Fast Car | Chords + Lyrics (capo 2)
Intro
| Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 | Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 |
| Cmaj7 G5 | Em Esus4 Em D D sus4 D | Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 |
Verse 1
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
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 but me myself I got nothing to prove.
Instrumental 1
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Verse 2
You got a fast car, I got a plan to get us out of here.
Been working at the convenience store, managed to save just a little bit of money.
Won’t have to drive too far, just across the border and into the city.
You and I can both get jobs, and finally see what it means to be living.
Instrumental 2
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Verse 3
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.
Instrumental 3
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Verse 4
You got a fast car, is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision, we leave tonight or live and die this way.
Instrumental 4
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Chorus 1
| C | G |
So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car, speed so fast it felt like I was drunk.
| Em | D5 D5/A |
City lights lay out before us and your arm felt nice wrapped ’round my shoulder,
| C Em | D5 D5/A |
and I, I had a feeling that I belonged.
| C Em | D5 D5/A | C D5 |
And I, I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.
Instrumental 5
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Verse 5
You got a fast car, we go cruising 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.
We’ll move out of the shelter, buy a bigger house, and live in the suburbs.
Instrumental 6
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Chorus 2
So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car, speed so fast it 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.
And I, I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.
Instrumental 7
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Verse 6
You got a fast car, I got a job that pays all our bills.
You stay out drinking till late at the bar, see more of your friends than you do your kids.
I’d always hoped for better but maybe together you and me’d find it.
If you got no plans and ain’t going nowhere, so take your fast car and keep on driving.
Instrumental 8
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Chorus 3
So I remember when we were driving, driving in your car, speed so fast it 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.
And I, I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.
Instrumental 9
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :||
Verse 7
You got a fast car but is it fast enough so you can fly away.
You gotta make a decision, you leave tonight or live and die this way.
Outro
||: Cmaj7 G5 | Em Dadd4 :|| x3
| Cmaj7 G5 |
Fast Car Chords: Learn the Progressions with Easy-to-Follow Chord Charts
Tracy Chapman’s iconic Fast Car is built on a simple yet mesmerising chord progression: IV – I – VI – V, looping continuously through the verse.
Using a capo on fret 2 and thinking in the key of G, the verse and instrumental sections follow this pattern with some tasteful extensions:
||: Cmaj7 (IV) G5 (I) | Em (VI) Dadd4 (V) :||
The chorus simplifies the extensions, though I recommend adding an A in the bass for the D chord when playing solo. While the original bassline doesn’t include this note, it helps to fill out the sound when playing without a band.
For a fuller acoustic arrangement, try these chorus chords:
| C (IV) | G (I) | Em (VI) | D5 (V) D5/A |
| C Em | D5 D5/A |
| C Em | D5 D5/A | C D5 |
Here’s a chord chart I created for you.
Fast Car Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
In Fast Car, the A section serves as the verse, while the B section is the instrumental. You’ll want to repeat this four times before transitioning into the first chorus.
If you’d like to download the chord chart, here’s a PDF: Fast Car chord chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, and you can find the file here: Fast Car chord chart iRealPro. With the iRealPro app, you can easily change the key to suit your voice or playing preference, although for Fast Car, it’s better to move the capo!
In the course, we explore the TAB and use play-along loops to break down Fast Car in more depth. Rather than strumming simple open-position chords, the song revolves around a distinct riff—a preview of which is shown below.
Fast Car TAB | Course Preview
Simply reading the chords with lyrics or following a basic chord chart isn’t enough to truly capture Fast Car, as the song is built around a chord riff rather than standard strumming.
On the original recording, two guitars create the full sound (members can refer to a transcription for details). To play Fast Car as a solo guitarist, we need to develop Tracy Chapman’s original part—here’s a TAB example to get you started.
This is just one way to play the chord riff—members explore several variations in the full lesson series.
Next, we focus on the chorus, which also has multiple playing approaches. The verse and chorus are covered in detail during the first two lessons of the series.
For the remaining five steps, we use the CAGED system to map out Fast Car’s chords across the neck and develop a second guitar part.
Finally, in the eighth step, you, me, and the singer play Fast Car together as an acoustic trio (you can hear this at the top of the page in the playlist).
Here’s a link to the full 8-step lesson series with TAB: Fast Car – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Fast Car – The Song That Drove the Acoustic Guitar Back into the Charts
Fast Car was one of the standout singles from Tracy Chapman’s hugely successful self-titled debut album (1988).
Following her unforgettable performance at Nelson Mandela’s televised 70th Birthday Tribute, the song soared to #5 in the U.S. and #6 in the U.K.. The album itself was a global success, earning three Grammy nominations, with Fast Car taking home Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
The song’s lyrical depth made it one of the finest compositions of the 1980s, drawing comparisons to Bob Dylan. Tracy Chapman paints a stark portrait of modern America, where escaping hardship seems impossible. The narrator dreams of a better life but is trapped in a cycle of low-wage jobs and a partner’s descent into addiction.
The final shift from “we gotta make a decision” to “you gotta make a decision” delivers a devastating blow—a realisation that hope may have been an illusion all along.
This raw storytelling, combined with the revolutionary spirit of Talking About a Revolution and the tenderness of Baby Can I Hold You, gave the album remarkable depth and honesty.
At a time when stadium rock reigned, with its big hair, spandex, and excess, Tracy Chapman delivered something the world craved: truth, not theatrics.
A few years later, as grunge swept away the last remnants of ’80s excess, it became clear: someone had already started the revolution. I reckon it was Tracy.
Fast Car Chords: Continue Learning
The epic Fast Car is a fingerstyle masterpiece by Tracy Chapman. The seemingly never-ending verse is sung over just two bars of music.
Once we’ve worked this out and developed it, we’ll look at the chorus as well as how we can design a 2nd guitar part to go with the original part.
Start learning with the full lesson series: Fast Car – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: