"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.
[Dreams not waking creeping down inside the quiet urns
listen to the sound crashing down into it the needle is
warm in the arm hate burns illusion pain pain pain]
walk out in the street see the vacant eyes dreaming of
the dream unbroken economic repression plays a part I
wonder what I'm going through ....pain.....
wasted away island body on a darkened see to avoid
chattering taped tape taping human muttering warning
flicker lights the candle burnsinside..... a pain that
never dies crawls up the back and waits for the lies tall
climb edges edges exhausts no night climbing higher
...... crawls wicked wire cut throat explodes
singing of the the vein no desire .........great
fate...... human heart explodes attacking pointed sticks
in sores the arms wheres the warning warning shot the lights
out wheres the warning ........ needle is warm in the arm
travels to the heart human heart flags the blood ........
a halo of fire scarring made of flame the flower
flavor find its worth calls the tripping strings
supporting the game of life ......the pain...... broken
chair that horror tray of fear wheres the warning warning killing
me .......aching human heart except my patience is giving
up on me....... river of track mark volcano upon the arm
open sores allowing ants to crawl in and I
wonder if I missed the warning missed the warning casting
away varnish crack ants symbolize decay missed the
warning missed the vein reaching out crying for
where is the warning .......heart exploding human heart attack.
listen to the sound crashing down into it the needle is
warm in the arm hate burns illusion pain pain pain]
walk out in the street see the vacant eyes dreaming of
the dream unbroken economic repression plays a part I
wonder what I'm going through ....pain.....
wasted away island body on a darkened see to avoid
chattering taped tape taping human muttering warning
flicker lights the candle burnsinside..... a pain that
never dies crawls up the back and waits for the lies tall
climb edges edges exhausts no night climbing higher
...... crawls wicked wire cut throat explodes
singing of the the vein no desire .........great
fate...... human heart explodes attacking pointed sticks
in sores the arms wheres the warning warning shot the lights
out wheres the warning ........ needle is warm in the arm
travels to the heart human heart flags the blood ........
a halo of fire scarring made of flame the flower
flavor find its worth calls the tripping strings
supporting the game of life ......the pain...... broken
chair that horror tray of fear wheres the warning warning killing
me .......aching human heart except my patience is giving
up on me....... river of track mark volcano upon the arm
open sores allowing ants to crawl in and I
wonder if I missed the warning missed the warning casting
away varnish crack ants symbolize decay missed the
warning missed the vein reaching out crying for
where is the warning .......heart exploding human heart attack.
Lyrics submitted by iconnu
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Fast Car
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