"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.
You and I, we're the same as each other
Can't stand to think we're the same as each other
So come over to mine and we'll drink some beer
Get on a bus and get the fuck out of here
Follow a star to a new messiah
Slit his throat for the good of the unborn,
Generations tripped the wire
Made off with our hearts desire
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
You're just like cinderella
On the screen in technicolor
Off the chart, you'll be going stellar
You'll be the pepsi cola seller
With lips so full and moist
All your friends'll be queuing up to tell you
"you've got such a lovely voice".
You've got such a lovely voice
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
And people die when towers fall
I've tried but I hardly even care at all
I've seen you angry and I've seen you cry
Life goes fitfully flitting by
And I would love to climb a barricade
Like every other boy you know
But the wars at home have been betrayed
By too many boys on barricades
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
So spare me a thought when you're old and you're finished
A listing wreck off greenwich village
Write me a letter that I'll never reply to
You know what I'm like better than I do
Tell me about how you sleep at night
Tell me about your consolations
Lie to me, say you still fight
Tell me death will be alright, oh
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
Life is sweet.
Can't stand to think we're the same as each other
So come over to mine and we'll drink some beer
Get on a bus and get the fuck out of here
Follow a star to a new messiah
Slit his throat for the good of the unborn,
Generations tripped the wire
Made off with our hearts desire
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
You're just like cinderella
On the screen in technicolor
Off the chart, you'll be going stellar
You'll be the pepsi cola seller
With lips so full and moist
All your friends'll be queuing up to tell you
"you've got such a lovely voice".
You've got such a lovely voice
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
And people die when towers fall
I've tried but I hardly even care at all
I've seen you angry and I've seen you cry
Life goes fitfully flitting by
And I would love to climb a barricade
Like every other boy you know
But the wars at home have been betrayed
By too many boys on barricades
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
So spare me a thought when you're old and you're finished
A listing wreck off greenwich village
Write me a letter that I'll never reply to
You know what I'm like better than I do
Tell me about how you sleep at night
Tell me about your consolations
Lie to me, say you still fight
Tell me death will be alright, oh
We've never had it so good
Never had it so good
We've never had it so good,
Life is sweet.
Life is sweet.
Lyrics submitted by Noli
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Love the video to this. Having a protest about the fact that everything is quite alright really.
It's about the shallowness today. People want to be stars (friends say you've a lovely voice, selling Pepsi) and don't care about the things happening around them.
"Write me a letter that I'll never reply to You know what I'm like better than I do Tell me about how you sleep at night Tell me about your consolations Lie to me, say you still fight Tell me death will be alright"