"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.
Wind me up
Put me down
Start me off and watch me go
I'll be runnin' circles around you sooner than you know
A little off center
And I'm out of tune
Just kickin' this can along the avenue
But I'm alright
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
Shut up
Hush your mouth
Can't you hear you talk too loud
No can't hear nothin' 'cause I got my head up in the clouds
I bite off anything that I can chew
I'm chasing cars up and down the avenue
But that's okay
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
Oh baby don't you know
You really gotta jerk it out
When you jerk it out
Oh baby don't you know
You really gotta jerk it out
When you jerk it out
Oh baby don't you know you
You really gotta jerk it out
Put me down
Start me off and watch me go
I'll be runnin' circles around you sooner than you know
A little off center
And I'm out of tune
Just kickin' this can along the avenue
But I'm alright
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
Shut up
Hush your mouth
Can't you hear you talk too loud
No can't hear nothin' 'cause I got my head up in the clouds
I bite off anything that I can chew
I'm chasing cars up and down the avenue
But that's okay
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
'Cause it's easy once you know how it's done
You can't stop now
It's already begun
You feel it runnin' through your bones
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
And you jerk it out
Oh baby don't you know
You really gotta jerk it out
When you jerk it out
Oh baby don't you know
You really gotta jerk it out
When you jerk it out
Oh baby don't you know you
You really gotta jerk it out
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