"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.
Rockets, moon shots
Spend it on the have nots
Money, we make it
Fore we see it you take it
Oh, make you wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
This ain't livin', This ain't livin'
No, this ain't livin'
Inflation no chance
To increase finance
Bills pile up sky high
Send that boy off to die
Oh, make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Oh, this ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin'
No, no, no, no, no
Hang ups, let down
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can't pay my taxes
No! Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Oh, it makes me wanna holler
They don't understand
Oh, this ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin' this ain't livin'
Oh, no
Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we're heading
No! Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Oh, it makes me wanna holler
They don't understand
Oh, this ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin' this ain't livin'
Oh, no
This ain't livin', no, no, no,no
Yeah!
Spend it on the have nots
Money, we make it
Fore we see it you take it
Oh, make you wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
This ain't livin', This ain't livin'
No, this ain't livin'
Inflation no chance
To increase finance
Bills pile up sky high
Send that boy off to die
Oh, make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Oh, this ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin'
No, no, no, no, no
Hang ups, let down
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can't pay my taxes
No! Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Oh, it makes me wanna holler
They don't understand
Oh, this ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin' this ain't livin'
Oh, no
Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we're heading
No! Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Oh, it makes me wanna holler
They don't understand
Oh, this ain't livin', this ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin' this ain't livin'
Oh, no
This ain't livin', no, no, no,no
Yeah!
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