"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.
Arriving in boats, black hooded coats
Tormentors climbed into my room
I crawled under my bed, covered my head
But they're flushin' me out with a broom
The leader, she's small, pinned my ass to the wall
For my seeds or she'd be losin' her past
Time after time, she'd be readin' my mind
But she never got the feelin' to last
Celebrate, celebrate, celebraid it
This is the critical mass
So far so good, I heard the other say
So good so far, they're takin' me away
I drink to you, your mind, her ass
We'll take a drink and break the glass
Celebrate, celebrate, celebreak it
This is the critical mass
Now the tallest of two, with a brush full of blue
Paints surrealist scenes on the wall
So I tell her for fun, that it's really well done
But she just ain't listenin' at all
She points to my heart, tellin' me if I'm smart
I'll practice and phase
Out and admit, when the shoe doesn't fit
And I went screaming out down the hall
Need it
Need your love
Just then I heard a poundin' on the door
We're all here, sang the voice of twenty more
I drink to you alas, we'll take a drink and break the glass
Celebrate, celebrate, celebreak it
We are the critical mass
Time and space, is takin' me away
Time erase, don't know the time of day
Tormentors climbed into my room
I crawled under my bed, covered my head
But they're flushin' me out with a broom
The leader, she's small, pinned my ass to the wall
For my seeds or she'd be losin' her past
Time after time, she'd be readin' my mind
But she never got the feelin' to last
Celebrate, celebrate, celebraid it
This is the critical mass
So far so good, I heard the other say
So good so far, they're takin' me away
I drink to you, your mind, her ass
We'll take a drink and break the glass
Celebrate, celebrate, celebreak it
This is the critical mass
Now the tallest of two, with a brush full of blue
Paints surrealist scenes on the wall
So I tell her for fun, that it's really well done
But she just ain't listenin' at all
She points to my heart, tellin' me if I'm smart
I'll practice and phase
Out and admit, when the shoe doesn't fit
And I went screaming out down the hall
Need it
Need your love
Just then I heard a poundin' on the door
We're all here, sang the voice of twenty more
I drink to you alas, we'll take a drink and break the glass
Celebrate, celebrate, celebreak it
We are the critical mass
Time and space, is takin' me away
Time erase, don't know the time of day
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Story has it that the lyrics are from a dream Jack Douglas had at the Cenacle... Steven was too f**ked up, didn't have any lyrics, so he just used what Jack had written. I don't recall having seen Jack elaborate on it anywhere else... so take that for what it's worth I guess. The Cenacle is where they recorded Draw the Line...during the worst days of their drugdom. ;)
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