3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds

Album: Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
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Songfacts®:

  • The line, "Do away with things that come on obscene, like hot rods and real clean, real fine nicotine," is a thinly-veiled marijuana reference. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mark - Desperate Hot Springs, CA
  • 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds works out to 216 mph. Apparently Marty Balin just happened to see the two numbers on a newspaper page and wove the song around them. The song is more rock than lyrics, but very good rock, especially live. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Ray - Bonneville salt flats, UT
  • Jefferson Airplane included this in their Woodstock set when they played the festival in 1969.

Comments: 2

  • Paul Aronoff from Los Angeles, Ca.3/5 of a mile is the distance down Haight St. From Golden Gate Park(Stanton St.) to Ashby.
  • Dem from San FranciscoThe line is "Like high-priced, pretty clean, real fine nicotine." Possibly still a pot reference though; cigs were about a half a buck a pack in 1967.
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