"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.
I wrote your name on the wall
with blood red aerosol
isn´t that just what you wanted
I drew your face on to my notepad
with invisible ink
isn´t that just what you're scared of
cursing the gender
cursing it for it´s temper
we don´t feel like girls do
we don´t feel like they do
I carved your name on every tree
in the whole wide world
isn´t that just what you wanted
I forgot to ask can I write a song about you
with invisible ink
isn´t that just what you're scared of
cursing the gender
cursing it for it´s temper
I´m yours for life
though I don´t scream it out
with blood red aerosol
isn´t that just what you wanted
I drew your face on to my notepad
with invisible ink
isn´t that just what you're scared of
cursing the gender
cursing it for it´s temper
we don´t feel like girls do
we don´t feel like they do
I carved your name on every tree
in the whole wide world
isn´t that just what you wanted
I forgot to ask can I write a song about you
with invisible ink
isn´t that just what you're scared of
cursing the gender
cursing it for it´s temper
I´m yours for life
though I don´t scream it out
Lyrics submitted by mainde
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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yeah...when i heard it i thought that he was talking about a guy instead of a girl...and cursing girls while talking to this guy. in saying 'we' it sort of says he's with this other guy.