"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.
Drag myself from my bed
Around 20 past 6
Get my kids up make breakfast
1 egg 2 toast 3 weetabix
And as I sit down I look up
And your standing in the doorway sun at your back
In my old brown dressing gown
Well no one can love you more than I love you now, but I
Gotta go running for the bus
Coat flying and I try not to miss it this time
But the drivers waiting and that's strange
Kids on the top deck quiet for a change
And there's no rain and no roadworks
In the bus lane and all my hurts run away
And I'm smiling as I'm punching in
The day I died was the best day of my life
The day I died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids and my wife
Everything will be alright
The day I died was the best day of my life
Now the secretaries they got a smile for me
And the in tray on my desks almost empty
I get a memo from executive Joe
Saying Rob the gob is getting kicked out
For embezzling funds from the company account
And id be lying if I said I wasn't chuffed
'Cause I always hated rob
And now they'll probably offer me robs old job
And in the park at lunch
There's no whinos on my favorite bench
None of that drunk chatter none of that pissy stench
And the scrawny little pigeons with the gammy legs
Decide to dive bomb from someone elses sandwich instead
And there's something about the city today
Like all the colors conspire to overwhelm the grey
And this close to the fire I can feel no cold
But a rainbow halo around my soul
The day I died was the best day of my life
The day I died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids and my wife
Everything will be alright
The day I died was the best day of my life
So I leave work get to the high street and I miss my bus
Should I wait for another no I can't be arsed
I begin to walk
And rush hour crowd seem to part like the red sea
And I'm stopping at the offy
20 cigarettes and a 6 pack to relax me
And as I cross back over the street
I guess I never saw that taxi
I guess I never saw that taxi
The day I died was the best day of my life
The day I died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids and my wife
Everything will be alright
The day I died was the best day of my life
Now I got 99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
I got 99 red balloons drifting past my dreamy eyes
I got 99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
I got 99 red balloons drifting past my dying eyes
Around 20 past 6
Get my kids up make breakfast
1 egg 2 toast 3 weetabix
And as I sit down I look up
And your standing in the doorway sun at your back
In my old brown dressing gown
Well no one can love you more than I love you now, but I
Gotta go running for the bus
Coat flying and I try not to miss it this time
But the drivers waiting and that's strange
Kids on the top deck quiet for a change
And there's no rain and no roadworks
In the bus lane and all my hurts run away
And I'm smiling as I'm punching in
The day I died was the best day of my life
The day I died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids and my wife
Everything will be alright
The day I died was the best day of my life
Now the secretaries they got a smile for me
And the in tray on my desks almost empty
I get a memo from executive Joe
Saying Rob the gob is getting kicked out
For embezzling funds from the company account
And id be lying if I said I wasn't chuffed
'Cause I always hated rob
And now they'll probably offer me robs old job
And in the park at lunch
There's no whinos on my favorite bench
None of that drunk chatter none of that pissy stench
And the scrawny little pigeons with the gammy legs
Decide to dive bomb from someone elses sandwich instead
And there's something about the city today
Like all the colors conspire to overwhelm the grey
And this close to the fire I can feel no cold
But a rainbow halo around my soul
The day I died was the best day of my life
The day I died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids and my wife
Everything will be alright
The day I died was the best day of my life
So I leave work get to the high street and I miss my bus
Should I wait for another no I can't be arsed
I begin to walk
And rush hour crowd seem to part like the red sea
And I'm stopping at the offy
20 cigarettes and a 6 pack to relax me
And as I cross back over the street
I guess I never saw that taxi
I guess I never saw that taxi
The day I died was the best day of my life
The day I died was the best day of my life
Tell my friends and my kids and my wife
Everything will be alright
The day I died was the best day of my life
Now I got 99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
I got 99 red balloons drifting past my dreamy eyes
I got 99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
I got 99 red balloons drifting past my dying eyes
Lyrics submitted by chrischaos
The Day I Died Lyrics as written by Jules Porreca Jack Christopher Allsopp
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I lovvvveee this song! Someone recommended this song on reddit under the topic of "Uplifting Songs." Now I can't stop listening to it and I can't remember the last time a song made me smile. My favorite line is: "And there's something about the city today, like all the colours conspire to overwhelm the grey." Just utterly beautiful!