"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.
I lived inside the hidden bay,
And time used to pass so slow
I raised dragons by my side,
But I, I had to let them go
Days of ashes and nights of flames
A thirstful beauty then thirstful games
Do you need to seal my soul,
Just let me know
When you get out
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
In the dark we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
There's a ghost of another she, and there's a lower light
Now there's a black star on my sun,
I can't make it go away
Asking what I chose wasting my time
Until I knew your name
Days of ashes and nights of flames
A thirstful beauty then thirstful games
Do you need to seal my soul,
Just let me know
When you get out
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
In the dark we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
There's a ghost of another she, and there's a lower light
When you get out
Time we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
In the dark we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
There's a ghost of another she, and there's a lower light
(X2)
And time used to pass so slow
I raised dragons by my side,
But I, I had to let them go
Days of ashes and nights of flames
A thirstful beauty then thirstful games
Do you need to seal my soul,
Just let me know
When you get out
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
In the dark we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
There's a ghost of another she, and there's a lower light
Now there's a black star on my sun,
I can't make it go away
Asking what I chose wasting my time
Until I knew your name
Days of ashes and nights of flames
A thirstful beauty then thirstful games
Do you need to seal my soul,
Just let me know
When you get out
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
In the dark we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
There's a ghost of another she, and there's a lower light
When you get out
Time we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
In the dark we make it special, make it justified
Everything we touch turns to gold at night
There's a ghost of another she, and there's a lower light
(X2)
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