now I guess I should've listened
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
When you said you'd had enough
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
A little trick I picked up from my father, in one ear and out the other
Ahh-oh, ahh-ahh
Why's love gotta be so tough
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"Smell of perfume isn't here" i think should be "smell of perfume IS IN here"
"It's plain there's holes in my wall" should be "there's 3 new holes in my wall
"Why's love got to be so tuff?" should be TOUGH tuff = stone
i agree this song is pretty straight forward but somehow when i forst listened to it, i had a VERY DIFFERENT idea about what is about, get this.i somehow saw IT as a rape, i know i know CRAZY and AWFUL, the line "didn't listen when you said you had enough" throw me WAY OFF , have to be something i watched that screwed up the way i saw it, but it's straight forward HE REGRETS NOT LISTENING TO HIS GIRLFRIEND WHO MOVED OUT OF HIS APARTMENT
i have to see " a little trick i picked up from my fat