"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.
[Verse 1]
The drum wakes up
He'll have a real black eye this time
Hungover dream
He hung around too long last night
The drum gets up
How will he feel about this one?
The dream throws up
He didn't feel too good this time
[Chorus]
He's got it all
He's got it figured out
Dream in the hall
Back in the hospital
I'm not concerned
He'll get it straight this time
And if he doesn't, fuck it
[Verse 2]
The gun goes off
He's always off about something
The drum just nods
The drum ain't listening at all
The drum gets drunk
The drum reads James Joyce in the drunk
The dream falls down
The drum's face breaks the dream's fall
[Chorus]
He don't have shit
He's learned to live with it
The drum's in debt
You owe me, don't forget
That 20 bucks
Interest and moral support
And if you don't I swear
[Bridge]
This is our lifetime and I am his creator
A young man slowly pulled apart by separate poles of gravity
[Verse 3]
The drum goes forth
He's got his flag unfurled or something
The drum won't stop
The drum's a menace to the public
[Chorus]
Hold your drum high
The drum is stoned again
Don't wake him up
He'll just start talking
The drum is dead (the dream is dead)
Long live the drum (long live the drum)
And I am his creator
The drum wakes up
He'll have a real black eye this time
Hungover dream
He hung around too long last night
The drum gets up
How will he feel about this one?
The dream throws up
He didn't feel too good this time
[Chorus]
He's got it all
He's got it figured out
Dream in the hall
Back in the hospital
I'm not concerned
He'll get it straight this time
And if he doesn't, fuck it
[Verse 2]
The gun goes off
He's always off about something
The drum just nods
The drum ain't listening at all
The drum gets drunk
The drum reads James Joyce in the drunk
The dream falls down
The drum's face breaks the dream's fall
[Chorus]
He don't have shit
He's learned to live with it
The drum's in debt
You owe me, don't forget
That 20 bucks
Interest and moral support
And if you don't I swear
[Bridge]
This is our lifetime and I am his creator
A young man slowly pulled apart by separate poles of gravity
[Verse 3]
The drum goes forth
He's got his flag unfurled or something
The drum won't stop
The drum's a menace to the public
[Chorus]
Hold your drum high
The drum is stoned again
Don't wake him up
He'll just start talking
The drum is dead (the dream is dead)
Long live the drum (long live the drum)
And I am his creator
Lyrics submitted by 2006200720082009
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