"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.
Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped
Best prepared troops refuse to fight
As a matter of fact, it's safe to say
That they would rather switch than fight
1989 the number, another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hitting your heart 'cause I know you got soul
(Brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if you're missing y'all
Swinging while I'm singing (hey)
Giving whatcha getting
Knowing what I know in
While the Black bands sweatin'
And the rhythm rhyme rollin'
Got to give us what we want (uh)
Gotta give us what we need (hey)
Our freedom of speech is freedom of death
We got to fight the powers that be
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
We've got to fight the powers that be
As the rhythm's designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you've realized the pride's arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make ya tough
From the heart
It's a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothing's strange
People, people we are the same
No, we're not the same
'Cause we don't know the game
What we need is awareness, we can't get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved let's get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
Bum-rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
To make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
We've got to fight the powers that be
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
We've got to fight the powers that be
Elvis was a hero to most but he
Elvis was a hero to most (yeah)
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant sh-- to me you see
Straight out racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Motherf--- him and John Wayne
'Cause I'm Black and I'm proud
I'm ready, I'm hyped plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look, bet you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for four hundred years if you check
Don't worry, be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn, if I said "You can slap me right here"
(Get it) let's get this party started right
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say (yeah)
Power to the people, no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the power (yes, yes, yes, yes y'all)
Fight the power (yes, yes, yes, yes y'all)
Fight the power (yes, yes, yes, yes y'all)
Fight the power (yes, yes)
We've got to fight the powers that be
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (yeah, yeah, yeah)
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (come on)
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (yeah, yeah, yeah)
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (come on)
Yo, check this out man
Ok, talk to me about the future of Public Enemy
The future of Public Enemy gotta
Best prepared troops refuse to fight
As a matter of fact, it's safe to say
That they would rather switch than fight
1989 the number, another summer (get down)
Sound of the funky drummer
Music hitting your heart 'cause I know you got soul
(Brothers and sisters, hey)
Listen if you're missing y'all
Swinging while I'm singing (hey)
Giving whatcha getting
Knowing what I know in
While the Black bands sweatin'
And the rhythm rhyme rollin'
Got to give us what we want (uh)
Gotta give us what we need (hey)
Our freedom of speech is freedom of death
We got to fight the powers that be
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
We've got to fight the powers that be
As the rhythm's designed to bounce
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind
Now that you've realized the pride's arrived
We got to pump the stuff to make ya tough
From the heart
It's a start, a work of art
To revolutionize make a change nothing's strange
People, people we are the same
No, we're not the same
'Cause we don't know the game
What we need is awareness, we can't get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved let's get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
Bum-rush the show
You gotta go for what you know
To make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
We've got to fight the powers that be
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
(Lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
Fight the power (lemme hear you say)
Fight the power (lemme hear you)
We've got to fight the powers that be
Elvis was a hero to most but he
Elvis was a hero to most (yeah)
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant sh-- to me you see
Straight out racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Motherf--- him and John Wayne
'Cause I'm Black and I'm proud
I'm ready, I'm hyped plus I'm amped
Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
Sample a look, bet you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for four hundred years if you check
Don't worry, be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn, if I said "You can slap me right here"
(Get it) let's get this party started right
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say (yeah)
Power to the people, no delay
Make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
Fight the power (yes, yes, yes, yes y'all)
Fight the power (yes, yes, yes, yes y'all)
Fight the power (yes, yes, yes, yes y'all)
Fight the power (yes, yes)
We've got to fight the powers that be
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (yeah, yeah, yeah)
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (come on)
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (yeah, yeah, yeah)
What have we got to say? (Yeah)
Fight the power (come on)
Yo, check this out man
Ok, talk to me about the future of Public Enemy
The future of Public Enemy gotta
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I just found out about the ignorant catfish remark. But I still don't think Elvis was a racist. I doubt he would have hired those singers in the first place if he was all that racist. Keep in mind...that was the doped up soon to be dead Elvis. His mind fried by all those drugs.