"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.
It's the difference of what you do and don't see
It's the difference of who you are and could be
It's the difference of what you say and don't mean
You gotta listen when your heart is whispering
When you know you're falling hard, just get up again
You gotta leave this little town, try to chase the wind
You gotta do what you gotta do, gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do
Open invitation
Pack your bags, start racing
Even though you can't see the difference
The difference
It's the difference of your today and history
It's the difference of what is real and make-believe
It's the difference of when you fail and you achieve
You gotta know that you've got something unbelievable
Just look around at all the people that you love the most
You've got a chance to show the world that you were made to glow
You gotta do what you gotta do, gotta do
You gotta do what your heart says is good for you
You gotta do what you gotta do, gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do
Open invitation
Pack your bags, start racing
Even though you can't see the difference
The difference
Hoping buys you some time, California sunshine
Wave goodbye and you'll see the difference
The difference
You gotta do what you gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do, yeah
It's the difference of who you are and could be
It's the difference of what you say and don't mean
You gotta listen when your heart is whispering
When you know you're falling hard, just get up again
You gotta leave this little town, try to chase the wind
You gotta do what you gotta do, gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do
Open invitation
Pack your bags, start racing
Even though you can't see the difference
The difference
It's the difference of your today and history
It's the difference of what is real and make-believe
It's the difference of when you fail and you achieve
You gotta know that you've got something unbelievable
Just look around at all the people that you love the most
You've got a chance to show the world that you were made to glow
You gotta do what you gotta do, gotta do
You gotta do what your heart says is good for you
You gotta do what you gotta do, gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do
Open invitation
Pack your bags, start racing
Even though you can't see the difference
The difference
Hoping buys you some time, California sunshine
Wave goodbye and you'll see the difference
The difference
You gotta do what you gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do
You gotta do what you gotta do, yeah
Lyrics submitted by dontwasteyoursong
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