"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.
Oh Lydia, oh, Lydia, say have you met Lydia
Oh, Lydia, the tattooed lady
She has eyes that folks adore so
And a torso even more so
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh, Lydia, the queen of tattoo
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo
Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus too
And proudly above the waves
The Red, White and Blue
You can learn a lot from Lydia
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
When her robe is unfurled she will show you the world
If you step up and tell her where
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
Or Washington crossing the Delaware
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
Oh, Lydia, oh, Lydia, say have you met Lydia
Oh Lydia, the tattooed lady
When her muscles start relaxin'
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh Lydia, the champ of them all
For two bits she will do a Mazurka in Jazz
With a view of Niagara that nobody has
And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz
You can learn a lot from Lydia
La la la La la la
La la la La la la
Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso
Just a little classic by Mendel, Picasso
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon
Here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on
La la la La la la
La la la La la la
Here is Grover Whalen unveilin' the Trylon
Over on the west coast we have Treasure Island
Here's Nijinsky a doin' the Rhumba
Here's her Social Security number
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh Lydia, the champ of them all
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat
And now the old boy's in command of the fleet
For he went and married Lydia
I said Lydia
He said Lydia
I said Lydia
We said Lydia
La la
Oh, Lydia, the tattooed lady
She has eyes that folks adore so
And a torso even more so
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh, Lydia, the queen of tattoo
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo
Beside it the Wreck of the Hesperus too
And proudly above the waves
The Red, White and Blue
You can learn a lot from Lydia
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
When her robe is unfurled she will show you the world
If you step up and tell her where
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paree
Or Washington crossing the Delaware
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
Oh, Lydia, oh, Lydia, say have you met Lydia
Oh Lydia, the tattooed lady
When her muscles start relaxin'
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh Lydia, the champ of them all
For two bits she will do a Mazurka in Jazz
With a view of Niagara that nobody has
And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz
You can learn a lot from Lydia
La la la La la la
La la la La la la
Come along and see Buffalo Bill with his lasso
Just a little classic by Mendel, Picasso
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon
Here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on
La la la La la la
La la la La la la
Here is Grover Whalen unveilin' the Trylon
Over on the west coast we have Treasure Island
Here's Nijinsky a doin' the Rhumba
Here's her Social Security number
Lydia, oh, Lydia, that encyclopedia
Oh Lydia, the champ of them all
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat
And now the old boy's in command of the fleet
For he went and married Lydia
I said Lydia
He said Lydia
I said Lydia
We said Lydia
La la
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Lydia, the Tattooed Lady Lyrics as written by Harold Arlen E.y. Harburg
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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