"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.
Its just red and white
Get a little older
And thats alright
Seven years cold out by the side
Brought you some flowers
And every day gets longer
I guess you might get a little quieter
and thats alright
Still I keep holding on to you
Bleach scarred honey there, sleeping pills aren't strong
In the walls of my back
To reconcile with the lights out
Falling down the lighthouse
Still I found your little toy soldier
Buried under
Its a heavy old lie
Ceremony break down everytime
Bells keep ringing out loud and rhyme
Hearts beats faster, every breathe gets stronger
I CANT rewind
even move forward
thats alright
still i keep holding onto you
Bleach scarred honey there, sleeping pills aren't strong
In the walls of my back
To reconcile with the lights out
Falling down the lighthouse
Still I found your little toy soldier
Buried under
I said a lie
It's a slow burn
Bury me
keep a lie
and keeps secrets
Buried beneath
In the walls of my back
To reconcile with the lights out
Falling down the lighthouse
Still I found your little toy soldier
Buried under
Get a little older
And thats alright
Seven years cold out by the side
Brought you some flowers
And every day gets longer
I guess you might get a little quieter
and thats alright
Still I keep holding on to you
Bleach scarred honey there, sleeping pills aren't strong
In the walls of my back
To reconcile with the lights out
Falling down the lighthouse
Still I found your little toy soldier
Buried under
Its a heavy old lie
Ceremony break down everytime
Bells keep ringing out loud and rhyme
Hearts beats faster, every breathe gets stronger
I CANT rewind
even move forward
thats alright
still i keep holding onto you
Bleach scarred honey there, sleeping pills aren't strong
In the walls of my back
To reconcile with the lights out
Falling down the lighthouse
Still I found your little toy soldier
Buried under
I said a lie
It's a slow burn
Bury me
keep a lie
and keeps secrets
Buried beneath
In the walls of my back
To reconcile with the lights out
Falling down the lighthouse
Still I found your little toy soldier
Buried under
Lyrics submitted by somedude
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I don't feel like figuring out the rest of the song, but something that jumped out to me is
"Falling down the lighthouse Still I found your little toy soldier Buried under"
The singer is finding himself (after a breakdown - "falling down the lighthouse"), and coming to grips with the fact that he lied to, presumably, his girlfriend.
Which connects with
"Its a heavy old lie Ceremony break down everytime Bells keep ringing out loud and rhyme Hearts beats faster, every breathe gets stronger"
His lie was told some time ago, and, like with the falling down the lighthouse, the ceremony break down is just a breakdown. "Bells keep ringing out loud and rhyme" The guy could be a schizophrenic, and bells are the voices in his head, reminding him of his lie. "Hearts beat faster, every breath gets stronger" Some of his different voices are getting more worried and panicked, including his real voice.
That's it. May do the rest later. May not. Great song.