"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.
All in all each man in all men
All men in each man.
He can see she can't, she can see she can
See whatever, whatever.
You may know what I don't know, but not that
I don't know it and I can't tell you
So you will.
To tell me all man in all men
All men in each man.
He can see she can't, she can see she can
See whatever, whatever.
You may know what I don't know, but not that
I don't know it and I can't tell you
So you will have to tell me all.
It hurts him to think that she is
Hurting her by him being hurt to think
That she thinks he is hurt by making her
Feel guilty at hurting him by her thinking
She wants him to want her. Her wants her to
Want him to get him to want him to get
Him to want her she pretends.
He tries to make her afraid by not
Being afraid. (permutations)
You may know what I don't know, but not
That I don't know it and I can't
Tell you so you will have to tell
Me all.
I get what I deserve.
I deserve what I get.
I have it so I deserve it.
I deserve it for I have it.
I get what I deserve.
What I deserve, what I deserve what I get.
I have it so I deserve.
He tries to make her afraid by not
Being afraid.
All men in each man.
He can see she can't, she can see she can
See whatever, whatever.
You may know what I don't know, but not that
I don't know it and I can't tell you
So you will.
To tell me all man in all men
All men in each man.
He can see she can't, she can see she can
See whatever, whatever.
You may know what I don't know, but not that
I don't know it and I can't tell you
So you will have to tell me all.
It hurts him to think that she is
Hurting her by him being hurt to think
That she thinks he is hurt by making her
Feel guilty at hurting him by her thinking
She wants him to want her. Her wants her to
Want him to get him to want him to get
Him to want her she pretends.
He tries to make her afraid by not
Being afraid. (permutations)
You may know what I don't know, but not
That I don't know it and I can't
Tell you so you will have to tell
Me all.
I get what I deserve.
I deserve what I get.
I have it so I deserve it.
I deserve it for I have it.
I get what I deserve.
What I deserve, what I deserve what I get.
I have it so I deserve.
He tries to make her afraid by not
Being afraid.
Lyrics submitted by Frances-The-Tool
Knots Lyrics as written by Kerry Churchill Minnear Derek Victor Shulman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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