"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.
We will laugh the day that Thatcher dies,
Even though we know it's not right,
We will dance and sing all night.
I was blind in 1979, by '82 I had clues,
By 1986 I was mad as hell.
The teachers at school, they took us for fools,
They never taught us what to do,
But Christ we were strong, we knew all along,
We taught ourselves the right from wrong.
And the punk rock kids, and the techno kids,
No, it's not their fault.
And the hip hop boys and heavy metal girls,
No, it's not their fault.
It was love, but Tories don't know what that means,
She was Michelle Cox from the lower stream,
She wore high-heeled shoes while the rest wore flat soles.
And the playground taught her how to be cruel,
I talked politics and she called me a fool,
She wrapped her ankle chain round my left wing heart.
Ding dong, the witch is dead, which old witch?
The wicked witch.
Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead.
Even though we know it's not right,
We will dance and sing all night.
I was blind in 1979, by '82 I had clues,
By 1986 I was mad as hell.
The teachers at school, they took us for fools,
They never taught us what to do,
But Christ we were strong, we knew all along,
We taught ourselves the right from wrong.
And the punk rock kids, and the techno kids,
No, it's not their fault.
And the hip hop boys and heavy metal girls,
No, it's not their fault.
It was love, but Tories don't know what that means,
She was Michelle Cox from the lower stream,
She wore high-heeled shoes while the rest wore flat soles.
And the playground taught her how to be cruel,
I talked politics and she called me a fool,
She wrapped her ankle chain round my left wing heart.
Ding dong, the witch is dead, which old witch?
The wicked witch.
Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead.
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Fast Car
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Well, everyone knows you shouldn't celebrate the death of someone (rather than their life, that's different) but lets face it a sizeable proportion of the UK population will sympathise with the opening lines of this song.
I guess the song is based on their childhoods- growing up in Thatchers Britain. It seems to suggest a growing awareness of the inequalities and values promoted by the Government then, and blaming education for not teaching them the ethics they value, but having to find them themselves. Then absolving blame to the subcultures young people indulged in.
I guess the last verse is about a working class conservative girl he falls for, who he never won over.
Or else the whole of the middle of the song is filler lyric to plump it out for the first lines and hilarious ending "ding dong the witch is dead" sung by school children.
I don't know about you, but when she does finally kick the bucket, I will be wishing I am in Barnsley, and getting in the Champagne, and dancing.
Even though I know its not right.