"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.
mama was queen of the mambo
papa was quuen of the congo
deep down in a djungle
i started bangin' my first bongo
every monkey'd like to be
in my place instead of me
cause i'm the king of bongo, baby
i'm the king of bongo bong
i went to the big town
where there is a lot of sound
from the djungle to the city
looking for a bigger crown
so i play my boogie
for the people of big city
but they don't go crazy
when i'm bangin' on my boogie
i'm the king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
hear me when i come, baby
king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
they said that i'm a clown
making too much dirty sound
they say there is no place for little monkey in this town
nobody'd like to be
in my place instead of me
cause nobody go crazy
when i'm bangin' on my boogie
i'm the king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
hear me when i come, baby
king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
bangin' on my bongo
all that swing belongs to me
i'm so happy there's nobody
in my place instead of me
i'm a king without a crown
hanging loose in a big town
but i'm the king of bongo, baby
i'm the king of bongo bong
king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
hear me when i come, baby
king of the bongo
king of the bongo...
papa was quuen of the congo
deep down in a djungle
i started bangin' my first bongo
every monkey'd like to be
in my place instead of me
cause i'm the king of bongo, baby
i'm the king of bongo bong
i went to the big town
where there is a lot of sound
from the djungle to the city
looking for a bigger crown
so i play my boogie
for the people of big city
but they don't go crazy
when i'm bangin' on my boogie
i'm the king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
hear me when i come, baby
king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
they said that i'm a clown
making too much dirty sound
they say there is no place for little monkey in this town
nobody'd like to be
in my place instead of me
cause nobody go crazy
when i'm bangin' on my boogie
i'm the king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
hear me when i come, baby
king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
bangin' on my bongo
all that swing belongs to me
i'm so happy there's nobody
in my place instead of me
i'm a king without a crown
hanging loose in a big town
but i'm the king of bongo, baby
i'm the king of bongo bong
king of the bongo
king of the bongo bong
hear me when i come, baby
king of the bongo
king of the bongo...
Lyrics submitted by Nelly
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i love this song, it's so cool...but were is the rest of the song? the french part!