"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.
Lookah yonder!
A big black cloud come!
Yes, a big black cloud come.
Come to the Tupelo,
Come to the Tupelo.
Yonder on the horizon,
Yonder on the horizon.
Stopped at the mighty river,
Stopped at the mighty river,
And sucked the damn thing dry,
Tupelo-o!
Oh, Tupelo,
In a valley hides a town called Tupelo.
Distant thunder rumble,
Distant thunder rumble,
Rumble hungry like the Beast,
The Beast it cometh, cometh down,
The Beast it cometh, cometh down,
Wow-wo-wo,Tupelo bound.
Tupelo-o!
Oh, Tupelo
The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound.
Why the hen won't lay no egg, can't get that cock to crow,
The horse is spooked & crazy, oh God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo,
God help Tupelo,
Oh God help Tupelo.
Ya can say these streets are rivers
Ya can call these rivers streets
Ya can tell yaself ya dreamin' buddy, but no sleep runs this deep,
No!
No sleep runs this deep, no sleep runs this deep
Women at their windows, ain crashing on the pane
Writing in the frost Tupelos' shame, Tupelo's shame,
Tuprlo's shame,
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
Oh, go to sleep little children, the sandmans on his way ,
Go to sleep little children, he sandmans in his way ,
But the little children know,
But the little children know,
They listen to the beating of their blood,
Listen to the beating of their blood ,
Listen to the beating of their blood,
Listen to the beating of their blood!
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
And the black rain come down,
The black rain come down,
Black rain come down,
Water, water everywhere,
Water, water everywhere,
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
No fish can swim
Until The King is born,
Until The King is born,
Until The King is born...
Tupelo-o!
Oh, Tupelo
Until The King is born in Tupelo..
In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin
Where the rain came down and leaked within,
A young mother frozen on a concrete floor,
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw...
Tupelo-o!
Yeah! Yeah!
Hey, Tupelo!
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw
Well Saturday gives what Sunday steals,
And a child is born on his brothers heels,
Come Sunday morn the first-born dead,
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon red...
Tupelo-o!
Yeah, O Tupelo
In a shoebox buried with a ribbon red...
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Til the King is born in Tupelo,
Til the King is born in Tupelo,
Til the King is born in Tupelo,
Til the King is born in Tupelo!
Tupelo-o!
Yeah! Yeah!
And carry the burden of Tupelo,
Tupelo-o!
Yeah, yeah, yeah! Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo...
Yeah! The King will walk on Tupelo!
Tupelo-o!
Yeah!
He carried the burden outta Tupelo!
Tupelo-o!
Yeah, Tupelo
You will reap just what you sow!
A big black cloud come!
Yes, a big black cloud come.
Come to the Tupelo,
Come to the Tupelo.
Yonder on the horizon,
Yonder on the horizon.
Stopped at the mighty river,
Stopped at the mighty river,
And sucked the damn thing dry,
Tupelo-o!
Oh, Tupelo,
In a valley hides a town called Tupelo.
Distant thunder rumble,
Distant thunder rumble,
Rumble hungry like the Beast,
The Beast it cometh, cometh down,
The Beast it cometh, cometh down,
Wow-wo-wo,Tupelo bound.
Tupelo-o!
Oh, Tupelo
The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound.
Why the hen won't lay no egg, can't get that cock to crow,
The horse is spooked & crazy, oh God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo,
God help Tupelo,
Oh God help Tupelo.
Ya can say these streets are rivers
Ya can call these rivers streets
Ya can tell yaself ya dreamin' buddy, but no sleep runs this deep,
No!
No sleep runs this deep, no sleep runs this deep
Women at their windows, ain crashing on the pane
Writing in the frost Tupelos' shame, Tupelo's shame,
Tuprlo's shame,
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
God help Tupelo
Oh, go to sleep little children, the sandmans on his way ,
Go to sleep little children, he sandmans in his way ,
But the little children know,
But the little children know,
They listen to the beating of their blood,
Listen to the beating of their blood ,
Listen to the beating of their blood,
Listen to the beating of their blood!
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
And the black rain come down,
The black rain come down,
Black rain come down,
Water, water everywhere,
Water, water everywhere,
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
No fish can swim
Until The King is born,
Until The King is born,
Until The King is born...
Tupelo-o!
Oh, Tupelo
Until The King is born in Tupelo..
In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin
Where the rain came down and leaked within,
A young mother frozen on a concrete floor,
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw...
Tupelo-o!
Yeah! Yeah!
Hey, Tupelo!
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw
Well Saturday gives what Sunday steals,
And a child is born on his brothers heels,
Come Sunday morn the first-born dead,
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon red...
Tupelo-o!
Yeah, O Tupelo
In a shoebox buried with a ribbon red...
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock your baby,
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Til the King is born in Tupelo
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Mama, rock you lil' one slow,
Mama, rock your baby,
Til the King is born in Tupelo,
Til the King is born in Tupelo,
Til the King is born in Tupelo,
Til the King is born in Tupelo!
Tupelo-o!
Yeah! Yeah!
And carry the burden of Tupelo,
Tupelo-o!
Yeah, yeah, yeah! Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo...
Yeah! The King will walk on Tupelo!
Tupelo-o!
Yeah!
He carried the burden outta Tupelo!
Tupelo-o!
Yeah, Tupelo
You will reap just what you sow!
Lyrics submitted by MassAsShadows
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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The original song had alot of the ideas for Caves first novel in it. Based on fact, there was the Tupelo/Gainesville Outbreak, which was a pretty nasty storm that killed a fair few people. At the time Elvis was around a year and a half old - give or take. As well as that, Elvis was the younger of twins, the older who died soon after birth. So yeah those facts kinda create the basis for this apocalyptic sorta picture - whether or not there's more to it than just Nick Caves mental imagination - who knows? That's part of the fun! SikTh version kicks ass tho, especially in the dark and rain...