"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.
Well - we live in a trailer
At the edge of town
You never see us
Cause we don't come around
We got twenty five rifles
To keep the population down
But we need you now
That's why I'm hangin round
So you be good to me and I'll be good to you
And in this land of conditions
I am not above suspicion
I won't attack you but
I won't back you, yeah
Well - it's so good to be here
Asleep on your lawn
Remember your guard dog
I'm afraid that's gone
It was such a drag to hear him
Whining all night long
Yeah - that was me with the doves
Setting them free near the facotry
Where you built your computer - love
I hope you get the connection
Cause I can't take the rejection
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I'm a barrel of laughs
With my carbine on
I keep em hoppin
Till the ammunition's gone
But I'm still not happy
Feel like something's wrong
I got the revolution blues
I see bloody fountains
And a ten million dune buggies
Comin' down the mountains
I hear that laurel canyon
Is full of famous stars
But I hate them worse than lepers
And I'll kill them in their cars
Well you sucker
Well you sucker
Did you fuck her
You're the sucker
You're the sucker
Ask your mother
Ask your mother
Yeah yeah
You're the sucker
At the edge of town
You never see us
Cause we don't come around
We got twenty five rifles
To keep the population down
But we need you now
That's why I'm hangin round
So you be good to me and I'll be good to you
And in this land of conditions
I am not above suspicion
I won't attack you but
I won't back you, yeah
Well - it's so good to be here
Asleep on your lawn
Remember your guard dog
I'm afraid that's gone
It was such a drag to hear him
Whining all night long
Yeah - that was me with the doves
Setting them free near the facotry
Where you built your computer - love
I hope you get the connection
Cause I can't take the rejection
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I'm a barrel of laughs
With my carbine on
I keep em hoppin
Till the ammunition's gone
But I'm still not happy
Feel like something's wrong
I got the revolution blues
I see bloody fountains
And a ten million dune buggies
Comin' down the mountains
I hear that laurel canyon
Is full of famous stars
But I hate them worse than lepers
And I'll kill them in their cars
Well you sucker
Well you sucker
Did you fuck her
You're the sucker
You're the sucker
Ask your mother
Ask your mother
Yeah yeah
You're the sucker
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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