"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 I'm happy to be in the south
To set off my tour in the countryside
But who better to set it off for me than this man right here
Yo this Kenny Rogers chillin on the country side
With men like Wyclef (uh huh) Jerry Wonder (uh huh)
Big jack (mm-hmm) big beast (mm-hmm)
And we gon' do something like this for you
You got to know when to hold 'em (yeah, yeah!)
Know when to fold 'em (DJ's, DJ's!)
Know when to walk away (hip-hop, hip-hop!)
Know when to run (Yeah, yeah!)
You got to count your dubplates (ghetto, ghetto)
Before you touch the turntables (all hoods!)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done (y'all ready?)
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
Get the hell up! 'Clef said, get the hell up!
Now throw your hands in the sky
Brooklyn in the back shootin' craps, y'all, wassup?
Ladies, lookin' hot and pretty
Doin' your thing in the club, house of Diddy
(Worldwide) the gritty committee pity the fool that
Act in the midst of the calm, the witty
(You got to know when to hold 'em) y'all know the name!
Same assassin from before, but the beat just changed a little
Riddle me this, though, who flip flows
That got women in they thongs gettin' it on but not Sisqo?
Select your squad team and ya ain't
They know my flow muy caliente, fuego
No disrespect to soundbwoys, but you better step away from me
Easily defeat measly MCs and tease you
Ease back, squeeze two in your wig and breeze through
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
Come on, come on (get the hell up!)
Soundbwoys ('clef said, get the hell up!)
(Now throw your hands in the sky)
Yo, this combination gon' bust from Brooklyn to shanghai
Feel the boogie-boogie, Henny got me tipsy-tipsy
Kenny rogers and Pharoahe Monch? No way, this can't be
48 tracks, country meets rap
Put this on full blast, I'm about to break all formats
My destiny is to lead while y'all follow
This is showtime and I'm live at the Apollo
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
To set off my tour in the countryside
But who better to set it off for me than this man right here
Yo this Kenny Rogers chillin on the country side
With men like Wyclef (uh huh) Jerry Wonder (uh huh)
Big jack (mm-hmm) big beast (mm-hmm)
And we gon' do something like this for you
You got to know when to hold 'em (yeah, yeah!)
Know when to fold 'em (DJ's, DJ's!)
Know when to walk away (hip-hop, hip-hop!)
Know when to run (Yeah, yeah!)
You got to count your dubplates (ghetto, ghetto)
Before you touch the turntables (all hoods!)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done (y'all ready?)
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
Get the hell up! 'Clef said, get the hell up!
Now throw your hands in the sky
Brooklyn in the back shootin' craps, y'all, wassup?
Ladies, lookin' hot and pretty
Doin' your thing in the club, house of Diddy
(Worldwide) the gritty committee pity the fool that
Act in the midst of the calm, the witty
(You got to know when to hold 'em) y'all know the name!
Same assassin from before, but the beat just changed a little
Riddle me this, though, who flip flows
That got women in they thongs gettin' it on but not Sisqo?
Select your squad team and ya ain't
They know my flow muy caliente, fuego
No disrespect to soundbwoys, but you better step away from me
Easily defeat measly MCs and tease you
Ease back, squeeze two in your wig and breeze through
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
Come on, come on (get the hell up!)
Soundbwoys ('clef said, get the hell up!)
(Now throw your hands in the sky)
Yo, this combination gon' bust from Brooklyn to shanghai
Feel the boogie-boogie, Henny got me tipsy-tipsy
Kenny rogers and Pharoahe Monch? No way, this can't be
48 tracks, country meets rap
Put this on full blast, I'm about to break all formats
My destiny is to lead while y'all follow
This is showtime and I'm live at the Apollo
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
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