"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.
When the colors of mourning have faded away
And you don't know where the road is leading
The edge of the sky turns from blue into grey
And there's nothing to ease the pain
When you're losing your way in the rain
Oh, sometimes I'm right
Oh and sometimes I'm wrong
But I'aching now and sinking slowly
And I know in my mind that we have to keep on
But it just doesn't seem the same
When you're losing your way in the rain
Don't want to go back there again
When you see how far you've come
Trying not to feel lonely and waiting for the sun
There are times when you're weak
There are times when you're strong
There are times when you are in confusion
And sometimes you feel your direction is wrong
It's not easy to take the strain
When you're losing your way in the rain
And you don't know where the road is leading
The edge of the sky turns from blue into grey
And there's nothing to ease the pain
When you're losing your way in the rain
Oh, sometimes I'm right
Oh and sometimes I'm wrong
But I'aching now and sinking slowly
And I know in my mind that we have to keep on
But it just doesn't seem the same
When you're losing your way in the rain
Don't want to go back there again
When you see how far you've come
Trying not to feel lonely and waiting for the sun
There are times when you're weak
There are times when you're strong
There are times when you are in confusion
And sometimes you feel your direction is wrong
It's not easy to take the strain
When you're losing your way in the rain
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