"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.
Have you ever had a fancy lover?
Goin' crazy trying to keep up with her
It's like you're standing in the darkness
In the theater up the back, joining her ovation
When you wish you could distract her
And take her home
You had to try
Don't some great loves start
With someone aiming so high?
Have you ever had a fancy lover?
Thrown everything that you've got at her
She's the winter that's so bitter
You'll cut wood all summer long
She's two long years of thinking
Going into one old song
And that ain't good
You were doing fine
You knew your chances
And your place in the line
Fancy lovers, they need fancy lovers of their own
You'll camouflage your soul for them
Where do they get to meet their own kind of people
Is there a light on the steeple
That only fancy people see?
When you try and keep a fancy lover
You force her hand and then discover
She wouldn't look so perfect if it was just for you
Is there a guy behind your shoulder
That she may have noticed too?
You'll never know
You had to be in
You bet on hearts, boy
Even when you won't win
And then she'll take the field against you
Fighting above your weight and your height
100 ways to hit the canvas
1,000 days to beat the count
Fancy lovers, they need fancy lovers of their own
You'll camouflage your soul for them
Where do they get to meet their own kind of people
Is there a light on the steeple
That only fancy people see?
Goin' crazy trying to keep up with her
It's like you're standing in the darkness
In the theater up the back, joining her ovation
When you wish you could distract her
And take her home
You had to try
Don't some great loves start
With someone aiming so high?
Have you ever had a fancy lover?
Thrown everything that you've got at her
She's the winter that's so bitter
You'll cut wood all summer long
She's two long years of thinking
Going into one old song
And that ain't good
You were doing fine
You knew your chances
And your place in the line
Fancy lovers, they need fancy lovers of their own
You'll camouflage your soul for them
Where do they get to meet their own kind of people
Is there a light on the steeple
That only fancy people see?
When you try and keep a fancy lover
You force her hand and then discover
She wouldn't look so perfect if it was just for you
Is there a guy behind your shoulder
That she may have noticed too?
You'll never know
You had to be in
You bet on hearts, boy
Even when you won't win
And then she'll take the field against you
Fighting above your weight and your height
100 ways to hit the canvas
1,000 days to beat the count
Fancy lovers, they need fancy lovers of their own
You'll camouflage your soul for them
Where do they get to meet their own kind of people
Is there a light on the steeple
That only fancy people see?
Lyrics submitted by titothecool
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Yo La Tengo
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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,
Magical
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