Fast Car chords

by Tracy Chapman
  • Fast Car was written by Tracy Chapman.
  • Recorded: 1987
  • Released:   April, 1988
  • Album:  Tracy Chapman.
  • Music: Key of A Major in 4/4 time at ~ 100 bpm
  • Riff Chords: Dmaj7(D), A5(A), F#m, Eadd4 (Eadd11)
  • Chorus Chords: D, A, F#m, E

Tracy Chapman plays with a Capo on the 2nd fret and plays the following:

Riff : Cmaj7 (C), G5 (G), Em, Dadd4 (Dadd11)

Cmaj7: x32000
C: x32110
Dadd4: xx0032
Em: 022003
G5: 3x0033
G: 320033

Chorus: C, G, Em, D

C: x32010         G: 320033
Em: 022000       D: xx0232

Tracy plays Em and Dadd11 like so: (see tabs below)

Em: x7x08x        Dadd11: x5x07x
Thumbnail

Fast Car

Capo on 2 if playing with the video

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key

Intro (Riff): 4/4
          Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Timing: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇 x4  
                 
   Cmaj7             G5     Em                  Dadd4
1. You got a fa-ast  car    I want a tick-et to a-ny-where
   Cmaj7            G5      Em                       Dadd4
   May-be we make a deal    May-be to-geth-er we can get some-where
   Cmaj7         G5         Em                       Dadd4
   A-ny place is bet-ter    Start-ing from ze-ro got no-thing to lose
   Cmaj7             G5            Em               Dadd4
   May-be we'll make some-thing    Me my-self I got no-thing to prove

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇

   Cmaj7            A      Em              Dadd4
2. You got a fa-ast car    I got a plan to get us out of here...
   I been wor-king at the con-ven-i-ence store
   Ma-naged to save just a lit-tle bit of mo-ney
   We won't have to drive too far
   Just a-cross the bor-der and in-to the ci-ty
   You and I can both get jobs
   And fi-nal-ly see what it means to be li-ving

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇

             Cmaj7                    G5      
3. You  see  my   old  man's  got  a  pro-blem
      Em                               Dadd4
   He live with the bot-tle that's the way it is...
   He says his body's too old for wor-king
   His bo-dy's too young to look like his
   My ma-ma went off and left him
   She wan-ted more from life than he could give
   I said some-bo-dy's got to take care of him
   So I quit school and that's what I did

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇

        Cmaj7      G5                      Em                     Dadd4 
Bridge: You  got a fa-ast car    But is it fast e-nough so we can fly a-way?
        Cmaj7             G5               Em                         Dadd4
        We  got-ta make a de-ci-sion    We leave to-night or live and die this way

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇
                                (So re-mem-ber when we were)

                                   C
Chorus: So re-mem-ber when we were dri-ving, dri-ving in your car
            G  
        The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
      Em
        Ci-ty lights lay out be-fore us
                 D
        And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoul-der
            C   Em        D
        And I...    had a feel-ing that I be-longed
        C    Em        D                             C            D
        I...     had a feel-ing I could be some-one, be some-one, be some-one

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇

   Cmaj7            G5         Em                        Dadd4
4. You got a fa-ast car    And we go crui-sing to en-ter-tain our-selves
   You still ain't got a job    And I work in the mar-ket as a check-out girl
   I know things will get bet-ter    You'll find work and I'll get pro-mo-ted
   We'll move out of the shel-ter    Buy a big house and live in the su-burbs

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇
                                (So re-mem-ber when we were)

                                   C
Chorus: So re-mem-ber when we were dri-ving, dri-ving in your car
            G  
        The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
      Em
        Ci-ty lights lay out be-fore us
                 D
        And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoul-der
            C   Em        D
        And I...    had a feel-ing that I be-longed
        C    Em        D                             C            D
        I...     had a feel-ing I could be some-one, be some-one, be some-one


        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇

   Cmaj7            G5     Em                    Dadd4
5. You got a fa-ast 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 al-ways hoped for bet-ter
   Thought may-be to-ge-ther you and me'd find it
   I got no plans I ain't going no-where
   So take your fast car and keep on dri-ving

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇
                              (So re-mem-ber when we were)

                                   C
Chorus: So re-mem-ber when we were dri-ving, dri-ving in your car
            G  
        The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
      Em
        Ci-ty lights lay out be-fore us
                 D
        And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoul-der
            C   Em       D
        And I...   had a feel-ing that I be-longed
        C    Em        D                             C            D
        I...     had a feel-ing I could be some-one, be some-one, be some-one

        Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Riff: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇

        Cmaj7            G5   
Bridge: You got a fa-ast car
              Em                      Dadd4
        Is it fast e-nough so you can fly a-way
        Cmaj7                 G5   
        You  got-ta make a de-ci-sion
        Em                         Dadd4
        Leave to-night or live and die this way

         Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4
Outro: 𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇   
    
         Cmaj7  G5      Em   Dadd4   Cmaj7  G5           
       𝄆 1&2    &3&4& | 1&2  &3&4& 𝄇         𝄑  |   

Notes:

  • The 4 bars of Intro Riff are played throughout the entire song except for the choruses.
  • Intro - 8 bars (2 x 4): Note the guitar lick on bar 6 and again on bar 6 of the Outro.
  • If you are playing with a Capo, each fret number represents the 'fret distance' from the capo - not the Nut of the guitar, i.e. 3 represents the 3rd fret from the capo.
  • If you are just strumming, you may prefer to use Cmaj7 throughout the verses
  • If you are playing the riff with an accompanying guitarist, they may want to use C Major and Dadd4 (all 1st position chords)
  • Dadd4 = DaddG
  • The G5 or G chord is a matter of taste - they both sound fine
  • See below for the tabbed version of the riffs played throughout the song

Guitar Tab

* (h)represents a Hammer-On
* Each segment|--------| is equivalent to one bar of music.
* Timing Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & is directly in line with notes played
* Unmarked Strings: Do not play
* 0 - open string

Intro: bars (includes extra riff on bar 6)
Outro: 8 bars (includes extra riff on bar 6) with added bar to finish
Between verses incl. choruses and bridge: first 4 bars

   C     G           Em    Dadd11      C     G           Em    Dadd11
e|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B|-0h1-0-3-3-3-----|-8-----7---7-----|-0h1-0-3-3-3-----|-8-----7---7-----|
G|-0---0-0-----0---|-0-----0-----0---|-0---0-0-----0---|-0-----0-----0---|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-3-----0---------|-7-----5---------|-3-----0---------|-7-----5---------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 
       Bar-1             Bar-2             Bar-1             Bar-4

   C     G           Em     Dadd11      C     G           Em    Dadd11
e|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B|-0h1-0-3-3-3-----|-8---10-8-7---8---|-0h1-0-3-3-3-----|-8-----7---7-----|
G|-0---0-0-----0---|-0--------0-----0-|-0---0-0-----0---|-0-----0-----0---|
D|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-3-----0---------|-7--------5-------|-3-----0---------|-7-----5---------|
E|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2  & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 
       Bar-5             Bar-6              Bar-7             Bar-8
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