"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.
We stood
In an empty house
With bottles in our hands, against the wall.
On the
Last night of the year,
The white snow started to fall.
And you said, "This could happen for a reason.
How can you not have any faith?
The beauty that surrounds us --
It didn't happen by mistake."
In the heart of the city,
Good hearts will break.
Is this a test to see
How much we can take?
You say,
You say that there's an explanation,
Oh, but it's hard to see.
I look to find salvation
In something more concrete.
Because if,
Oh, the final destination
Is there either way,
I'm sure I'll receive an invitation
When it comes my day.
In an empty house
With bottles in our hands, against the wall.
On the
Last night of the year,
The white snow started to fall.
And you said, "This could happen for a reason.
How can you not have any faith?
The beauty that surrounds us --
It didn't happen by mistake."
In the heart of the city,
Good hearts will break.
Is this a test to see
How much we can take?
You say,
You say that there's an explanation,
Oh, but it's hard to see.
I look to find salvation
In something more concrete.
Because if,
Oh, the final destination
Is there either way,
I'm sure I'll receive an invitation
When it comes my day.
Lyrics submitted by CaptainHammer, edited by CAKunited
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Fast Car
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Page
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I think that this song is most definitely about faith and death, it is a beautiful song.
We stood in an empty house With bottles in our hands against the wall. On the last night of the year, The white snow started to fall.
I think maybe the two people have had someone close to them die; empty house, drinking.
And you said, "This could happen for a reason. How can you not have any faith? The beauty that surrounds us; It didn't happen by mistake."
I think they are both feeling down and the narrator is either feeling betrayed by god and is questioning his faith or he never really believed in god. The second person has faith in god and believes that the person has gone onto heaven, they are saying that it was the person's time to go. They are telling the narrator that the world is beautiful and that someone must have created it for it to be so beautiful; that there is a god.
In the heart of the city, Good hearts will break. Is this a test to see How much we can take?
I am not sure of the significance of the first line, but the second could just be reinforcing the sadness that the two people are feeling. They are asking whether god is testing them with their friends' death, seeing how strong they are, maybe even hinting at suicide.
You say, you say that there's an explanation Oh, but it's hard to see. I look to find salvation In something more concrete.
The narrator is now questioning the first person's faith, saying that with so much pain it is hard to believe in a god. The third and fourth lines are saying that he doesn't believe in god and that he would rather put his faith and belief in something more tangible and reliable.
Because if, oh, the final destination Is there, either way, I'm sure I'll receive an invitation When it comes my day.
The narrator is saying that everyone dies whatever their belief. He could be saying that he might get accepted into heaven when he dies even if he doesn't believe in god in the third and fourth lines.
Then the chorus repeats a couple times.
I never really thought about the song this much until I came here and typed this, but I feel like it is fairly understandable and believeable. I don't believe in god myself, and I have experienced a few deaths in my life so I really can relate to this song. I love the Arkells, this album is wonderful, love every song. Anyway, thanks for reading, please comment if you have a different view.:-)