"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.
Yah, you never said a word
You didn't send me no letter
Don't think I could forgive you
See our world is slowly dying
I'm not wasting no more time
Don't think I could believe you
Yah, our hands will get more wrinkled
And our hair will be grey
Don't think I could forgive you
And see the children are starving
And their houses were destroyed
Don't think they could forgive you
Hey, when seas will cover lands
And when men will be no more
Don't think you can forgive you
Yah when there'll just be silence
And when life will be over
Don't think you will forgive you
You didn't send me no letter
Don't think I could forgive you
See our world is slowly dying
I'm not wasting no more time
Don't think I could believe you
Yah, our hands will get more wrinkled
And our hair will be grey
Don't think I could forgive you
And see the children are starving
And their houses were destroyed
Don't think they could forgive you
Hey, when seas will cover lands
And when men will be no more
Don't think you can forgive you
Yah when there'll just be silence
And when life will be over
Don't think you will forgive you
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by Mellow_Harsher, Nic111, Ewout, jnaomilucy111, lironschur, RajRegan696969, malachee34, MosinBros
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Sorry, Vegard8197 but I think ladypetrichor is right on this one. To me, it makes much more sense for someone to blame God for the mess occurring and for not helping humanity than to aim their words toward the rich, whom nobody expects help from. People are always asking God for help (in the form of prayer) and blame God when things go wrong. This song is a reflection of that.