"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.
Atmosphere – the rooster
Blue collar Eddie and his better half Deloris
Used to be mantle pieces down at the black forest
And I don’t know if that bar still exists
But when did so did they a couple bleeding heart kids
Everything volatile, every night rocker style
Hop a stool be discreet and just watch a while
But Do your best to keep the level observational
Drama is attractive so push it when it takes a pull
And each nights are random, when you’ve paid a ransom
for the right Sing along with them drinkin’ anthems
And these fools paid so many dues that Everybody stops to salute
Well One night after another fight,
a couple from an opposite table offered an invite
Deloris didn’t want to join ‘em wasn’t feelin’ social
But Eddie was so aggravated that he had to poke holes
He walked over sat in the dialogue
And Called at Deloris like some kind of dog (hey hey hey hey girl come here)
She can’t believe it she’s done she’s had it
But she doesn’t want to make another scene in this establishment
She got up and mozied over, and put her arm up around Eddie’s shoulder
Nobody’s sober, the song is the same
Sometimes you stick out your chin to catch the rain
(Chorus)
You can be winner you can be a loser
Gotta wake up when you here the rooster
Sometimes its just too simple to live your life wrong
Gotta do right for you when the time come
(Verse 2)
The clock keeps drinkin, they keep tickin
There’s two more people who get to play positions
Samantha and chuck not a couple just roommates
Out having too many shots on a Tuesday
Who knew they’d be tools for the duo
Put a little bit of fire on the fuel
It’s a kinda blue intentions aint cruel
But everybody’s so ready to bend up the rules
Now there’s chuck staring at Deloris,
Eddie is distracted by Samantha So he doesn’t notice
And everybody’s too fucked up
To even assess the mess, Much less care enough
More whiskey, A pitcher of premium,
Andy’s gettin’ tipsy he didn’t see it comin’
On his way back from a visit with that urinal,
Tryin’ to straitin’ out his thoughts and the vertigo
Weaves through stops when he seen em picture perfect
It looked just like freedom
Deloris on chucks lap kissin’ em hard,
Eddie dipped into the winter, left them all at the bar
Sometimes you gotta follow whats felt inside,
Between the power struggles and selfish pride
No one is allowed to cry unfair
Cuz now they both get to drink alone somewhere
(Chorus)
You can be winner you can be a loser
Gotta wake up when you here the rooster
Sometimes its just too simple to live your life wrong
Gotta do right for you when the time come
Blue collar Eddie and his better half Deloris
Used to be mantle pieces down at the black forest
And I don’t know if that bar still exists
But when did so did they a couple bleeding heart kids
Everything volatile, every night rocker style
Hop a stool be discreet and just watch a while
But Do your best to keep the level observational
Drama is attractive so push it when it takes a pull
And each nights are random, when you’ve paid a ransom
for the right Sing along with them drinkin’ anthems
And these fools paid so many dues that Everybody stops to salute
Well One night after another fight,
a couple from an opposite table offered an invite
Deloris didn’t want to join ‘em wasn’t feelin’ social
But Eddie was so aggravated that he had to poke holes
He walked over sat in the dialogue
And Called at Deloris like some kind of dog (hey hey hey hey girl come here)
She can’t believe it she’s done she’s had it
But she doesn’t want to make another scene in this establishment
She got up and mozied over, and put her arm up around Eddie’s shoulder
Nobody’s sober, the song is the same
Sometimes you stick out your chin to catch the rain
(Chorus)
You can be winner you can be a loser
Gotta wake up when you here the rooster
Sometimes its just too simple to live your life wrong
Gotta do right for you when the time come
(Verse 2)
The clock keeps drinkin, they keep tickin
There’s two more people who get to play positions
Samantha and chuck not a couple just roommates
Out having too many shots on a Tuesday
Who knew they’d be tools for the duo
Put a little bit of fire on the fuel
It’s a kinda blue intentions aint cruel
But everybody’s so ready to bend up the rules
Now there’s chuck staring at Deloris,
Eddie is distracted by Samantha So he doesn’t notice
And everybody’s too fucked up
To even assess the mess, Much less care enough
More whiskey, A pitcher of premium,
Andy’s gettin’ tipsy he didn’t see it comin’
On his way back from a visit with that urinal,
Tryin’ to straitin’ out his thoughts and the vertigo
Weaves through stops when he seen em picture perfect
It looked just like freedom
Deloris on chucks lap kissin’ em hard,
Eddie dipped into the winter, left them all at the bar
Sometimes you gotta follow whats felt inside,
Between the power struggles and selfish pride
No one is allowed to cry unfair
Cuz now they both get to drink alone somewhere
(Chorus)
You can be winner you can be a loser
Gotta wake up when you here the rooster
Sometimes its just too simple to live your life wrong
Gotta do right for you when the time come
Lyrics submitted by cyanide17
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Fast Car
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Yo La Tengo
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Great version of a great song,
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this song i think is about how 2 people can be living the shitty life style just putting up with eachother as long as they can until the moment it just snaps
with a little help of alcohol
and boom their getting toghter
but in the end
they both lose eachother
not one nor the other
they both lost eachother
"gotta do right for you when the time comes"
i love this song.
i'm totally lost on this song, man. someone should comment and fill me in.
Great song. I think the chorus pretty much sums it up: "You can be winner you can be a loser Gotta wake up when you here the rooster Sometimes its just too simple to live your life wrong Gotta do right for you when the time come "
People just get too comfortable doing the things they do, even if they aren't the best for them in the end. They know they need to make a change, but they are too afraid to do anything about it. I can really relate to this song because I was in a really shitty relationship for a long time, and I knew it was shitty and I was miserable, but it was comfortable and it was all I knew for years. A point comes where you say "fuck it, I'm doing something about it", and that's what this song is about.