"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.
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
Yeah, I been through a lot, but you don't know that
I can lose everything and bounce right back
From the punks and the thugs, to the rats and the snakes
From the shady ass girls, to the frauds and the fakes
Cross me and you're gonna suffer three-fold
You'll be diggin' ditches til you're frickin' fifty years old
I tried to be cool, tried to cut you in
But you pull that crap so you lose, I win
Do Do, Do Do, Do Do
So what does it all mean?
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
Do Do, Do Do
And I can't understand why you still wanna race
Everything you try to do just blow up in your face
And I wonder if you get it, you should know by now
Get out of the way or get run down with a plow
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
I know that you think you have to lie
I know that you wish that I would die
I know, but it's not happening
You pity
So what does it all mean?
So let me break it down
Spell it out for you
You're driven by fear
I'll make it more clear
All of you murderers put me here
Like Van Gogh cut off his ear
I'm the best new artist this year
Pour gasoline on my brain
You're lame, thanks for the fame
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
That's what you get
No friends, no phones, no girls, no dough, no ride
That's what you get
No love, no peace, no gun, no slice, no pie
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
Yeah, I been through a lot, but you don't know that
I can lose everything and bounce right back
From the punks and the thugs, to the rats and the snakes
From the shady ass girls, to the frauds and the fakes
Cross me and you're gonna suffer three-fold
You'll be diggin' ditches til you're frickin' fifty years old
I tried to be cool, tried to cut you in
But you pull that crap so you lose, I win
Do Do, Do Do, Do Do
So what does it all mean?
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
Do Do, Do Do
And I can't understand why you still wanna race
Everything you try to do just blow up in your face
And I wonder if you get it, you should know by now
Get out of the way or get run down with a plow
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
I know that you think you have to lie
I know that you wish that I would die
I know, but it's not happening
You pity
So what does it all mean?
So let me break it down
Spell it out for you
You're driven by fear
I'll make it more clear
All of you murderers put me here
Like Van Gogh cut off his ear
I'm the best new artist this year
Pour gasoline on my brain
You're lame, thanks for the fame
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
That's what you get
No friends, no phones, no girls, no dough, no ride
That's what you get
No love, no peace, no gun, no slice, no pie
'Cuz I'm not afraid, I'm a player, I don't get played
Come runnin' that game and you might get sprayed
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
That's what you get tryin' to muscle me
That's what you get tryin' to hustle me
Lyrics submitted by violentcupcakes
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