"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.
Why's it got to be so hard
Why's it got to be this way
It's like I'm being torn apart
By all this beautiful pain
I know you want to be with me
But you've got to go to him
Freedom isn't really free
If you sink before you learn to swim
And I shudder in my sleep
I can hardly close my eyes
And I wake up in a dream
Free now from a life of compromise
You never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
You never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
Don't be afraid of looking back
Everybody has a past
And you've got my heart racing
In just a few days and
I want to be patient
So this doesn't fade away
If you've got to save a life
Maybe it should be your own
Cause baby we don't have much time
Till we come stumbling home
And I know that we just met
But I never understood
How can something be that bad
When it feels this good
And I shudder in my sleep
I can hardly close my eyes
And I wake up in a dream
Free now from a life of compromise
Well you never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
You never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
Don't be afraid of looking back
Everybody has a past
And you've got my heart racing
In just a few days and
I want to be patient
So this doesn't fade away
Why's it got to be so hard
Why's it got to be this way
It's like I'm being torn apart
By all this beautiful pain
Why's it got to be this way
It's like I'm being torn apart
By all this beautiful pain
I know you want to be with me
But you've got to go to him
Freedom isn't really free
If you sink before you learn to swim
And I shudder in my sleep
I can hardly close my eyes
And I wake up in a dream
Free now from a life of compromise
You never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
You never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
Don't be afraid of looking back
Everybody has a past
And you've got my heart racing
In just a few days and
I want to be patient
So this doesn't fade away
If you've got to save a life
Maybe it should be your own
Cause baby we don't have much time
Till we come stumbling home
And I know that we just met
But I never understood
How can something be that bad
When it feels this good
And I shudder in my sleep
I can hardly close my eyes
And I wake up in a dream
Free now from a life of compromise
Well you never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
You never lost but you never won
And you never fought, and you never moved on
Don't be afraid of looking back
Everybody has a past
And you've got my heart racing
In just a few days and
I want to be patient
So this doesn't fade away
Why's it got to be so hard
Why's it got to be this way
It's like I'm being torn apart
By all this beautiful pain
Lyrics submitted by matthewtarlen
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