"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.
Say how you feel when you're feeling inadequate
Press all your friends into memory foam
Feel with your eyes when your friends can't handle it
Some friendly girl might feel like home
Break out the jeans with the flat-front pockets
Smile all you want when you're paying for lunch
Once you get down into boyfriend trouble
The pecks on the cheek won't count for much
Evenings meeting up with a tube sock
Steeped in bleach without any lights off
Days in China, writing the future
Nights with a glue gun
When did it get so good?
Stressed out, anemic like a bad vegetarian
Got no idea what you’re blogging about
’Cause even the house show scene’s sectarian
I’m not the one who sold you out
Press pass to feel like a tour bus passenger
Press shots to feel like you’ve done it before
Pay stubs are nice and your eyes are delicate
You’re not the one we waited for
VIPs with CD advances
We ID if you wanna dance
We said this field was writing intensive
Write me a rent check
When did it get so good?
Great ideas, radical blindness
Censored on account of your shyness
You say it’s just business, I figured as much
And now you’re overcharging me for what I did to your old crush
Press all your friends into memory foam
Feel with your eyes when your friends can't handle it
Some friendly girl might feel like home
Break out the jeans with the flat-front pockets
Smile all you want when you're paying for lunch
Once you get down into boyfriend trouble
The pecks on the cheek won't count for much
Evenings meeting up with a tube sock
Steeped in bleach without any lights off
Days in China, writing the future
Nights with a glue gun
When did it get so good?
Stressed out, anemic like a bad vegetarian
Got no idea what you’re blogging about
’Cause even the house show scene’s sectarian
I’m not the one who sold you out
Press pass to feel like a tour bus passenger
Press shots to feel like you’ve done it before
Pay stubs are nice and your eyes are delicate
You’re not the one we waited for
VIPs with CD advances
We ID if you wanna dance
We said this field was writing intensive
Write me a rent check
When did it get so good?
Great ideas, radical blindness
Censored on account of your shyness
You say it’s just business, I figured as much
And now you’re overcharging me for what I did to your old crush
Lyrics submitted by username-ben
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