"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.
Oh, tonight began with anything
Shaft of a light, a warm breath and a scream
Ah, yeah
Oh, tamper if you like between the doors
Oh yeah huh huh
Oh, can't expect to go out, to go out with anything, anything more
Oh reach the door a breath and a
Oh reach the door and a na na la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth
A breath and a, oh reach the door
All these reaching hands out grabbing things, grabbing me
Day in, day out accumulating, ah yeah
Whoa, I suggest you step out on your porch
Oh yeah, huh, huh, huh, huh yeah
Run away my son, see it all, oh see the world
Oh reach the door, a breath and a
Oh reach the door, oh ah and a na na la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth
A breath and a, oh reach the door
Come, here it comes, there it goes, when it comes
Where it goes, where it comes
Can't see through the faith, whoa
Ooh, come, here it comes, there it goes
Grasp what you can
Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah
Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there
But there's much more than this
Ooh, whoa, much more than this, whoa see the world, much more than
Much more than
Why?
Shaft of a light, a warm breath and a scream
Ah, yeah
Oh, tamper if you like between the doors
Oh yeah huh huh
Oh, can't expect to go out, to go out with anything, anything more
Oh reach the door a breath and a
Oh reach the door and a na na la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth
A breath and a, oh reach the door
All these reaching hands out grabbing things, grabbing me
Day in, day out accumulating, ah yeah
Whoa, I suggest you step out on your porch
Oh yeah, huh, huh, huh, huh yeah
Run away my son, see it all, oh see the world
Oh reach the door, a breath and a
Oh reach the door, oh ah and a na na la la yeah
Life ain't what it's worth
A breath and a, oh reach the door
Come, here it comes, there it goes, when it comes
Where it goes, where it comes
Can't see through the faith, whoa
Ooh, come, here it comes, there it goes
Grasp what you can
Don't you know there's something inside your head, yeah
Oh, if I knew where it was I would take you there
But there's much more than this
Ooh, whoa, much more than this, whoa see the world, much more than
Much more than
Why?
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Fast Car
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