"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.
good morning, you're acting awfully introspective
when i get introspective it means i'm depressed
and good night, i can feel your feet and they are twitching
when my feet twitch, it means that i'm upset
a movie, maybe not this time but maybe next time
if i did anything else my head would implode
phonetics, oh well that seems like an interesting major
you see i've had a lisp sort of troubled me my whole life
and all the consequences spent
and all these awkward feelings sent to all the awkward places i am too
and all of these emotions buried deep in emotional oceans
you spend the rest of your life finding out what they do
music
no ive never heard of the collective
but once i hear their music i like them too
institution
no i have never fought the institution
...
when i get introspective it means i'm depressed
and good night, i can feel your feet and they are twitching
when my feet twitch, it means that i'm upset
a movie, maybe not this time but maybe next time
if i did anything else my head would implode
phonetics, oh well that seems like an interesting major
you see i've had a lisp sort of troubled me my whole life
and all the consequences spent
and all these awkward feelings sent to all the awkward places i am too
and all of these emotions buried deep in emotional oceans
you spend the rest of your life finding out what they do
music
no ive never heard of the collective
but once i hear their music i like them too
institution
no i have never fought the institution
...
Lyrics submitted by pockpock
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Fast Car
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Phonetics  Good Morning, I can feel your feet and they are twitching When my feet twitch, it means that I’m upset Goodnight, I can feel your body, it is moving When my body moves like that it means I’m depressed  A movie? No, I don’t think that I could handle a movie If I did anything else I think my head would implode Phonetics? Oh, well that sounds like an interesting major You see I have a lisp so they’ve troubled me my whole life  All the consequences sent to all the awkward places Sent to all the awkward places I am too And all of these emotions buried deep in emotional oceans You spend the rest of your life finding out what they do  Collective? No, I’ve never heard of the collective But if that’s what you like I’m sure I’ll like it too  Institution? No, I’ve never fought the institution I’m scared of all the bad things they might do  And when I reach out my hand You don’t, you don’t, you don’t understand They never understand just for one night understand  Comfort, comfort I want to comfort you And tell you all the good things that I can do With my thighs, my hips, my mouth, my lips for you  All the consequences sent to all the awkward places Sent to all the awkward places I am too And all of these emotions buried deep in emotional oceans You spend the rest of your life finding out what they do  Pent up, my self-expression is absolving me Of all the bad things that I used to be, of all the bad things that I used to be  Effeminate whine, I called across and wrote over the phone And we are, we are, we are alone; we are, we are alone  An off-white smile, too much to swallow all alone To much to swallow all alone  When I leave here tomorrow or today; please don’t say that shit’s okay Even your mother knows it not okay It’s not okay  All the consequences sent to all the awkward places Sent to all the awkward places I am too And all of these emotions buried deep in emotional oceans You spend the rest of your life finding out what they do  After your clothes have spoken, and your temperament is token Then you truly are the fakest one I know All the words I’m using I am very carefully choosing So as not to take a poet’s point of view