"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.
Yo, Gee, they can't stop me from rappin', can they?
Can they, Hop?
(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
I spit it through the wire, man
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
There's too much stuff on my heart right now, man
I'd gladly risk it all right now
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
It's a life-or-death situation, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
Y'all, y'all don't really understand how I feel right now, man
It's your boy, Kanye to the
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
Chi-Town, what's goin' on?
Uh-huh, yeah, yeah
I drink a Boost for breakfast, an Ensure for dessert
Somebody ordered pancakes, I just sip the sizzurp
That right there could drive a sane man berserk
Not to worry, Mr. H-to-the-Izzo's back to wizzerk
How do you console my mom or give her light support
Tellin' her her son's on life support?
And just imagine how my girl feel
On the plane, scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till
She was with me before the deal, she been tryna be mine
She a Delta, so she been throwing that Dynasty sign
No use me tryna be lyin', I been tryna be signed
Tryna be a millionaire, how I used two lifelines
In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died
The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man
Story on MTV and I ain't tryna make a band
I swear, this right here, history in the makin', man
(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
I really apologize to everyone right now
If, if it's unclear at all, man
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
They got my mouth wired shut
For like, I dunno, the doctor said like six weeks
You know, he had reconstruct, I had reconstructive surgery on my jaw
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
I looked in the mirror, half my jaw was in the back of my mouth, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
I couldn't believe it
But I'm still here for y'all right now, man
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
This what I got to say right here, dawg
Yeah, turn me up, yeah, uh
What if somebody from the Chi' that was ill got a deal
On the hottest rap label around?
But he wasn't talkin' 'bout coke and birds
It was more like spoken word
'Cept he's really puttin' it down?
And he explained the story 'bout how Blacks came from glory
And what we need to do in the game
Good dude, bad night, right place, wrong time
In the blink of a eye, his whole life changed
If you could feel how my face felt, you would know how Ma$e felt (Mason Betha)
Thank God I ain't too cool for the safe belt (uh-huh)
I swear to God, driver two wanna sue
I got a lawyer for the case to keep what's in my safe safe
My dawgs couldn't tell if I
I looked like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, it was televised
There's been an accident like GEICO
They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael
I must got a angel, 'cause look how death missed his ass
Unbreakable, what, you thought they'd call me Mr. Glass?
Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past (uh-huh)
Toys "R" Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash
And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid
Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did
But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph (uh-huh, yeah, yeah)
Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire (woo)
(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
You know what I'm sayin'?
When the doctor told me I had a, um, I was gonna have to have a plate in my chin
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
I said, dawg, don't you realize I'll never make it on a plane now?
It's bad enough I got all this jewelry on
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
You can't be serious, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
Can they, Hop?
(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
I spit it through the wire, man
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
There's too much stuff on my heart right now, man
I'd gladly risk it all right now
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
It's a life-or-death situation, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
Y'all, y'all don't really understand how I feel right now, man
It's your boy, Kanye to the
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
Chi-Town, what's goin' on?
Uh-huh, yeah, yeah
I drink a Boost for breakfast, an Ensure for dessert
Somebody ordered pancakes, I just sip the sizzurp
That right there could drive a sane man berserk
Not to worry, Mr. H-to-the-Izzo's back to wizzerk
How do you console my mom or give her light support
Tellin' her her son's on life support?
And just imagine how my girl feel
On the plane, scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till
She was with me before the deal, she been tryna be mine
She a Delta, so she been throwing that Dynasty sign
No use me tryna be lyin', I been tryna be signed
Tryna be a millionaire, how I used two lifelines
In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died
The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man
Story on MTV and I ain't tryna make a band
I swear, this right here, history in the makin', man
(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
I really apologize to everyone right now
If, if it's unclear at all, man
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
They got my mouth wired shut
For like, I dunno, the doctor said like six weeks
You know, he had reconstruct, I had reconstructive surgery on my jaw
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
I looked in the mirror, half my jaw was in the back of my mouth, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
I couldn't believe it
But I'm still here for y'all right now, man
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
This what I got to say right here, dawg
Yeah, turn me up, yeah, uh
What if somebody from the Chi' that was ill got a deal
On the hottest rap label around?
But he wasn't talkin' 'bout coke and birds
It was more like spoken word
'Cept he's really puttin' it down?
And he explained the story 'bout how Blacks came from glory
And what we need to do in the game
Good dude, bad night, right place, wrong time
In the blink of a eye, his whole life changed
If you could feel how my face felt, you would know how Ma$e felt (Mason Betha)
Thank God I ain't too cool for the safe belt (uh-huh)
I swear to God, driver two wanna sue
I got a lawyer for the case to keep what's in my safe safe
My dawgs couldn't tell if I
I looked like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, it was televised
There's been an accident like GEICO
They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael
I must got a angel, 'cause look how death missed his ass
Unbreakable, what, you thought they'd call me Mr. Glass?
Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past (uh-huh)
Toys "R" Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash
And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid
Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did
But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph (uh-huh, yeah, yeah)
Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire (woo)
(Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall)
You know what I'm sayin'?
When the doctor told me I had a, um, I was gonna have to have a plate in my chin
(For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all)
I said, dawg, don't you realize I'll never make it on a plane now?
It's bad enough I got all this jewelry on
(Through the fire, through whatever, come what may)
You can't be serious, man
(For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way)
(Right down to the wire, even through the fire)
Lyrics submitted by 613flavah, edited by tyshaun105
Through The Wire Lyrics as written by David Foster Cynthia Weil
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DYAD Music Ltd., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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Great version of a great song,
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This song is about Kanye overcoming things that tried to hinder his dream. I think Kanye is such an inspirational artist. Through The Wire is his best song EVER