"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.
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many, why? Why so many, why so many, why? Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why?
Manny don't need no comforting
He don't ask of the world to bring him up
Ain't gonna see him waitin' on waitin' on waitin' on the day
Got him a chair in '73
It was his only option
So Manny agreed
Same chair he has today since they threw the cane away
And Manny wasn't doing nothing
He just doing his own thing
You know it getting pretty cold out by the jub jub swing
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so weak
Manny gonna go where the rabble go
He gonna roll down the world and he bring me up
Ain't going to see him giving into the others way
Cause they may beat us in search but our fall is unstained
You know he says it wont be long till we are up again
Having another swing
And Manny wasn't doing nothing
He just doing his own thing
Yah know it gettin' pretty cold but he the one who bring
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
No, I'm not so weak
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so weak
'Cause the bottles not empty
'Cause your voices are all there
My life will fight in my body for air
'Cause the bottle's not empty
'Cause your voices are all there
My life will fight in my body for air
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
And oh this friend today
Right me up
And oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so
And oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
No, I'm not so weak
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so weak
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why?
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why?
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why?
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why?
Manny we gonna get that A.M. dial just right
I'll hold that hanger up as long as the Sox put up a fight
Manny don't need no comforting
He don't ask of the world to bring him up
Ain't gonna see him waitin' on waitin' on waitin' on the day
Got him a chair in '73
It was his only option
So Manny agreed
Same chair he has today since they threw the cane away
And Manny wasn't doing nothing
He just doing his own thing
You know it getting pretty cold out by the jub jub swing
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so weak
Manny gonna go where the rabble go
He gonna roll down the world and he bring me up
Ain't going to see him giving into the others way
Cause they may beat us in search but our fall is unstained
You know he says it wont be long till we are up again
Having another swing
And Manny wasn't doing nothing
He just doing his own thing
Yah know it gettin' pretty cold but he the one who bring
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
No, I'm not so weak
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so weak
'Cause the bottles not empty
'Cause your voices are all there
My life will fight in my body for air
'Cause the bottle's not empty
'Cause your voices are all there
My life will fight in my body for air
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
And oh this friend today
Right me up
And oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so
And oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
No, I'm not so weak
Oh this friend today
Right me up
Oh this friend today
Right me up
I'm not so weak
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why?
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why?
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why so many why?
Why so many, why so many why? Why so many, why?
Manny we gonna get that A.M. dial just right
I'll hold that hanger up as long as the Sox put up a fight
Lyrics submitted by shaynew216
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The people who insist this song is about Manny Ramirez are so weird. That interpretation makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever. The lyrics explicitly state that this "Manny" has been in a wheelchair since 1973 and used a cane prior to that. Manny Ramirez the baseball player is 1) obviously not disabled and 2) was born in 1972. And the final line of the song describes the narrator and "Manny" listening to a Red Sox game together on the radio - a game Manny Ramirez would have been PLAYING IN during the period this song was written. How could "Manny" simultaneously be an all-star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox and also a wheelchair-bound disabled man listening to Red Sox games on the radio? Jesus Christ, people - use your heads LOL.
"Right Me Up" is obviously about a friend of Chad Urmstrong's named Manny who is disabled but doesn't let it stop him from fully enjoying life, and Chad finds that inspiring. The Red Sox references are because Chad is from Boston and a fan of the team. The fact that his disabled friend happens to share the same first name as a famous Red Sox player is just a coincidence. "Manny" isn't exactly a rare name. There's plenty of guys in New England named Manny, not just Manny Ramirez LOL.