"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.
Splashes if we pray, it splashes, wind flaps in the night
Papa says it doesn't, mama knows it shouldn't
And we are gonna have to call on rah, moo rah rah rain
We've been beaten, we're dying, let us congregate
Foot cracks, it's so dry and dirty, dusty
There's a cry, someone gag the baby 'cause his tears are oh so dusty
Let's all gather in the barn and call rah, moo rah rah rain
We've been beaten, we're dying, let us congregate
I've never seen rain, my spittle cannot fly
Dad can't keep taking care of business, taking care of business
We'll dance to make it rain
And then we'll maybe try to go on taking care of business, taking care of business
We hope to see it rain, the kids may not die
Rah, keep on taking care of business, taking care of business
Papa says it doesn't, mama knows it shouldn't
And we are gonna have to call on rah, moo rah rah rain
We've been beaten, we're dying, let us congregate
Foot cracks, it's so dry and dirty, dusty
There's a cry, someone gag the baby 'cause his tears are oh so dusty
Let's all gather in the barn and call rah, moo rah rah rain
We've been beaten, we're dying, let us congregate
I've never seen rain, my spittle cannot fly
Dad can't keep taking care of business, taking care of business
We'll dance to make it rain
And then we'll maybe try to go on taking care of business, taking care of business
We hope to see it rain, the kids may not die
Rah, keep on taking care of business, taking care of business
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Fast Car
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Great version of a great song,
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Well, it's obvious what the lyrics to this song mean directly, but I think that they symbolize life and all its difficulties in general, and how you really can't do anything but rely on hope and superstition at some points in life.