"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.
Yo a ti te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
(¿Qué cantás?)
(Estoy haciendo una canción)
(¿Cómo se llama?)
(¿Cómo se llama?
No sé, "De Antes")
Ah-ah-ah, oh
Regálame un segundo por favor
Preciosa
Yo a ti te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
Tal vez de un tiempo en que
Mi memoria no alcanza
Tal vez de un tiempo en que
No habitaba esta masa
Tal vez en un tiempo en que
El lenguaje no hablaba
Tal vez mi tiempo fue
Te conozco de antes
Y esto me provoca en pesarte
Te conozco de antes
¿Cómo cuando y donde fue?
Quiero saber preciso entenderlo
¿Serás acaso la dama en mi sueños
O una revelación que no entiendo? no-oh
Dime si lo sabes
No espero nada a cambio, preciosa, no
Solo intento entender
Porque al verte me fallan los pies
La lengua me pesa al hablar
Tiemblo y sudo sin parar
Creo que tus elementos
Al mezclarse en mí pueden estallar
Te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
Y no es de cruzaros en la calle, no
Te conozco de antes
Y esto me provoca pensarte
Te conozco
No necesito mirarte pa' sentir
Los destellos que nacen de tu ser
Tus colores pintan mi cancion
Y mi guitarra se convierte en ti
Acaricio tu cabello
Intentando acordes al azar
Y regalas notas tan dulces
Que me inspiran cantar
Te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
Y no es de cruzarnos en la calle, no
Te conozco de antes
Y no es escusa pa cantarte
Te conozco de antes
No creas que intento conquistarte oh-oh-oh-oh
De antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco
De antes, de antes
Te conozco de antes oh-oh-oh
Oh-uh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
De antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
(¿Qué cantás?)
(Estoy haciendo una canción)
(¿Cómo se llama?)
(¿Cómo se llama?
No sé, "De Antes")
Ah-ah-ah, oh
Regálame un segundo por favor
Preciosa
Yo a ti te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
Tal vez de un tiempo en que
Mi memoria no alcanza
Tal vez de un tiempo en que
No habitaba esta masa
Tal vez en un tiempo en que
El lenguaje no hablaba
Tal vez mi tiempo fue
Te conozco de antes
Y esto me provoca en pesarte
Te conozco de antes
¿Cómo cuando y donde fue?
Quiero saber preciso entenderlo
¿Serás acaso la dama en mi sueños
O una revelación que no entiendo? no-oh
Dime si lo sabes
No espero nada a cambio, preciosa, no
Solo intento entender
Porque al verte me fallan los pies
La lengua me pesa al hablar
Tiemblo y sudo sin parar
Creo que tus elementos
Al mezclarse en mí pueden estallar
Te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
Y no es de cruzaros en la calle, no
Te conozco de antes
Y esto me provoca pensarte
Te conozco
No necesito mirarte pa' sentir
Los destellos que nacen de tu ser
Tus colores pintan mi cancion
Y mi guitarra se convierte en ti
Acaricio tu cabello
Intentando acordes al azar
Y regalas notas tan dulces
Que me inspiran cantar
Te conozco de antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco de antes
Y no es de cruzarnos en la calle, no
Te conozco de antes
Y no es escusa pa cantarte
Te conozco de antes
No creas que intento conquistarte oh-oh-oh-oh
De antes
He visto esos ojos andantes
Te conozco
De antes, de antes
Te conozco de antes oh-oh-oh
Oh-uh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
De antes
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