"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.
War, war, war
Talkin' about y'alls such a bore
I'd rather talk about moi
Like, do you know the cost of AK's up in Africa?
Twenty dollars ain't shit to you
But that's how much they are
So they're gonna use this shit just to get by
Is gold, diamonds helpin' ya?
Don't you like my bandana?
My stains hang low
On my shirts like a-ya-ya
Monkey brains and banana
I'll hit you with my antenna
Put soap in my eye
Make it red so I look ra-ra-ra
So I woke up with my holy Qur'an and found out I like Allah-lah
So we shootin' 'til the song is up
Little boys are actin' up
Baby mamas are goin crazy
And the leaders all around crackin' up
We goat rich, we fry
Price of livin' in a shanty town just seems very high
But we still like T.I.
But we still look fly
Dancin' as we shootin' up
And lootin' just to get by
(Ha) with your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
(Ha) war, war, war
Who made me like this?
Was it me and God in co-production?
My devil's on speed dial
Every time I take the wrong direction
All I want is one thing and that is what you got
Sometimes I go lose my mind, then I feel numb
There's twenty-four hours in a day
I used to split it eight, eight, eight
Eight work, eight sleep, eight for play
Now I give it all it takes
Now people on the Internet
A new life for the intellect
People judge me so hard
'Cause I don't floss my titty set (ha)
I was born out of dirt like I'm porn in a skirt
I was a little girl who made good with all that I blurt
I put people on the map that never seen a map
I show 'em something they ain't ever seen
And hope they make it back
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
(Ha) with your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Talkin' about y'alls such a bore
I'd rather talk about moi
Like, do you know the cost of AK's up in Africa?
Twenty dollars ain't shit to you
But that's how much they are
So they're gonna use this shit just to get by
Is gold, diamonds helpin' ya?
Don't you like my bandana?
My stains hang low
On my shirts like a-ya-ya
Monkey brains and banana
I'll hit you with my antenna
Put soap in my eye
Make it red so I look ra-ra-ra
So I woke up with my holy Qur'an and found out I like Allah-lah
So we shootin' 'til the song is up
Little boys are actin' up
Baby mamas are goin crazy
And the leaders all around crackin' up
We goat rich, we fry
Price of livin' in a shanty town just seems very high
But we still like T.I.
But we still look fly
Dancin' as we shootin' up
And lootin' just to get by
(Ha) with your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
(Ha) war, war, war
Who made me like this?
Was it me and God in co-production?
My devil's on speed dial
Every time I take the wrong direction
All I want is one thing and that is what you got
Sometimes I go lose my mind, then I feel numb
There's twenty-four hours in a day
I used to split it eight, eight, eight
Eight work, eight sleep, eight for play
Now I give it all it takes
Now people on the Internet
A new life for the intellect
People judge me so hard
'Cause I don't floss my titty set (ha)
I was born out of dirt like I'm porn in a skirt
I was a little girl who made good with all that I blurt
I put people on the map that never seen a map
I show 'em something they ain't ever seen
And hope they make it back
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
Where is my mind? (mind, mind, mind, mind, mind, mind)
(Ha) with your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Lyrics submitted by feel me loud
20 Dollar Lyrics as written by David James Andrew Taylor Mathangi Arulpragasam
Lyrics © Raleigh Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
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M.I.A. is brilliant. such style as well. i saw an article on her in a music magazine. amazing. this is one of my favorite songs of hers. it's definitely about uganda and how money is used so easily in the US. paper planes and come around are more good songs from this album. what a good buy. also i do think that the floss my titty set is about how people expect her to show off her body and look at her like she's "porn in a skirt" but she didn't throw herself around. go M.I.A.