"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.
(Cyanide!)
(Drink the cyanide!)
This is the hand that will blind your eyes and split your spine
This is the blade that'll visit your flesh and release the wine
(Play!)
You play with toys that have triggers
And you hear how the led moves near
(Play!)
You play with razors and it hurts, it hurts
As you face your fears
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
On these plains there's a burning ruin that must be found
On these plains there's a demon that sleeps, It must be unbound
(Run!)
You run for the borders where epistles burn in the arms of man
(Run!)
You run among bodies and they scream, they scream to bite God's hand
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
(Now drink the cyanide!)
(So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of ...)
When the dark does what the dark does best, It's darkness
Let the dark do what the dark does best, Let there be darkness
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
(Drink the cyanide!)
This is the hand that will blind your eyes and split your spine
This is the blade that'll visit your flesh and release the wine
(Play!)
You play with toys that have triggers
And you hear how the led moves near
(Play!)
You play with razors and it hurts, it hurts
As you face your fears
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
On these plains there's a burning ruin that must be found
On these plains there's a demon that sleeps, It must be unbound
(Run!)
You run for the borders where epistles burn in the arms of man
(Run!)
You run among bodies and they scream, they scream to bite God's hand
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
(Now drink the cyanide!)
(So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of ...)
When the dark does what the dark does best, It's darkness
Let the dark do what the dark does best, Let there be darkness
So face the dark and I'll teach you about fire in the blink of an eye
(Now drink the cyanide!)
The worlds collide and you know it's pure filth that I hide
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I think SoulRapist has the main idea of the song.
I considered the whole Nazi thing after seeing the video the first time. After the second time, I realized that Nazi uniforms didn't look like that. He had a gold star on his hat which was the Russian uniform back then.
I just think he's kind of "leading" them all to commit suicide because this world is getting ridiculously horrible.
This is the hand, etc... (the "leader" helping them get to the point of suicide)
So face the dark (kill yourself) and I'll teach you about fire (power in the afterlife, maybe) in the blink of an eye. The worlds collide (the living and dead) and you know it's pure filth that I hide.
On these plains, etc... (find the will to kill yourself)
You run for the borders where epistles burn in the arms of man (men don't appreciate what they should anymore and ruin everything) You run among bodies and they scream, they scream to bite God’s hand [people are becoming disobedient (biting the hand that feeds you)]
When the dark does, etc... (being dead is better than being alive)
That's just how I see it though. Wish I could know what it really is about. =/