"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.
My Mama mapped out the road that she knows
Which hands you shake and which hands you hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury, ready to roll
She knew that I had to go
And hangout, make lots of noise
And lay out late with a boy
Make the mistakes that she make 'cause she knew all along
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on
They say the first time won't ever last
But that didn't stop me the first time he laughed
All my friends tried to warn me the day that we met
"Girl, don't you lose your heart yet"
But his dark eyes dared me with danger
And sparks fly like flame to a paper
Fire in his touch burning me up, but still I held on
'Cause I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on
The last time I saw him, we packed up my things
And he smiled like the first time he told me his name
And we cried with each other
We split the blame for the parts that we couldn't change
Pictures, dishes and socks
It's our whole life down to one box
There he was waving goodbye on the front porch alone
But I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Hangout, make lots of noise
And lay out late with a boy
Make the mistakes that she made, life is a runaway train
My mama mapped out the road that she knows
Which hands to shake, which hands you hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on
Which hands you shake and which hands you hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury, ready to roll
She knew that I had to go
And hangout, make lots of noise
And lay out late with a boy
Make the mistakes that she make 'cause she knew all along
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on
They say the first time won't ever last
But that didn't stop me the first time he laughed
All my friends tried to warn me the day that we met
"Girl, don't you lose your heart yet"
But his dark eyes dared me with danger
And sparks fly like flame to a paper
Fire in his touch burning me up, but still I held on
'Cause I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on
The last time I saw him, we packed up my things
And he smiled like the first time he told me his name
And we cried with each other
We split the blame for the parts that we couldn't change
Pictures, dishes and socks
It's our whole life down to one box
There he was waving goodbye on the front porch alone
But I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Hangout, make lots of noise
And lay out late with a boy
Make the mistakes that she made, life is a runaway train
My mama mapped out the road that she knows
Which hands to shake, which hands you hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on
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Fast Car
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To me, this song is about first loves and learning to move on, and realizing there's a lesson with the pain. Because in the beginning the mom is telling her to go out and meet boys and make mistakes, then she meets the boy and her friends are telling her not to lose it yet, because they know it won't work. then at the end she realizes she's got to leave him because she's "already gone" from the relationship. But she knows life will have more in store.
wow. thats great. =)