"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.
Joined the army for money for college
Now I�m trading bullets for knowledge
Isn�t quite what I bargained for
They didn�t tell me there would be no war
Thought of the adventure, I thought it would be cool
I could see the whole world and go back to school
But for three months I�ve been on this ship
Staring at the water what a lame ass trip
When I get the call I got to jump in a copter
Fly into the desert, join into a slaughter
But you know I�m a pacifist
Shooting in the dark at a terrorist
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
Can�t get into the helicopter
This ain�t like Playstation at all
Some of these guy�s out on this ship
Are so gung-ho war you know it makes me trip
Got an illegitimate President
Taking his word like it�s heaven sent
I�m just a number in the war machine
Lost my say when I was seventeen
I�m indigenous personnel
Flying in a copter going straight to hell
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
We could never stop the terror
By adding fuel to it�s fire
What if I refuse to fight?
Put me in the stockade overnight
You see I have opened up my fist
In all war I shall resist
As it was is how it will be
Insanity for all humanity
Drop your guns dance around
All sides now let�s have a hoe down
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
We could never stop the terror
By adding fuel to it�s fire
In this violent power struggle
I just want to love and snuggle
Could you define a terrorist?
Give me the pen I�m going to make my list
George Bush Sr., and George Bush Jr.
Ronald Reagan and the corporate donors
CIA and the FBI
NRA and that Heston guy
Fundamentalist Christian plan
Just as bad as the Taliban
Take the world for all they can
Disregard the Muslim land
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
Can�t get into the helicopter
This ain�t like Playstation at all
Well what�s the solution to the problem?
Give me the answers cause I ain�t got them
Israel and Palestine
Who are we to pick a side?
We are not the world�s police
Dropping bombs don�t keep the peace
Shooting guns on foreign soil
In this bloody quest for oil
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
You could never stop the terror
By adding fuel to it�s fire
Now I�m trading bullets for knowledge
Isn�t quite what I bargained for
They didn�t tell me there would be no war
Thought of the adventure, I thought it would be cool
I could see the whole world and go back to school
But for three months I�ve been on this ship
Staring at the water what a lame ass trip
When I get the call I got to jump in a copter
Fly into the desert, join into a slaughter
But you know I�m a pacifist
Shooting in the dark at a terrorist
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
Can�t get into the helicopter
This ain�t like Playstation at all
Some of these guy�s out on this ship
Are so gung-ho war you know it makes me trip
Got an illegitimate President
Taking his word like it�s heaven sent
I�m just a number in the war machine
Lost my say when I was seventeen
I�m indigenous personnel
Flying in a copter going straight to hell
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
We could never stop the terror
By adding fuel to it�s fire
What if I refuse to fight?
Put me in the stockade overnight
You see I have opened up my fist
In all war I shall resist
As it was is how it will be
Insanity for all humanity
Drop your guns dance around
All sides now let�s have a hoe down
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
We could never stop the terror
By adding fuel to it�s fire
In this violent power struggle
I just want to love and snuggle
Could you define a terrorist?
Give me the pen I�m going to make my list
George Bush Sr., and George Bush Jr.
Ronald Reagan and the corporate donors
CIA and the FBI
NRA and that Heston guy
Fundamentalist Christian plan
Just as bad as the Taliban
Take the world for all they can
Disregard the Muslim land
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
Can�t get into the helicopter
This ain�t like Playstation at all
Well what�s the solution to the problem?
Give me the answers cause I ain�t got them
Israel and Palestine
Who are we to pick a side?
We are not the world�s police
Dropping bombs don�t keep the peace
Shooting guns on foreign soil
In this bloody quest for oil
I got those pre-invasion jitters
Ain�t no traitor, ain�t no quitter
You could never stop the terror
By adding fuel to it�s fire
Lyrics submitted by NotCoolZeus
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Great version of a great song,
FINALLY!! I have been looking for these lyrics for quite some time. I love this song. The lyrics are pretty self explainatory, I heard that once when he played this song live the drummer hit him with a drum stick..
I love this song.
And I love David Dondero.
This is one of the best songs ever written haha