"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.
Here is a story
From the good book we know
A story 'bout a miracle
That happened long ago
We hope that you'll take courage
When temptation you meet
There's somebody watching you
Who's strong when you're weak
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
Now the prophet Danial tells about
Three men who walked with God
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Before the wicked king they stood
And the king demanded them
Bound and thrown
In the firey furnace that day
But the fire was so hot
That the men were slain
Who forced them on their way
Now when the few were thrown in
And the king rose up
To witness this awful fate
He began to tremble at what he saw
And in astonished tones he spake
Did we not cast three men bound
Into the midst of that fire
Well though I see four men unhurt
Unbound and walking down there
There's Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
An' the fiery coals they trod
And the form of the fourth man
That I see is like the Son of God
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
From the good book we know
A story 'bout a miracle
That happened long ago
We hope that you'll take courage
When temptation you meet
There's somebody watching you
Who's strong when you're weak
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
Now the prophet Danial tells about
Three men who walked with God
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Before the wicked king they stood
And the king demanded them
Bound and thrown
In the firey furnace that day
But the fire was so hot
That the men were slain
Who forced them on their way
Now when the few were thrown in
And the king rose up
To witness this awful fate
He began to tremble at what he saw
And in astonished tones he spake
Did we not cast three men bound
Into the midst of that fire
Well though I see four men unhurt
Unbound and walking down there
There's Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
An' the fiery coals they trod
And the form of the fourth man
That I see is like the Son of God
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knee to the idol made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the fourth man in the fire
They wouldn't bend
They wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
The Fourth Man Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © CLAY MUSIC CORPORATION
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