"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.
So unaffectionate, so insecure
You claim to know a thing or two about heartache
And what it's like to have your insides torn out
And I believe you
I see it every time your pallbearer's pallor is obscured
By the darkness dancing across your face
And when the blackness veils your eyes in pain
I know what it's like when memories make you wince
And love letters read like obituaries
And photo albums are the books of the dead
I need no reminders
No more reminders
I'll forget the past and lay it to rest
If I had my way I'd cut the calluses
Off your breaking heart
If I could get past the sternum
Cauterize those wounds with every kiss I could give to you
I'm holding your heart in my hands
The reason it still beats
Am I being too cryptic?
Am I being too obscure?
Love kills
Romance is dead
And I don't even trust myself
But I love you
And you can pull my wings apart
And pin me down under glass
Until the end of days
If it can help you discover that we share the same pain
I just hope you write your thesis before your subject is dead
No life after death
You claim to know a thing or two about heartache
And what it's like to have your insides torn out
And I believe you
I see it every time your pallbearer's pallor is obscured
By the darkness dancing across your face
And when the blackness veils your eyes in pain
I know what it's like when memories make you wince
And love letters read like obituaries
And photo albums are the books of the dead
I need no reminders
No more reminders
I'll forget the past and lay it to rest
If I had my way I'd cut the calluses
Off your breaking heart
If I could get past the sternum
Cauterize those wounds with every kiss I could give to you
I'm holding your heart in my hands
The reason it still beats
Am I being too cryptic?
Am I being too obscure?
Love kills
Romance is dead
And I don't even trust myself
But I love you
And you can pull my wings apart
And pin me down under glass
Until the end of days
If it can help you discover that we share the same pain
I just hope you write your thesis before your subject is dead
No life after death
Lyrics submitted by skinner56
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Punchline
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i agree with There is no fayt, i think this song is about a guy and a girl who love to hate each other pretty much. but this is wat I think about it all, i think that when he says " So unaffectionate, so insecure You claim to know a thing or two about heartache And what it's like to have your insides torn out" he means that the girl is always complaining or saying that things are so bad but in reality she doesnt really even know the beginning. and when he says "I know what it's like when memories make you wince And love letters read like obituaries And photo albums are the books of the dead I need no reminders, no more reminders I'll forget the past and lay it to rest" hes saying that he knows wat it's like to have painful memories of all the shit they've been through, and that all the things that are supposed to be happy have been turned to kind of gloomy and morbid, and that he doesnt need any reminders of it because its always on his mind. and hes also willing to forget it all and but the past behind them to start over becuase he loves her. ok when he says "If I had my way I'd cut the calluses off your breaking heart If I could get past the sternum Cauterize those wounds with Every kiss I could give to you I'm holding your heart in my hand The reason it still beats" i think it means that if he could, he would do away with all the terrible imperfections in her heart,her insecurity and her unaffectionate ways, and "if i could get past the sternum" is kind of like his way of saying "if i could just get through to you about all of this" and hes also kind of saying "im still holding on to us, so im kind of the reason we're still here" and in the last verse i think its like hes saying "even though i dont even trust myself....it doesnt matter becaus i love you, no matter wat you put me through, and no matter wat has happened to us up to this point"...............so like i said this is just my opinion and how i see it! this song is so kick ass its unbelievable!