"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.
I've got a better idea
Let's take it to the start 'til we can't see the end
And as for the feelings in here
You know it's still the truth if we only pretend
This revelation's kind of more than I thought I know
This information's kind of got nowhere else to go
Think I'm invisible and spinning from head to toe
And now I know we've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
I'd better talk to myself
I can't forget that I've got my head in the clouds
Stand up and hold in my breath
I'm wide awake, but brother, it's a long way down
This explanation's kind of leaving me asking me why
My concentration's kind of leaving me high and dry
Think I'm invisible, I'm messed up from head to toe
And now I know we've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
We've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
We've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
We've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
(Whoa-oh-oh)
Let's take it to the start 'til we can't see the end
And as for the feelings in here
You know it's still the truth if we only pretend
This revelation's kind of more than I thought I know
This information's kind of got nowhere else to go
Think I'm invisible and spinning from head to toe
And now I know we've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
I'd better talk to myself
I can't forget that I've got my head in the clouds
Stand up and hold in my breath
I'm wide awake, but brother, it's a long way down
This explanation's kind of leaving me asking me why
My concentration's kind of leaving me high and dry
Think I'm invisible, I'm messed up from head to toe
And now I know we've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
We've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
We've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
We've got a situation, oh-whoa-oh-oh
(Whoa-oh-oh)
Lyrics submitted by tippy_typewriter
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