"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.
Life in high school wasn't always great
No I had some bad times
I was looking forward ya I couldn't wait
To get out and me on my own and do what I wanna do
And hang with you all day the girl I had but never really knew
That you felt the same way too
Oh it's making me so blue
It's you could've helped me to get through
All those the nights that you climbed up to my room
oh growing up is no fun
No it's too hard right now
Oh growing up is no fun
I wanna stop it somehow
Growing up is no fun
But if I have to I wanna grow up with you
there's no more watchin' movies all night long
Or talking about how (?) we don't get belong
And using words that (?) hey that's just not true
No a lot of big words that (?)
That she felt the same way too
Oh it's making me so blue
It's you could've helped me to get through
All those the nights that you climbed up to my room
I didn't know that you had something oh so special
My mind just went blank when they went to a commercial
Now I see (?) and it's probably too late
Dreams are (???) oh oh yea
No I had some bad times
I was looking forward ya I couldn't wait
To get out and me on my own and do what I wanna do
And hang with you all day the girl I had but never really knew
That you felt the same way too
Oh it's making me so blue
It's you could've helped me to get through
All those the nights that you climbed up to my room
oh growing up is no fun
No it's too hard right now
Oh growing up is no fun
I wanna stop it somehow
Growing up is no fun
But if I have to I wanna grow up with you
there's no more watchin' movies all night long
Or talking about how (?) we don't get belong
And using words that (?) hey that's just not true
No a lot of big words that (?)
That she felt the same way too
Oh it's making me so blue
It's you could've helped me to get through
All those the nights that you climbed up to my room
I didn't know that you had something oh so special
My mind just went blank when they went to a commercial
Now I see (?) and it's probably too late
Dreams are (???) oh oh yea
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Fast Car
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