"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.
Yesterday I lost my closest friend
Yesterday I wanted time to end
I wonder if my heart will ever mend
I just let you slip away
4 A-M forever
Maybe I'll never see you smile again
Maybe we thought that it was all pretend
All these words that I could never send
I just let them slip away
4 AM forever
Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you'll never know
Hold a little tighter
4 A-M forever
Maybe one day when I can move along
Maybe someday when you can hear this song
You won't let it slip away
4 AM forever
And I wish the sun would never come
It's 4 A-M and you are done
I hope you know you're letting go
It's 4 A-M and I'm alone
Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you'll never know
Hold a little tighter
Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you'll never know
Hold a little tighter
4 A-M forever
Yesterday I wanted time to end
I wonder if my heart will ever mend
I just let you slip away
4 A-M forever
Maybe I'll never see you smile again
Maybe we thought that it was all pretend
All these words that I could never send
I just let them slip away
4 AM forever
Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you'll never know
Hold a little tighter
4 A-M forever
Maybe one day when I can move along
Maybe someday when you can hear this song
You won't let it slip away
4 AM forever
And I wish the sun would never come
It's 4 A-M and you are done
I hope you know you're letting go
It's 4 A-M and I'm alone
Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you'll never know
Hold a little tighter
Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you'll never know
Hold a little tighter
4 A-M forever
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I wonder if there could be a link to the sunrise and sunset of relationships... Maybe the sun has set on a relationship (his closest friend) and it doesn't rise, as there's no going back, hence it's 4am forever...