"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 is woman - pie in here
mr. evangelist says she's hit
the best cook ya ever had
ya can't blame the good woman now, dad
and ya locked him up for twenty years
now there's action on the basement stairs now
a monster half-man half-beast grind
hear the hatchet (grind grind)
the pilgrim gets one hacked daughter
and all we get are forty hack reporters
uptown one hundred skirts are bleeding
and mr. evangelist says
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit
now if only we could all grow wings and fly
sweet hatchet SWING low son
I'm feeling mighty lonesome
christen the bastard jack dad
the head-shrinker is a quack
anyone 'anyone who'd wear their hair like that'
the vinyl is so cool but the conversation's cruel
hold my head romeo it's in a rodeo
hold my heart daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
hold my heart romeo it's in a rodeo
hold my head daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
and all the girls across the world
and all the girls across the world
are hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit
and she won't get up
she's hit ev'ry little bit she's hit
she's hit she's hit she's hit yeah
she's hit she's hit she's hit
and she won't get up! and she's hit she's hit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit
goodbye.
mr. evangelist says she's hit
the best cook ya ever had
ya can't blame the good woman now, dad
and ya locked him up for twenty years
now there's action on the basement stairs now
a monster half-man half-beast grind
hear the hatchet (grind grind)
the pilgrim gets one hacked daughter
and all we get are forty hack reporters
uptown one hundred skirts are bleeding
and mr. evangelist says
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit
now if only we could all grow wings and fly
sweet hatchet SWING low son
I'm feeling mighty lonesome
christen the bastard jack dad
the head-shrinker is a quack
anyone 'anyone who'd wear their hair like that'
the vinyl is so cool but the conversation's cruel
hold my head romeo it's in a rodeo
hold my heart daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
hold my heart romeo it's in a rodeo
hold my head daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
and all the girls across the world
and all the girls across the world
are hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit
and she won't get up
she's hit ev'ry little bit she's hit
she's hit she's hit she's hit yeah
she's hit she's hit she's hit
and she won't get up! and she's hit she's hit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit
goodbye.
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