"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.
You think you think you're pretty smart
But I can cause a little pain
She wraps the cord around her arm
Tries out to find a little vein
She lines the pictures
In a pretty row
To create the circumstances
Like the evidence will show
And who will be a witness
For the solitary host
If you sleep tonight
The visitation of the ghost
You think that I don't know your game
A pretty, pretty little face
Despite every book
And every little kiss you took
She'll take your place
She lines the pictures
In a pretty row
To create the circumpstances
Like the evidence will show
And who will be a witness
For the solitary host
If you sleep tonight
The visitation of the ghost
Oh my lord, lord, lord, lord
(oh my lord, lord, lord, lord) (x5)
But I can cause a little pain
She wraps the cord around her arm
Tries out to find a little vein
She lines the pictures
In a pretty row
To create the circumstances
Like the evidence will show
And who will be a witness
For the solitary host
If you sleep tonight
The visitation of the ghost
You think that I don't know your game
A pretty, pretty little face
Despite every book
And every little kiss you took
She'll take your place
She lines the pictures
In a pretty row
To create the circumpstances
Like the evidence will show
And who will be a witness
For the solitary host
If you sleep tonight
The visitation of the ghost
Oh my lord, lord, lord, lord
(oh my lord, lord, lord, lord) (x5)
Lyrics submitted by bittersweet_girl
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I'm going to take these lyrics in a more literal sense and say that there's a woman trying to pin her death on someone but that someone (protag) is aware of what she's doing; The protag is aware of this "game" that his ex(?) is playing and is calling her out for it. He'll see her ghost when he sleeps, clearly being haunted by this person who doesn't know how to fucking leave someone alone cause how the hell you gonna try and pin the blame on someone else like you gotta be on something to do some dumb shit like that like like like what the fuck dawg-