"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.
R.E.D.H.O.T. and never come to complain,
We be dem digital
Oh turn the day to night
Oh turn it back to day and then rain
Say them weed they be medicinal
Who celebrate the day and night
By opening some champagne
Let things get physical
Don?t go astray no whether clean no whether dirty
Cocaine
That isn?t real
When there?s MAJOR
Say he was major
St oo pid just slightly not completely
Whether there are upon island whether dem upon the
Is say they stick you in the back
Then they make up stories
Don?t don?t say she don?t do this
And them one up in a million
That girl she's so silly
I'm dumb dumb and we don?t do this
And I'm looking at that girl who be Portuguese
And now I'm dumped dumped
And we don?t do this
I'm a Ready anda to go to sleep
And if your dumped dumped simply don?t do this
I already got tha say tha girl, say tha say tha
Who devastatah them one annihilator
Dem M.A.J.O.R. say who the hell am HATER
We don?t hate ya, but still never date ya
But still I'm talking plenty, of your twenty money, thank ya
We and my band, are the prize trophy takers
Some styles be great and some styles be GREATER
And them don?t, don?t said she don?t do this
And I already had that girlie who be Portuguese
And now we done done, bet she don?t do this
And I'm a ready gotta and ima be jammin on
I said she don?t don?t said she don?t do this
And I'm a one up in a million
That girl said she's so silly
I'm dumb dumb said she don?t do this
I'm already had that girl, so girl just sleep
Said that
Who devastatah them one annihilator
Dem M.A.J.O.R. say yeah we miss him later
I don?t hate ya, but still will never date ya
But some styles be great yes but some styles be greater
Weed on my plate ya, well if the money taker
But still I take control of your funny money thank ya
a bunch more we don'ts and she don'ts
We be dem digital
Oh turn the day to night
Oh turn it back to day and then rain
Say them weed they be medicinal
Who celebrate the day and night
By opening some champagne
Let things get physical
Don?t go astray no whether clean no whether dirty
Cocaine
That isn?t real
When there?s MAJOR
Say he was major
St oo pid just slightly not completely
Whether there are upon island whether dem upon the
Is say they stick you in the back
Then they make up stories
Don?t don?t say she don?t do this
And them one up in a million
That girl she's so silly
I'm dumb dumb and we don?t do this
And I'm looking at that girl who be Portuguese
And now I'm dumped dumped
And we don?t do this
I'm a Ready anda to go to sleep
And if your dumped dumped simply don?t do this
I already got tha say tha girl, say tha say tha
Who devastatah them one annihilator
Dem M.A.J.O.R. say who the hell am HATER
We don?t hate ya, but still never date ya
But still I'm talking plenty, of your twenty money, thank ya
We and my band, are the prize trophy takers
Some styles be great and some styles be GREATER
And them don?t, don?t said she don?t do this
And I already had that girlie who be Portuguese
And now we done done, bet she don?t do this
And I'm a ready gotta and ima be jammin on
I said she don?t don?t said she don?t do this
And I'm a one up in a million
That girl said she's so silly
I'm dumb dumb said she don?t do this
I'm already had that girl, so girl just sleep
Said that
Who devastatah them one annihilator
Dem M.A.J.O.R. say yeah we miss him later
I don?t hate ya, but still will never date ya
But some styles be great yes but some styles be greater
Weed on my plate ya, well if the money taker
But still I take control of your funny money thank ya
a bunch more we don'ts and she don'ts
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by ryanbert
Digital Lyrics as written by Miles Doughty Kyle Alexander Mcdonald
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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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