"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.
Hangin' out with Lars down on 6th street he knew that I was in trouble
I was feeling much like the devil
There was something burnin' deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans these girls took us to the fun house
Where we played a lonely pinball machine
Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to go my way
And New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia
I'm having a hard time understanding, it gets all too demanding
She's all gone and I'm stranded
Something burning deep inside of me
All I know it's 4'o'clock and she ain't never showed up
And I watched a thousand people go home from work, yeah
Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to go my way
And New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia
How many times will it take me before I go crazy?
Before I lose everything?
Something burning deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans those girls took us to the fun house
I don't wanna be alone again
Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to go my way
And New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia
I was feeling much like the devil
There was something burnin' deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans these girls took us to the fun house
Where we played a lonely pinball machine
Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to go my way
And New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia
I'm having a hard time understanding, it gets all too demanding
She's all gone and I'm stranded
Something burning deep inside of me
All I know it's 4'o'clock and she ain't never showed up
And I watched a thousand people go home from work, yeah
Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to go my way
And New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia
How many times will it take me before I go crazy?
Before I lose everything?
Something burning deep inside of me
Ran into three Puerto Ricans those girls took us to the fun house
I don't wanna be alone again
Hangin' on the corner of 52nd and Broadway
Cars passin' by but none of them seem to go my way
And New York City well I wish I was on a highway
Back to Olympia
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Page
Ed Sheeran
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can some one tell me what's so special about "the corner of 52nd and Broadway"? I mean, I went there and didn't saw anything. Is there something that I missed?
i went there too and was singing this song i guess thats what you missed