"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.
Ah, Cracklin' Rosie, get on board
We're gonna ride 'til there ain't no more to go
Taking it slow
And Lord, don't you know
I'll have me a time with a poor man's lady
Hitchin' on a twilight train
Ain't nothing here that I care to take along
Maybe a song
To sing when I want
Don't need to say please to no man for a happy tune
Oh, I love my Rosie child
You got the way to make me happy
You and me, we go in style
Cracklin' Rose, you're a store-bought woman
But you make me sing like a guitar hummin'
So hang on to me, girl
Our song keeps runnin' on
Play it now
Play it now, my baby
Cracklin' Rosie, make me smile
Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that's all right
'Cause we got all night
To set the world right
Find us a dream that don't ask no questions, yeah
Oh, I love my Rosie child
You got the way to make me happy
You and me, we go in style
Cracklin' Rose, you're a store-bought woman
But you make me sing like a guitar hummin'
So hang on to me, girl
Our song keeps runnin' on
Play it now
Play it now
Play it now, my baby
Cracklin' Rosie, make me smile
God, if it lasts for an hour, that's all right
'Cause we got all night
To set the world right
Find us a dream that don't ask no questions
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
We're gonna ride 'til there ain't no more to go
Taking it slow
And Lord, don't you know
I'll have me a time with a poor man's lady
Hitchin' on a twilight train
Ain't nothing here that I care to take along
Maybe a song
To sing when I want
Don't need to say please to no man for a happy tune
Oh, I love my Rosie child
You got the way to make me happy
You and me, we go in style
Cracklin' Rose, you're a store-bought woman
But you make me sing like a guitar hummin'
So hang on to me, girl
Our song keeps runnin' on
Play it now
Play it now, my baby
Cracklin' Rosie, make me smile
Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that's all right
'Cause we got all night
To set the world right
Find us a dream that don't ask no questions, yeah
Oh, I love my Rosie child
You got the way to make me happy
You and me, we go in style
Cracklin' Rose, you're a store-bought woman
But you make me sing like a guitar hummin'
So hang on to me, girl
Our song keeps runnin' on
Play it now
Play it now
Play it now, my baby
Cracklin' Rosie, make me smile
God, if it lasts for an hour, that's all right
'Cause we got all night
To set the world right
Find us a dream that don't ask no questions
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba
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Cracklin' Rosie is a bottle of wine. The narrator is a hobo.