"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.
Well, she found a love and he found a victim,
he thought it was strange, she knew it was meant to be.
She wore white and he wore the black suite,
she gave him no lies, she gave her innocense.
From day one it seemed she'd wake up from the day dream,
but irony bleeds, seeing as he was a nightmare.
She'd give him the world, he only had to ask her
but controlling yourself is easier when you're sober.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
But the lord hasn't been seen around here in years.
Well, she found a love and he found a life line,
her eyes were jet black, she figured the right time
to leave was approaching and soon she'd be leaving.
The tracks would remind her of wishes for dead leaves
to roll on and on; yeah she'd have to be clever,
she tried once before it ended in bloodshed.
She knows she must run, but has to run faster,
Yeah, she was a princess and he was a bastard.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
he thought it was strange, she knew it was meant to be.
She wore white and he wore the black suite,
she gave him no lies, she gave her innocense.
From day one it seemed she'd wake up from the day dream,
but irony bleeds, seeing as he was a nightmare.
She'd give him the world, he only had to ask her
but controlling yourself is easier when you're sober.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
But the lord hasn't been seen around here in years.
Well, she found a love and he found a life line,
her eyes were jet black, she figured the right time
to leave was approaching and soon she'd be leaving.
The tracks would remind her of wishes for dead leaves
to roll on and on; yeah she'd have to be clever,
she tried once before it ended in bloodshed.
She knows she must run, but has to run faster,
Yeah, she was a princess and he was a bastard.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
I know this hard - just have faith in the Lord.
but the lord has not been seen around here in years.
Lyrics submitted by matthew_tm
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I think this song is about a couple who after their honeymoon period had a harsh reality to come to terms with. The man was an alcoholic (She'd give him the world, he only had to ask her, but controlling yourself is easier when you're sober.) And he's an abusive drunk on top of that, hence she would try to leave again like she had in the past but it ended in violence. (She tried once before it ended in bloodshed. She knows she must run, but has to run faster.) And I think the bit (I know this is hard, just have faith in the lord, but the lord has not been seen around here in years) is about possibly her being religious and having faith that the lord would take care of it, but he hasn't and she's still waking up to the same nightmare day in and day out.
I pretty much agree with this. I don't think it was their honeymoon, I think the girl saw herself as his wife, she wanted to marry him, but like you said, their relationship ended in violence and she tried to leave. They might have both been religious and when you put so much faith in someone, you think it's what God wants for you. She probably thought this guy was the one and thanked God for putting him in her life. So when he beat her, she lost her faith. She probably thought God couldn't be present in a relationship like that.