"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.
Calluses, forming from the numbing touch.
A painful price, payable, I am alive. A powerful glance that consumes you in image.
Images reflect what some of us have been fighting for. A fight that goes on until the day the sound dies.
Fearless and brave we attack head on until the sound from another dies. Counting down. Just a few more days until it's time to throw away everything. Nothing left behind. Such a painful price, payable with feeling. And I'm alive. Press on move out. An older image to consume. You'll come back, faithful, resting on that image.
Lyrics submitted by nocturnalXnightmare
15 on the Freeway Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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Apparently, they got the name of the song from a show they did; they didn't know what to name the song, so they asked the audience what they should name the song they were about to play. Since no one had heard the song before, someone just shouted out "15 ON THE FREEWAY" and it stuck.