"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.
What's up, this is Mary, leave a message, and I'll holla back, peace
Yo, yo Mary, pick up the phone girl
Ay yo Mary, pick up the phone girl
Hello?
Ay yo, what's up?
What's up Puff?
Girl you ready?
I'm always ready
It's about that time again
This the moment they all been waiting for
Time to take it back to the gutter
The queen of hip-hop soul
Oohh, live your life 'cause life is love
Always thank the man above (thank you, uh)
The more you the more you get (that's real talk)
Yeah, yeah (let me warm it up for ya)
Who better to usher you back through the gutter
Than America's number one hustler (Sean Carter)
Don't call it a come back
Unless there's some money attached to that
And you can call it whatever you like, in fact
It's something like a phenomenon
Like a young LeBron, gettin' my high school games on
TV just for dunkin' on
Whoever want it with Sean he can get it jumpin like Donkey Kong
We could get it thumpin' like bum-ba-bum
Travel the way of the gun, come on, see-come on
No, I'm not only beggin' I'm eggin' you on
Until you dead or gone that's the vendetta I'm on
This ain't no video game with wrestlers on it
The competitor on this is on some shit
Honest come through all black like a Amish
Holsters under the armpit, the arm spit, ha
Just that Brooklyn don shit
Along with the queen from Yonkers
Come on kiss the ring
Fore I let miss Mary sing
Supposed to you a soul in the everything, yeah
It's classic material
I see you bastards at the burial
Jay go first and then Mary go, round
I just ride, hold her down with the fifth by my side
Me and Miss Blige
Look up in the sky it's a bird and the 'caine
And the hydro flow that I brought to the game
I could go mo' but I'm a let ma do her thang
Brooklyn, we did it again
I can't really explain what it is about her
I don't know it's just, it's something special
Ain't nobody like her, there's only one Mary
Only one queen of hip-hop soul
Love and life, let's do it
Yo, yo Mary, pick up the phone girl
Ay yo Mary, pick up the phone girl
Hello?
Ay yo, what's up?
What's up Puff?
Girl you ready?
I'm always ready
It's about that time again
This the moment they all been waiting for
Time to take it back to the gutter
The queen of hip-hop soul
Oohh, live your life 'cause life is love
Always thank the man above (thank you, uh)
The more you the more you get (that's real talk)
Yeah, yeah (let me warm it up for ya)
Who better to usher you back through the gutter
Than America's number one hustler (Sean Carter)
Don't call it a come back
Unless there's some money attached to that
And you can call it whatever you like, in fact
It's something like a phenomenon
Like a young LeBron, gettin' my high school games on
TV just for dunkin' on
Whoever want it with Sean he can get it jumpin like Donkey Kong
We could get it thumpin' like bum-ba-bum
Travel the way of the gun, come on, see-come on
No, I'm not only beggin' I'm eggin' you on
Until you dead or gone that's the vendetta I'm on
This ain't no video game with wrestlers on it
The competitor on this is on some shit
Honest come through all black like a Amish
Holsters under the armpit, the arm spit, ha
Just that Brooklyn don shit
Along with the queen from Yonkers
Come on kiss the ring
Fore I let miss Mary sing
Supposed to you a soul in the everything, yeah
It's classic material
I see you bastards at the burial
Jay go first and then Mary go, round
I just ride, hold her down with the fifth by my side
Me and Miss Blige
Look up in the sky it's a bird and the 'caine
And the hydro flow that I brought to the game
I could go mo' but I'm a let ma do her thang
Brooklyn, we did it again
I can't really explain what it is about her
I don't know it's just, it's something special
Ain't nobody like her, there's only one Mary
Only one queen of hip-hop soul
Love and life, let's do it
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Fast Car
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