"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.
mouth of depleted
is nothing caught
the trap concealed in
a restless plot read fix equation no artificial sum
minus addition
is nothing
(2x)
PAIN
CONTACT
BACKWARD
PAIN
acting perception shaping thought undone
learned taught behavior
a brainwashed hum
sucking the savior suck the bottle fed gone
minus addition is nothing
(4x)
PAIN
CONTACT
BACKWARD
PAIN
street smard defeated
caught knife in back
childproof eviction trained falling through cracks
duel with conviction who fought won lost
minus addition is nothing
(2x)
PAIN
CONTACT
BACKWARD
PAIN
Get Out
is nothing caught
the trap concealed in
a restless plot read fix equation no artificial sum
minus addition
is nothing
(2x)
PAIN
CONTACT
BACKWARD
PAIN
acting perception shaping thought undone
learned taught behavior
a brainwashed hum
sucking the savior suck the bottle fed gone
minus addition is nothing
(4x)
PAIN
CONTACT
BACKWARD
PAIN
street smard defeated
caught knife in back
childproof eviction trained falling through cracks
duel with conviction who fought won lost
minus addition is nothing
(2x)
PAIN
CONTACT
BACKWARD
PAIN
Get Out
Lyrics submitted by gasmask
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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It seems to me that this song is about religion. "Sucking the savior" is an obvious reference to people who use religion as a crutch, and "Minus addition is nothing" seems to be making fun of contradictions in religious beliefs, comparing them to "minus addition", which would make no sense and get you nowhere.
In addition to Potatoflesh's comments, "addition" might be a metaphor for Christianity, due to the visual similarities between the plus sign and the Crhristian cross. "Minus addition", literally (-+) or (-†), might be read as "negative religion." "Minus addition is nothing" might therefore mean "the religion of fear and hate is worthless."
Addition (haw haw) to the comments above I've got this more specific thought of what the final verse is saying: That no matter how hard you might believe in them, fear and hate have, in particular, no power to save you.