"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.
They say some things never change
Like getting wet when I stand in the rain
Sometimes I wonder where it is you go
I tell myself I don't wanna know
Guess I'd rather be lonely
Than end up alone
I call your name but you're not there
I don't think you're even aware
That I spend my nights
Drowning in my pain
But I've reached the end
I can't go there again
Cause all my tears are dry
There's nothing left here in these eyes
So many nights that you've been gone
When I break down the tears won't come
You've walked out that door so many times before
That I can't cry anymore, anymore
Look out the window, wait by the phone
Stare at the walls, will you ever come home
Now there's a river that flows from my heart
You took our love and you tore it apart
There's only so much you can cry
There's nothing left to fall from these eyes
So many nights that you've been gone
When I break down the tears won't come
You've walked out that door so many times before
That I can't cry anymore
Day after day
Gonna be singing this song
'Cause it's been so long, baby
Why must I wait
Until you're here
I won't shed a tear
So much tears I've cried
There's nothing left you in these eyes
So many nights that you've been gone
When I break down the tears won't come
You've walked out that door so many times before
That I can't cry
And I can't cry anymore
I won't cry anymore, anymore
Like getting wet when I stand in the rain
Sometimes I wonder where it is you go
I tell myself I don't wanna know
Guess I'd rather be lonely
Than end up alone
I call your name but you're not there
I don't think you're even aware
That I spend my nights
Drowning in my pain
But I've reached the end
I can't go there again
Cause all my tears are dry
There's nothing left here in these eyes
So many nights that you've been gone
When I break down the tears won't come
You've walked out that door so many times before
That I can't cry anymore, anymore
Look out the window, wait by the phone
Stare at the walls, will you ever come home
Now there's a river that flows from my heart
You took our love and you tore it apart
There's only so much you can cry
There's nothing left to fall from these eyes
So many nights that you've been gone
When I break down the tears won't come
You've walked out that door so many times before
That I can't cry anymore
Day after day
Gonna be singing this song
'Cause it's been so long, baby
Why must I wait
Until you're here
I won't shed a tear
So much tears I've cried
There's nothing left you in these eyes
So many nights that you've been gone
When I break down the tears won't come
You've walked out that door so many times before
That I can't cry
And I can't cry anymore
I won't cry anymore, anymore
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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