抗拒遺忘

第一次聽到Fast Car這首歌，看到剛出道時的短髮模樣，以為是小男生。

Fast Car是Tracy Chapman1988年同名專輯中最廣為人知的一首，Tracy Chapman也在當年獲得葛萊梅獎，在銷售量上也有可觀的表現。這首歌在敘事上是漸次的故事性發展，描述底層社會階級難以打破的循環。

歌曲敘事者與酗酒父親住在一起，她滿懷希望和男朋友（註）一起開著快車（fast car），離開沒有未來的鄉下小鎮，來到大城市的郊區；然而他們還是沒有打破這詛咒般的循環，男朋友開始熬夜酗酒，對他們的孩子漠不關心。最後女主角要求男朋友再度做決定：分手或繼續下去。

Tracy Chapman用很簡單的文字描述底層社會的心聲，結構上讓副歌多次重複，讓主角短暫的幸福與「could be someone」的夢想屢次遭逢殘酷現實。Tracy Chapman接受訪問時說：「It's not really about a car at all... basically it's about a relation-ship that doesn't work out because it's starting from the wrong place.」

註：雖然Tracy Chapman不曾對她的性向做過公開表示，不過Alice Walker（小說【紫色姊妹花】的作者）曾在一篇訪談中談到兩人的戀情。因此有些說法會以她的性向而對歌曲加以詮釋。


You got a fast car,
I wanna ticket to anywhere,
Maybe we can make a deal,
Maybe together we can get somewhere,
Any place is better,
Startin' from zero, got nothin' to lose,
Maybe we'll make somethin',
Me myself I've got nothin' to prove.

You got a fast car,
I got a plan to get us outta here,
Been working at a convenience store,
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive to far,
Just 'cross the border and into the city,
You and I can both get jobs,
And finally see what it means to be livin'.

You see, my old man's got a problem,
Lives with the bottle, that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for workin',
I say his body's too young to look like his,
My mama went off and left him,
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 an' die this way.

CHORUS:
So I remember when we were drivin',
Drivin' in your car,
Speeds 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 feelin' that I belonged,
And I, I had a feelin' I could be someone,
Be someone, be someone.

You got a fast car,
We go cruisin' to entertain ourselves,
You still ain't got a job,
And I work in the market as a checkout girl,
I know things will get better,
You'll find work and I'll get promoted,
And we'll move out of the shelter,
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs.

CHORUS

You got a fast car,
I got a job that pays all our bills,
You stay out drinkin' 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'd find it,
I got no plans, I ain't goin' nowhere,
So take your fast car and keep on drivin'.

CHORUS

You got a fast car,
Is it fast so you can fly away?
You gotta make a decision,
Leave tonight or live and die this way.