"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.
All my life
I've been fighting a war
I can't talk to you or your friends
It's not only you
My heart jumps around when I'm alluded to
This will not do
'Cause I was raised up
To be admired to be noticed
But when you're withdrawn it's the closest thing
To assault when all eyes are on you
This will not do
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm faking glory
Lick my lips toss my hair
And send a smile over
And the stories brand new
But I can take it from here
I'll find my own bravado
It's a switch flipped
It's a pill tipped back, it's a moon eclipsed, whoa
And I can tell you that when the lights come on I'll be ready for this
It's in your blood stream
A collision of atoms that happens before your eyes
It's a marathon run or a mountain you scale without thinking of size
I was frightened of every little thing
That I thought was out to get me down
To trip me up and laugh at me
But I learnt not to want
The quiet of the room with no one around to find me out
I want the applause the approval the things that make me go
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
It's a switch flipped
It's a pill tipped back, it's a moon eclipsed, whoa
And I can tell you that when the lights come on I'll be ready for this
It's in your blood stream
A collision of atoms that happens before your eyes
It's a marathon run or a mountain you scale without thinking of size
I was frightened of every little thing
That I thought was out to get me down
To trip me up and laugh at me
But I learnt not to want
The quiet of the room with no one around to find me out
I want the applause the approval the things that make me go
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh
I've been fighting a war
I can't talk to you or your friends
It's not only you
My heart jumps around when I'm alluded to
This will not do
'Cause I was raised up
To be admired to be noticed
But when you're withdrawn it's the closest thing
To assault when all eyes are on you
This will not do
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm faking glory
Lick my lips toss my hair
And send a smile over
And the stories brand new
But I can take it from here
I'll find my own bravado
It's a switch flipped
It's a pill tipped back, it's a moon eclipsed, whoa
And I can tell you that when the lights come on I'll be ready for this
It's in your blood stream
A collision of atoms that happens before your eyes
It's a marathon run or a mountain you scale without thinking of size
I was frightened of every little thing
That I thought was out to get me down
To trip me up and laugh at me
But I learnt not to want
The quiet of the room with no one around to find me out
I want the applause the approval the things that make me go
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
It's a switch flipped
It's a pill tipped back, it's a moon eclipsed, whoa
And I can tell you that when the lights come on I'll be ready for this
It's in your blood stream
A collision of atoms that happens before your eyes
It's a marathon run or a mountain you scale without thinking of size
I was frightened of every little thing
That I thought was out to get me down
To trip me up and laugh at me
But I learnt not to want
The quiet of the room with no one around to find me out
I want the applause the approval the things that make me go
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh
Lyrics submitted by turnthatshitoff, edited by carley99, allonsy723, hokealogenous, malachi constant, Forsche, vermonster, catarinaisabel, motohip
Bravado Lyrics as written by Joel Little Ella Marija La Yelich O'connor
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Just a correction:
"But when you’re withdrawn It’s the closest thing To a someone who lies around you"
should be
"But when you're withdrawn It's the closest thing To assault when all eyes are on you"