"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.
Baby take off your coat, real slow
Baby take off your shoes
I'll help you take off your shoes
Baby, take off your dress, yes yes yes
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
(You can leave your hat on)
(You can leave your hat on)
You can leave your hat on
Go on over there turn on the light
No, all the lights
Come back here stand on that chair
Ooh baby, that's right
Raise your arms in the air
Ooh ooh ooh, now shake 'em
You give me reason to live
You give me reason to live
You give me reason to live
You give me reason to live
(You can leave your hat on)
You can leave your hat on baby
(You can leave your hat on)
Suspicious minds are talkin'
They're tryin' to tear us apart
(They don't believe in this love of mine)
They don't know what love is
(They don't know what love is)
(They don't know what love is)
(They don't know what love is)
I know what love is
(You can leave your hat on, leave it on)
Tell me baby
(You can leave your hat on)
(Leave it on, leave it on baby)
Gotta hear it again
(You can leave your hat on)
(yeah on, leave it on yeah)
You can leave your hat on, yeah
Baby take off your shoes
I'll help you take off your shoes
Baby, take off your dress, yes yes yes
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
(You can leave your hat on)
(You can leave your hat on)
You can leave your hat on
Go on over there turn on the light
No, all the lights
Come back here stand on that chair
Ooh baby, that's right
Raise your arms in the air
Ooh ooh ooh, now shake 'em
You give me reason to live
You give me reason to live
You give me reason to live
You give me reason to live
(You can leave your hat on)
You can leave your hat on baby
(You can leave your hat on)
Suspicious minds are talkin'
They're tryin' to tear us apart
(They don't believe in this love of mine)
They don't know what love is
(They don't know what love is)
(They don't know what love is)
(They don't know what love is)
I know what love is
(You can leave your hat on, leave it on)
Tell me baby
(You can leave your hat on)
(Leave it on, leave it on baby)
Gotta hear it again
(You can leave your hat on)
(yeah on, leave it on yeah)
You can leave your hat on, yeah
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
You Can Leave Your Hat On Lyrics as written by Randy Newman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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