"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.
Well you don't like, don't like the way I walk
And you don't like, don't like the way I talk
You criticize about me endlessly
Logic defies how you get stuck with me
And you complain about the clothes I wear
And you explain there's other boys out there
You complain my car makes too much noise
And you cry I'm always out with the boys
Whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
I give up little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
Yeah no matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
You complain the way I love you at night
You explain I'm really not your type
If we go out, you say I'm such a bore
If we stay in, you say what are we living for
I don't understand, there's nothing I can do
There ain't no way I can satisfy you
End of the night I lean in for a kiss
Here comes the pitch, a swing and a miss
Whoa whoa whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
I quit little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
Yeah no matter what I do, well you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you, hey!
Hey!
(Come on boys!)
Whoa whoa whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Hey hey little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
No matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
I tried to change, I got a job in sales
I bought a shirt uptown in Bloomingdales
And babe I tried to make the latest scene
Hitting cool just like Jimmy Iovine
I bought a record with all the latest grooves
A book of love with all the latest moves
I bought some flowers and I waited at your door
And you came out, didn't want to see me no more
Whoa whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
I quit little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
Yeah no matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
Hey! Hey! Hey!
No matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
Aw no matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
Whoa!
And you don't like, don't like the way I talk
You criticize about me endlessly
Logic defies how you get stuck with me
And you complain about the clothes I wear
And you explain there's other boys out there
You complain my car makes too much noise
And you cry I'm always out with the boys
Whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
I give up little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
Yeah no matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
You complain the way I love you at night
You explain I'm really not your type
If we go out, you say I'm such a bore
If we stay in, you say what are we living for
I don't understand, there's nothing I can do
There ain't no way I can satisfy you
End of the night I lean in for a kiss
Here comes the pitch, a swing and a miss
Whoa whoa whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
I quit little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
Yeah no matter what I do, well you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you, hey!
Hey!
(Come on boys!)
Whoa whoa whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Hey hey little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
No matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
I tried to change, I got a job in sales
I bought a shirt uptown in Bloomingdales
And babe I tried to make the latest scene
Hitting cool just like Jimmy Iovine
I bought a record with all the latest grooves
A book of love with all the latest moves
I bought some flowers and I waited at your door
And you came out, didn't want to see me no more
Whoa whoa whoa (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
I quit little darling (whoa whoa little darling)
Yeah no matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
Hey! Hey! Hey!
No matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
Aw no matter what I do, girl you know it's true
Ain't good enough for you
Whoa!
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Fast Car
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My mom doesn't like this song a whole lot because she says it's "sad," but I think she's completely missing Bruce's laughs and the overall fun feeling of it. To me it's more like "all well, I tried, what more can I do?" I love this one, it's got a really nice '60s tune that's extremely hard not to dance to.