"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.
Ties too wide and suits too bright, when I worked at Textline
We'd get pissed on Thursday nights, when I worked at Textline
Friday we'd roll in at ten
I could hardly hold a pen
Lunchtime on the piss again when I worked at Textline
I got locked in the typing pool when I worked at Textline
I coughed and spluttered like a fool when I worked at Textline
The filthy things those typists said
Turned my face beetroot red
I sometimes wished I'd stayed in bed when I worked at Textline
We had this gorgeous secretary when I worked at Textline
Someone said she fancied me when I worked at Textline
I thought this was really great
So I asked her for a date
She said go home and masturbate when I worked at Textline
I met some funny little men when I worked at Textline
Stuart, buff Brown, Ken and Glen when I worked at Textline
On the evening of my leaving do
I told them a few truths
And they replied "We hate you, too" when I worked at Textline
We'd get pissed on Thursday nights, when I worked at Textline
Friday we'd roll in at ten
I could hardly hold a pen
Lunchtime on the piss again when I worked at Textline
I got locked in the typing pool when I worked at Textline
I coughed and spluttered like a fool when I worked at Textline
The filthy things those typists said
Turned my face beetroot red
I sometimes wished I'd stayed in bed when I worked at Textline
We had this gorgeous secretary when I worked at Textline
Someone said she fancied me when I worked at Textline
I thought this was really great
So I asked her for a date
She said go home and masturbate when I worked at Textline
I met some funny little men when I worked at Textline
Stuart, buff Brown, Ken and Glen when I worked at Textline
On the evening of my leaving do
I told them a few truths
And they replied "We hate you, too" when I worked at Textline
Lyrics submitted by bananahero
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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