"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.
Jimmy Cream was keen
His brain was always winnin'
I can't keep tabs on mine
It's really quite a joke
I see him down the road
I ask if he'd be willing
To lend me 15P
I'm dying for a smoke
Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
I'm just as sane as anyone
It's a just a game
I play for fun, for fun
I told 'em
"Look!, I said I'm not the way you're thinkin'
Just when I'm down, I'll be the clown
I'll play the fool"
Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
I'm just as sane as anyone
It's a just a game
I play for fun, for fun
Will he take a sailboat ride?
Well he is very likely to
Will he feel good inside?
Well he ain't very likely to
Will he tell you he's alive?
Yeah he is always trying to, yeah
But nothin', no, no nothin'
Does he say, oh no
In the morning when the day's begun
Hello Good morning, how are you?
And in the evening or the noonday sun
What a lovely afternoon
Well I've been living next to you
Bluesy Monday
Is the one day that they come here
Yeah when they haunt me
And they taunt me in my cage
I mock 'em all
They're feelin' small, yeah they got no answer
Yeah they're playin' dumb
But I'm just laughing as they rage
Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
Well it's only a game
I'm playing for fun
Yeah I've been trying to fool everyone
(No that's too heavy)
Will he take a sailboat ride?
Well he is very likely to
Will he feel good inside?
Yeah he ain't ever likely to
Will he tell you he's alive?
Well he is always trying to, yeah
But nothin', no, no nothin'
Does he every say, yeah
In the morning when the day's begun
Do you think it looks like rain?
And in the evening or the noonday sun
You know I nearly missed my train
Well I've been living next to you my friend
But what kind of friend are you?
Oh, is it the beginning or the sorry end?
Will I ever see it through?
No I've never been insane
Oh what's the game?
I believe I'm dying, oh!
He's mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad
Not quite right (not quite right)
His brain was always winnin'
I can't keep tabs on mine
It's really quite a joke
I see him down the road
I ask if he'd be willing
To lend me 15P
I'm dying for a smoke
Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
I'm just as sane as anyone
It's a just a game
I play for fun, for fun
I told 'em
"Look!, I said I'm not the way you're thinkin'
Just when I'm down, I'll be the clown
I'll play the fool"
Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
I'm just as sane as anyone
It's a just a game
I play for fun, for fun
Will he take a sailboat ride?
Well he is very likely to
Will he feel good inside?
Well he ain't very likely to
Will he tell you he's alive?
Yeah he is always trying to, yeah
But nothin', no, no nothin'
Does he say, oh no
In the morning when the day's begun
Hello Good morning, how are you?
And in the evening or the noonday sun
What a lovely afternoon
Well I've been living next to you
Bluesy Monday
Is the one day that they come here
Yeah when they haunt me
And they taunt me in my cage
I mock 'em all
They're feelin' small, yeah they got no answer
Yeah they're playin' dumb
But I'm just laughing as they rage
Don't arrange to have me sent to no asylum
Well it's only a game
I'm playing for fun
Yeah I've been trying to fool everyone
(No that's too heavy)
Will he take a sailboat ride?
Well he is very likely to
Will he feel good inside?
Yeah he ain't ever likely to
Will he tell you he's alive?
Well he is always trying to, yeah
But nothin', no, no nothin'
Does he every say, yeah
In the morning when the day's begun
Do you think it looks like rain?
And in the evening or the noonday sun
You know I nearly missed my train
Well I've been living next to you my friend
But what kind of friend are you?
Oh, is it the beginning or the sorry end?
Will I ever see it through?
No I've never been insane
Oh what's the game?
I believe I'm dying, oh!
He's mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad
Not quite right (not quite right)
Lyrics submitted by hardcor_toonz
Asylum Lyrics as written by Roger Hodgson Richard Davies
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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what the... when I submitted this song it got turned down.
Anyway, great song, music reflects the atmosphere very well. lyrics very poignant.