"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.
Lathered up and weepy
The informant told me
And none too sympathetic
That our run would turn
And standing sent to burn
In decisions, hard print and whatever
Here they come to reguster
You might have to get in line and take a number
Yeah, we aim to please
Missing the mark
Fall over ourselves to bother
Put out and steely
Annoyed and chaining daisies
Another quick sentence in passing
Another judge and jury
It's been a misfortune investing
Hasn't return been steady
Complaints have been far and few between
The idiotic, close and many
Please hold the line or try another number
Yeah we may seem cold
But it's just because we've been a little snowed under
You can't be serious
Oh lord, and if we are
Please don't ask the same of us
The informant told me
And none too sympathetic
That our run would turn
And standing sent to burn
In decisions, hard print and whatever
Here they come to reguster
You might have to get in line and take a number
Yeah, we aim to please
Missing the mark
Fall over ourselves to bother
Put out and steely
Annoyed and chaining daisies
Another quick sentence in passing
Another judge and jury
It's been a misfortune investing
Hasn't return been steady
Complaints have been far and few between
The idiotic, close and many
Please hold the line or try another number
Yeah we may seem cold
But it's just because we've been a little snowed under
You can't be serious
Oh lord, and if we are
Please don't ask the same of us
Lyrics submitted by enola
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