"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.
What did I miss here?
What can't you take anymore?
Expecting a whisper,
I heard the slam of a door
You say that all we ever do is fight
Gee, I don't know that that's true.
then I wonder, am I right?
or is that part of our problem?
Maybe I'm out of my mind.
Maybe I'm blocking out the truth.
But it seems like just a little thing,
like you don't want to listen,
and I can't shut up.
You don't have to smile at me.
we don't have to talk.
all that I ask is you stop,
and remember, it isn't always this way.
You have the problem,
it comes with our private jokes.
when you're in a fury,
laughter gets stuck in my throat.
Sometimes I wonder why we have so much trouble
cheering each other up sometimes,
when one or the other of us is down.
Instead it's like, when you're in a bad mood
I look at you and I say, maybe she's knows something
I don't know, maybe I should be upset.
You don't have to smile at me
We don't have to talk.
All that I ask is you stop
and remember, it isn't always this way.
The way that I feel
when you laugh
is like laughing.
The way that I feel
when you cry
is so bad.
What can't you take anymore?
Expecting a whisper,
I heard the slam of a door
You say that all we ever do is fight
Gee, I don't know that that's true.
then I wonder, am I right?
or is that part of our problem?
Maybe I'm out of my mind.
Maybe I'm blocking out the truth.
But it seems like just a little thing,
like you don't want to listen,
and I can't shut up.
You don't have to smile at me.
we don't have to talk.
all that I ask is you stop,
and remember, it isn't always this way.
You have the problem,
it comes with our private jokes.
when you're in a fury,
laughter gets stuck in my throat.
Sometimes I wonder why we have so much trouble
cheering each other up sometimes,
when one or the other of us is down.
Instead it's like, when you're in a bad mood
I look at you and I say, maybe she's knows something
I don't know, maybe I should be upset.
You don't have to smile at me
We don't have to talk.
All that I ask is you stop
and remember, it isn't always this way.
The way that I feel
when you laugh
is like laughing.
The way that I feel
when you cry
is so bad.
Lyrics submitted by punchyk
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Fast Car
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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It's such a great description of how you feel when you fight with someone you love. I had a boyfriend who thought that every time we fought it meant the end of the world, or at least the relationship. I wish he would have listened to the lyrics of this song.