"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.
Break through the undertow
Your hands I can't seem to find
Pollution burns my tongue
Cough words I can't speak so I stall myself again, then I fall to the surface
Fill my lungs with air
Then let it out
I give it all
This is the reason that I sing
So give it all
Cause it's these reasons that belong to me
Rock bottom's where we live
And still we dig these trenches
Bury ourselves in them
Backs breaking on the tension
For far too long these voices
Muffled by distances
It's time to come to our senses
And from the dark
We give it all
This is the reason why I sing
So give it all
It's these reasons that belong to me
Breathe, the air we give
The life we live
Our voices raising distances
So when my tongue
Break into song
You seize a competition
So please believe your eyes
Of sacrifice
Is not what we had in our minds
I'm coming home tonight, home tonight
We give it all
This is the reason why I sing
So give it all
It's these reasons that belong to me
Today I offer up myself to this I'm living for my dying wish
I give it all
Now there's a reason, there's a reason
To give it all
Your hands I can't seem to find
Pollution burns my tongue
Cough words I can't speak so I stall myself again, then I fall to the surface
Fill my lungs with air
Then let it out
I give it all
This is the reason that I sing
So give it all
Cause it's these reasons that belong to me
Rock bottom's where we live
And still we dig these trenches
Bury ourselves in them
Backs breaking on the tension
For far too long these voices
Muffled by distances
It's time to come to our senses
And from the dark
We give it all
This is the reason why I sing
So give it all
It's these reasons that belong to me
Breathe, the air we give
The life we live
Our voices raising distances
So when my tongue
Break into song
You seize a competition
So please believe your eyes
Of sacrifice
Is not what we had in our minds
I'm coming home tonight, home tonight
We give it all
This is the reason why I sing
So give it all
It's these reasons that belong to me
Today I offer up myself to this I'm living for my dying wish
I give it all
Now there's a reason, there's a reason
To give it all
Lyrics submitted by WayneSaysYes, edited by Metallika1
Give It All Lyrics as written by Christopher Chasse Brandon Barnes
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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this song is on the rock against bush album, so i agree with mofro, still an amazing song. iv never heard as much emotion put into a word as the 'all' in this song