"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.
So let's go deadbolt your shed door
Cram your paper money, snug, closer than before
Chandeliers are falling in graveyard rows
And your eyes are shifting dials like AM radios
Snowed over river, melted more last night
Still the same, the shattered windshields of spidered ice
Yes, yes, mother, I mean to be baptized
Seeds that make the higher ground grow and multiply
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Bourbon and a pistol in the dash, out of sight
What did you expect, romantic call of why?
Just empty, desert light
Few feet float above these Persian throw rugs
And tuck themselves in percussionist, succession words
Tonight, a single, simple folk play themselves low
Just like talking city blues, down in the hole we loathe
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Bourbon and a pistol in the dash, out of sight
What did you expect, romantic call of why?
Just empty, desert light
I suggest that you respect the deal
And keep your nose out of business of priests and holy men
The life you have chosen is filled with dirty finger nails
And lost and founds and canceled appointments
Ten, ten more avenues, time to choose
And there's rain that'll fall down on fire
There's fifty doors to choose from and there's many more
Many more inside, inside, inside
Well, the night time's going to come
The night time's going to come
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Bourbon and a pistol in the dash, out of sight
What did you expect, romantic call of why?
Just empty, desert light
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Just empty, desert light, it's just empty, desert light
It's just empty, desert light
Cram your paper money, snug, closer than before
Chandeliers are falling in graveyard rows
And your eyes are shifting dials like AM radios
Snowed over river, melted more last night
Still the same, the shattered windshields of spidered ice
Yes, yes, mother, I mean to be baptized
Seeds that make the higher ground grow and multiply
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Bourbon and a pistol in the dash, out of sight
What did you expect, romantic call of why?
Just empty, desert light
Few feet float above these Persian throw rugs
And tuck themselves in percussionist, succession words
Tonight, a single, simple folk play themselves low
Just like talking city blues, down in the hole we loathe
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Bourbon and a pistol in the dash, out of sight
What did you expect, romantic call of why?
Just empty, desert light
I suggest that you respect the deal
And keep your nose out of business of priests and holy men
The life you have chosen is filled with dirty finger nails
And lost and founds and canceled appointments
Ten, ten more avenues, time to choose
And there's rain that'll fall down on fire
There's fifty doors to choose from and there's many more
Many more inside, inside, inside
Well, the night time's going to come
The night time's going to come
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Bourbon and a pistol in the dash, out of sight
What did you expect, romantic call of why?
Just empty, desert light
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Joy to Rubidoux in the the middle of the night
Just empty, desert light, it's just empty, desert light
It's just empty, desert light
Lyrics submitted by JonathanBC
Rubidoux Lyrics as written by Matthew Cole Aveiro Jonathan Bo Russell
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The "end of the world" thing I guess makes the most sense, but I think you guys are taking it too literally. I just don't feel that the overall tone and a few of the lines mesh with that. I think CWK mean for the song to represent not the actual end of the world, but one that is happening in the mind of one man, the one they are addressing the entire time. I think he has encountered a serious crisis, or is just very depressed, and sees his life crumbling around him. The chorus really drives this concept home for me. "Bourbon and a pistol" is obviously meant to invoke the contemplation of suicide, and this place "rubidoux" that is supposed to be so pleasant and beautiful just looks like a whole lot of nothing to him now. The lines about poor people and spiritual men compare the more meaningful lives of others to this man's, which has probably been consumed with the pursuit of money, among other shallow things, eventually leading to this moment of regret and despair. I think that a prophetic end of the world as foretold by religion would be very out of character for this band, as their lyrics tend to deal with very personal human issues.
@turkeyjerky Rubidoux isn't all that beautiful (dont get me wrong it has its moments), its a fairly low-income part of Jurupa Valley/Riverside CA which is one of the larger cities in Southern California. its kinda Concrete Jungly mixed with cowboy-ness and some sexy desert hills (one of which is the famous Mt. Rubidoux, a landmark in Riverside)