"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.
Out in the garden
There's half of a heaven
And we're only bluffing
We're not ones for busting through walls
But they've told us
Unless we can prove
That we're doing it
We can't have it all
He's gonna wangle
A way to get out of it
She's an excuse
And a witness who'll talk when he's called
But they've told us
Unless we can prove
That we're doing it
We can't have it all
We can't have it all
"I caught a glimpse of a god, all shining and bright..."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
It all goes slo-mo
I don't know why I'm crying
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
Not until I'm ready for you,
Not until I'm ready for you
Can I have it all
I try to get nearer
But as it gets clearer
There's something appears in the way
It's a plank in me eye
With a camel
Who's trying to get through it
Am I doing it?
Can I have it all now?
I pull out the plank and say
"Thank you for yanking me back to the fact that there's always something to distract..."
But sometimes it's hard
To know if I'm doing it right
Can I have it all?
Can I have it all now?
We can't have it all
"We all have a dream...maybe..."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
It all goes slo-mo
I don't know why I'm crying
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
Not until I'm ready for you,
Not until I'm ready for you
Can I have it all
I won't open boxes
That I am told not to
I'm not a Pandora
I'm much more like
That girl in the mirror between you and me
She don't stand a chance of getting anywhere at all
Not anywhere at all
No, not a thing
She can't have it all
"Mother, where are the angels? I'm scared of the changes"
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
It all goes slo-mo
I don't know why I'm crying
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
Not until I'm ready for you
Not until I'm ready for you
Can I have it all
There's half of a heaven
And we're only bluffing
We're not ones for busting through walls
But they've told us
Unless we can prove
That we're doing it
We can't have it all
He's gonna wangle
A way to get out of it
She's an excuse
And a witness who'll talk when he's called
But they've told us
Unless we can prove
That we're doing it
We can't have it all
We can't have it all
"I caught a glimpse of a god, all shining and bright..."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
It all goes slo-mo
I don't know why I'm crying
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
Not until I'm ready for you,
Not until I'm ready for you
Can I have it all
I try to get nearer
But as it gets clearer
There's something appears in the way
It's a plank in me eye
With a camel
Who's trying to get through it
Am I doing it?
Can I have it all now?
I pull out the plank and say
"Thank you for yanking me back to the fact that there's always something to distract..."
But sometimes it's hard
To know if I'm doing it right
Can I have it all?
Can I have it all now?
We can't have it all
"We all have a dream...maybe..."
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
It all goes slo-mo
I don't know why I'm crying
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
Not until I'm ready for you,
Not until I'm ready for you
Can I have it all
I won't open boxes
That I am told not to
I'm not a Pandora
I'm much more like
That girl in the mirror between you and me
She don't stand a chance of getting anywhere at all
Not anywhere at all
No, not a thing
She can't have it all
"Mother, where are the angels? I'm scared of the changes"
Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
It all goes slo-mo
I don't know why I'm crying
Am I suspended in Gaffa?
Not until I'm ready for you
Not until I'm ready for you
Can I have it all
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Suspended in Gaffa Lyrics as written by Kate Bush
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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Ra Ra Riot version is great.