"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.
Yee-haw (ooh)
Texas, Texas (ooh)
Texas
Came into this world
Daddy's little girl
And daddy made a soldier out of me (ooh)
Daddy made me dance
And daddy held my hand (ooh)
And daddy liked his whisky with his tea
And we rode motorcycles
Blackjack, classic vinyl
Tough girl is what I had to be
He said, "take care of your mother
Watch out for your sister"
Oh, and that's when he gave to me
With his gun and his head held high
He told me not to cry
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
With his right hand on his rifle
He swore it on the bible
My daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
He held me in his arms
And he taught me to be strong
He told me when he's gone
Here's what you do
When trouble comes in town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
(Ooh, ooh)
(Yee-haw)
Daddy made me fight
It wasn't always right
But he said, girl, it's your second amendment (ooh)
He always played it cool
But daddy was no fool
And right before he died, he said, "remember"
He said, "take care of your mother
Watch out for your sister"
That's when daddy looked at me
With his gun, with his head held high
He told me not to cry
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
With his right hand on his rifle
He swore it on the bible
My daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot (yee-haw)
'Cause he held me in his arms
And he taught me to be strong
And he told me when he's gone
Here's what you do
When trouble comes to town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
(Ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, yee-haw)
My daddy warned me about men like you
He said, "baby girl, he's playing you
He's playing you"
My daddy warned me about men like you
He said, "baby girl, he's playing you
He's playing you" (ooh)
'Cause when trouble comes in town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot (yee-haw)
'Cause when trouble comes to town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
(Good job, Bey)
Texas, Texas (ooh)
Texas
Came into this world
Daddy's little girl
And daddy made a soldier out of me (ooh)
Daddy made me dance
And daddy held my hand (ooh)
And daddy liked his whisky with his tea
And we rode motorcycles
Blackjack, classic vinyl
Tough girl is what I had to be
He said, "take care of your mother
Watch out for your sister"
Oh, and that's when he gave to me
With his gun and his head held high
He told me not to cry
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
With his right hand on his rifle
He swore it on the bible
My daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
He held me in his arms
And he taught me to be strong
He told me when he's gone
Here's what you do
When trouble comes in town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
(Ooh, ooh)
(Yee-haw)
Daddy made me fight
It wasn't always right
But he said, girl, it's your second amendment (ooh)
He always played it cool
But daddy was no fool
And right before he died, he said, "remember"
He said, "take care of your mother
Watch out for your sister"
That's when daddy looked at me
With his gun, with his head held high
He told me not to cry
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
With his right hand on his rifle
He swore it on the bible
My daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot (yee-haw)
'Cause he held me in his arms
And he taught me to be strong
And he told me when he's gone
Here's what you do
When trouble comes to town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
(Ooh, ooh)
(Ooh, yee-haw)
My daddy warned me about men like you
He said, "baby girl, he's playing you
He's playing you"
My daddy warned me about men like you
He said, "baby girl, he's playing you
He's playing you" (ooh)
'Cause when trouble comes in town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot (yee-haw)
'Cause when trouble comes to town
And men like me come around
Oh, my daddy said shoot
Oh, my daddy said shoot
(Good job, Bey)
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