"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.
So you think
You found a way of living
That prevents
You losing any sleep
Well, my friend
Take this that I'm giving
It's your piece of mind
You oughta keep
You'll run into trouble for sure
By living behind a locked door
Will you run the risk
Of being taunted
By doing what you want to do
Or do you prefer to have
Your whole life haunted
By the ones who
Choose to care for you
Beware of their motives my friend
Take care
You're still there at the end
Watch out for winter
It'll bite you with cold
Black spirits trying hard
To bribe you with gold
Would you steal a nickel
from a blind man
Well, right now
I do believe you would
It's not the thought of you
Doing it that hurts me
It's the mind behind it
What's no good
If this is your way
I don't want to know
It's only so far I can go
I won't go no further
Not for you or anyone
I have my own ideas on
What should be done
What should be done
You found a way of living
That prevents
You losing any sleep
Well, my friend
Take this that I'm giving
It's your piece of mind
You oughta keep
You'll run into trouble for sure
By living behind a locked door
Will you run the risk
Of being taunted
By doing what you want to do
Or do you prefer to have
Your whole life haunted
By the ones who
Choose to care for you
Beware of their motives my friend
Take care
You're still there at the end
Watch out for winter
It'll bite you with cold
Black spirits trying hard
To bribe you with gold
Would you steal a nickel
from a blind man
Well, right now
I do believe you would
It's not the thought of you
Doing it that hurts me
It's the mind behind it
What's no good
If this is your way
I don't want to know
It's only so far I can go
I won't go no further
Not for you or anyone
I have my own ideas on
What should be done
What should be done
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
What Should Be Done Lyrics as written by Ken Hensley
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
What Should Be Done [Alternative Version 2][Alternate Take] song meanings
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Punchline
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