You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Any place is better
Starting from zero, got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
Me, myself, I got nothing to prove
You got a fast car
I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
Won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living
See, my old man's got a problem
He lives with the bottle, that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said, somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did
You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
So I remember we were driving, driving in your car
Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I-I, had a feeling that I belonged
I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone
You got a fast car
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs
So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car
Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I-I, had a feeling that I belonged
I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone
You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans, I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car
Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I-I, had a feeling that I belonged
I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone
You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so you can fly away?
You gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
About This Song
"Fast Car" is a haunting folk ballad that chronicles the cyclical nature of poverty and the desperate hope for escape through love and mobility. Chapman's deceptively simple acoustic guitar fingerpicking and warm, conversational vocals mask a deeply complex narrative about a young woman trapped in an abusive household who sees a romantic relationship as her ticket to freedom. The song's genius lies in its gradual revelation that the promised escape becomes another trap-the narrator eventually finds herself in the same position as her alcoholic father, working dead-end jobs while her partner drinks and fails to provide stability. The "fast car" serves as a powerful metaphor for both literal and metaphorical escape, representing the American dream of upward mobility that remains tantalizingly out of reach for the working poor. Chapman's stripped-down production, featuring primarily her guitar and voice, creates an intimate confessional quality that draws listeners into the narrator's vulnerability and quiet desperation. The song resonated deeply because it gave voice to the experiences of countless people trapped in cycles of poverty, addiction, and broken dreams, while Chapman's identity as a young Black woman in folk music-a predominantly white genre-added layers of social commentary about race and class in 1980s America. Its enduring power comes from the way it balances hope and heartbreak, showing how the very dreams that sustain us can also perpetuate our suffering.
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