"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.
One two three four
Everything he does, better than anything ordinary
Everything he wants he gets
Cause everything he gets is kinda necessary
I believe in love
Tell me can anything last forever
Life can live up to love
Got a hand on my heart gonna stay in heaven
You're gonna make me, make me love you
Nothing at all, nothing that I do
Promise I made, promise I made
Started to fade, started to fade, Babe
Maybe next time I will take the right on by
I wanna feel you near
'Cause I can't play this like, I'm in too well
My letter stamp is down, and I gotta fear
Oh baby right here
Giving up to looking into windows,
Yeah I've enough of wishing I've found you
Baby don't you know
I've had as much as I can take of falling, yeah
Got a lot to learn about riding through
Here I am, walking primrose
Wondering when I'm gonna see you again
So here I am, walking primrose
Wondering when I'm gonna see you again
I got my hands all ready to touch your soul
I'm gonna get the energy to wind me close to you
Got my eyes on the prize
Are you watching me baby?
'Cause my heart is turning to solid gold
And my head is saying honey too good to be true
Oh one look into your glitter eyes
How else telling me every time
Maybe it's not that hard to know you
Maybe we'll make it up and go
Maybe we'll work things out
'Cause there's only one way up and one way down I know
If you wanna convince me start again
If you wanna be with me in my arms
Everything he does, better than anything ordinary
Everything he wants he gets
Cause everything he gets is kinda necessary
I believe in love
Tell me can anything last forever
Life can live up to love
Got a hand on my heart gonna stay in heaven
You're gonna make me, make me love you
Nothing at all, nothing that I do
Promise I made, promise I made
Started to fade, started to fade, Babe
Maybe next time I will take the right on by
I wanna feel you near
'Cause I can't play this like, I'm in too well
My letter stamp is down, and I gotta fear
Oh baby right here
Giving up to looking into windows,
Yeah I've enough of wishing I've found you
Baby don't you know
I've had as much as I can take of falling, yeah
Got a lot to learn about riding through
Here I am, walking primrose
Wondering when I'm gonna see you again
So here I am, walking primrose
Wondering when I'm gonna see you again
I got my hands all ready to touch your soul
I'm gonna get the energy to wind me close to you
Got my eyes on the prize
Are you watching me baby?
'Cause my heart is turning to solid gold
And my head is saying honey too good to be true
Oh one look into your glitter eyes
How else telling me every time
Maybe it's not that hard to know you
Maybe we'll make it up and go
Maybe we'll work things out
'Cause there's only one way up and one way down I know
If you wanna convince me start again
If you wanna be with me in my arms
Lyrics submitted by BambooBanga, edited by raycfinn
The Promise Lyrics as written by Carla Maria Williams Timothy Martin Powell
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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From the singles boxset: It was decided that the band were no ready to pull off the definitive girlgroup look- that of The Supremes in the 1960s- and that a slightly 60s sounding sound would complement the look. One day two young Australian musicians at Xenomania, Jason and Kieran, played the backing track to Brian Higgins, and The Promise was born. Brian and Miranda Cooper didn't write anything to the backing track for a few weeks- they waited until the right time so they didn't ruin the moment. Eventually the right time was a sunny summer Thursday. They wrote the song in seven minutes. The day before The Promise was due to be delivered to the label the entire backing track was ditched and replayed from scratch.