Ouvir música em inglês é certo de ser uma maneira muito interessante de praticar a audição, melhorar o vocabulário e ao cantar as canções melhoramos nossa pronúncia.

Fica melhor ainda quando a canção traz uma letra com uma história e hoje trago Fast Car, de Tracy Chapman. Chapman foi um hit no final dos anos 80 com Baby Can I Hold You e é famosa por ser bem discreta em sua vida pessoal.

Fast Car conta a história de uma moça que tem planos de ter uma vida melhor com seu namorado, que tem um fast car. Na letra, ela expressa todo o esforço que faz enquanto o companheiro continua na mesma situação, até que ela lhe dá um ultimato.

You got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better, starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we’ll make something, but me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car, and 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
We 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

You see my old man’s got a problem, he live with the bottle that’s the way it is
He says his body’s too old for working, I say 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, but is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision, we leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving, driving in your car
The 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 had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car, and 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 big house and live in the suburbs

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The 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 had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone(x3)

You got a fast car, and 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

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

Vocabulário

1. you got – forma coloquial de you have (você tem)
2. make a deal – fazer um acordo
3. get somewhere – chegar a algum lugar
4. start from zero – começar do zero
5. got nothing to lose – não ter nada a perder
6. me myself – eu mesmo
7. I been working – estou trabalhando, tenho trabalhado (A forma gramatical correta é I’ve been working)
8. manage – conseguir
9. ‘cross the border – do outro lado da fronteira
10. my old man – meu pai
11. he live with the bottle – ele é alcoólatra
12. quit school – abandonar a escola
13. you still ain’t got a job – você ainda não arranjou emprego (ain’t é a forma não-padrão de am not, is not, are not, have not e has not)
14. checkout girl – caixa (de supermercado)
15. shelter – abrigo
16. I ain’t going nowhere – não vou a lugar algum