"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 don't mean nothing at all to me)
In the day, in the night
Say it right, say it all
You either got it or you don't
You either stand or you fall
When your will is broken
When it slips from your hand
When there's no time for joking
There's a hole in the plan
Oh, you don't mean nothing at all to me
No, you don't mean nothing at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me free
Oh, you could mean everything to me
I can't say (say) that I'm not (not)
Lost (lost) and at fault (fault)
I can't say (say) that I don't (don't)
Love the light (love) and the dark (love the light and the dark)
I can't say that I don't (don't)
Know that I (am) am alive
And all of what I feel (feel)
I could show (show you) you tonight, you tonight
Oh, you don't mean nothing at all to me
No, you don't mean nothing at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me free
Oh, you could mean everything to me
From my hands, I could give you
Something that I made
From my mouth, I could sing you
Another brick that I laid
From my body (from my body), I could show you (I could show you)
A place (a place) God knows (that only God knows)
You should know the space is holy (ah)
Do you really wanna go? (Three, four)
(You don't mean nothing at all to me)
(You don't mean nothing at all to me)
In the day, in the night
Say it right, say it all
You either got it or you don't
You either stand or you fall
When your will is broken
When it slips from your hand
When there's no time for joking
There's a hole in the plan
Oh, you don't mean nothing at all to me
No, you don't mean nothing at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me free
Oh, you could mean everything to me
I can't say (say) that I'm not (not)
Lost (lost) and at fault (fault)
I can't say (say) that I don't (don't)
Love the light (love) and the dark (love the light and the dark)
I can't say that I don't (don't)
Know that I (am) am alive
And all of what I feel (feel)
I could show (show you) you tonight, you tonight
Oh, you don't mean nothing at all to me
No, you don't mean nothing at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me free
Oh, you could mean everything to me
From my hands, I could give you
Something that I made
From my mouth, I could sing you
Another brick that I laid
From my body (from my body), I could show you (I could show you)
A place (a place) God knows (that only God knows)
You should know the space is holy (ah)
Do you really wanna go? (Three, four)
(You don't mean nothing at all to me)
(You don't mean nothing at all to me)
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