"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.
You told me all about you, without ever saying a word.
Every time you opened your mouth it was my voice that I heard.
At least that's what I thought, or maybe I'm just lonely.
Believing every minute of every day, that you're the very only.
You led me on 'cause all your songs, were stuck onto my heart.
Why don't you finish what you start?
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' change like that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way.
Before, you had to sing your songs, there was nothing else you could do.
Well, I know all about it, 'cause I do it too.
I waited and waited and waited and waited for you to return again.
And when you finally resurfaced, it was like I'd lost my best friend.
You led me on 'cause all your songs, were really dear to me. Ohhh!
I wish your words were still clear to me.
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' change like that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way. No.
It's a fact and I can't fight it, it will always be unrequited.
If I had a bullet, I would bite it.
If you didn't mean it, why'd you write it? It will always be unrequited.
If I had a bullet, I would bite it.
You can't come back that many times, there's no such thing as a dull roar.
I promise I'll never make you wish it was like it was before.
I'll stop it before it gets like that, it doesn't matter how.
You'll only have good memories, the only time is now.
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' change like that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way.
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' do that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way.
Every time you opened your mouth it was my voice that I heard.
At least that's what I thought, or maybe I'm just lonely.
Believing every minute of every day, that you're the very only.
You led me on 'cause all your songs, were stuck onto my heart.
Why don't you finish what you start?
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' change like that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way.
Before, you had to sing your songs, there was nothing else you could do.
Well, I know all about it, 'cause I do it too.
I waited and waited and waited and waited for you to return again.
And when you finally resurfaced, it was like I'd lost my best friend.
You led me on 'cause all your songs, were really dear to me. Ohhh!
I wish your words were still clear to me.
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' change like that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way. No.
It's a fact and I can't fight it, it will always be unrequited.
If I had a bullet, I would bite it.
If you didn't mean it, why'd you write it? It will always be unrequited.
If I had a bullet, I would bite it.
You can't come back that many times, there's no such thing as a dull roar.
I promise I'll never make you wish it was like it was before.
I'll stop it before it gets like that, it doesn't matter how.
You'll only have good memories, the only time is now.
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' change like that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way.
People wishing I'd come back.
I don't wanna' do that.
People crying for old days.
I don't wanna' change that way.
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Fast Car
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To me this song is all about going away from somewhere, or from a group, and then coming back to realizee how things have changed, especially in yourself, and how sometimes people want you to go back to the way things were