"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.
Yeah, oh yeah
Alright, oh, oh, oh
It's amazing how you knock me off my feet, hm
Every time you come around me I get weak, oh yeah
Nobody ever made me feel this way, oh
You kiss my lips and then you take my breath away
So I want to know
I want to know what turns you on
I'd like to know (So I can be all that and more)
I'd like to know (I'd like to know what makes you cry)
So I can be the one who always makes you smile
Girl, he never understood what you were worth, hm no
And he never took the time to make it work
(You deserve more loving, girl)
Baby, I'm the kind of man who shows concern, yes I do, oh
Anyway that I can please you let me learn
So I wanna know
I wanna know what turns you on
I wanna know (So I can be all that and more)
I'd like to (I'd like to know what makes you cry)
So (So I can be the one who always makes you smile)
Make you smile, babe
Tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
Tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
I wish that I could take a journey through your mind, alright
And find emotions that you always try to hide, babe, oh
I do believe that there's a love you want to share, oh, oh
I'll take good care of you, lady, have no fear, oh
So I wanna know
I wanna know what turns you on
I wanna know (So I can be all that and more)
And I'd like to (I'd like to know what makes you cry)
So I can be the one who always makes you smile
Uh tell me, tell me, tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
Tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
I wanna know what turns you on
I'd like to know, I'd like to know (So I can be all that and more)
(I wanna know) I'd like to know what makes you cry
(So) So I can be the one who always makes you smile
I'd like to know, I wanna know
I wanna know what turns you on
Tell me, girl
Alright, oh, oh, oh
It's amazing how you knock me off my feet, hm
Every time you come around me I get weak, oh yeah
Nobody ever made me feel this way, oh
You kiss my lips and then you take my breath away
So I want to know
I want to know what turns you on
I'd like to know (So I can be all that and more)
I'd like to know (I'd like to know what makes you cry)
So I can be the one who always makes you smile
Girl, he never understood what you were worth, hm no
And he never took the time to make it work
(You deserve more loving, girl)
Baby, I'm the kind of man who shows concern, yes I do, oh
Anyway that I can please you let me learn
So I wanna know
I wanna know what turns you on
I wanna know (So I can be all that and more)
I'd like to (I'd like to know what makes you cry)
So (So I can be the one who always makes you smile)
Make you smile, babe
Tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
Tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
I wish that I could take a journey through your mind, alright
And find emotions that you always try to hide, babe, oh
I do believe that there's a love you want to share, oh, oh
I'll take good care of you, lady, have no fear, oh
So I wanna know
I wanna know what turns you on
I wanna know (So I can be all that and more)
And I'd like to (I'd like to know what makes you cry)
So I can be the one who always makes you smile
Uh tell me, tell me, tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
Tell me what I gotta do to please you
Baby, anything you say I'll do
'Cause I only want to make you happy
From the bottom of my heart, it's true
I wanna know what turns you on
I'd like to know, I'd like to know (So I can be all that and more)
(I wanna know) I'd like to know what makes you cry
(So) So I can be the one who always makes you smile
I'd like to know, I wanna know
I wanna know what turns you on
Tell me, girl
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Fast Car
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Great version of a great song,
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