Ol' '55

Album: On the Border (1974)
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  • Well my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splickly out to my old '55
    As I drove away slowly, feeling so holy, God knows, I was feeling alive.

    Now the sun's coming up, I'm riding with Lady Luck, freeway cars and trucks,
    Stars beginning to fade, and I lead the parade
    Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,
    Oh, Lord, let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.

    And it's six in the morning, gave me no warning; I had to be on my way.
    Well there's trucks all a-passing me, and the lights are all flashing,
    I'm on my way home from your place.

    And now the sun's coming up, I'm riding with Lady Luck, freeway cars and trucks,
    Stars beginning to fade, and I lead the parade
    Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,
    Oh, Lord, let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.

    And my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splickly out to my old '55
    As I pulled away slowly, feeling so holy, God knows, I was feeling alive.

    Now the sun's coming up, I'm riding with Lady Luck,
    Freeway cars and trucks, freeway cars and trucks, freeway cars and trucks Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 7

  • L From The Stl from St LouisI have always taken the song to mean the exhilaration and invincible feeling of a guy the morning after sex with a new woman. Creeps back out to freedom and off he rides in the only thing he will ever truly love for a slow ride home as the sun rises.
  • Me from InI cannot and will not even think about this song and DEATH! Without being mean or judgmental I have to ask Humberto from Brazil- - Whatcha smoking there buddy? This “holy feeling guy” just got laid!!!
  • Mikeyt from VaI disagree about the "death" interpretation. 1) Funerals aren't held at sunup
    2) Why would a person on way to his funeral be "feeling so alive"?
    3) How is Lady Luck riding with a dead man?
    4) Trucks don't pass a funeral procession, and I have never seen lights flashing at a funeral
  • Joseph Troise from Sonoma, CaliforniaI actually asked Tom Waits about this song many years ago when he was playing small clubs in Denver, CO. He said the car was not a '55 Chevy but rather a '55 Buick.
  • Humberto Veras from Recife - BrazilThis song is about the death, certainly. The time already last, in the current time he leading the friends' list still alive and coming the other acquaintances behind in a line where all head for the death. It is a parable of Tom Wait doing that comparison, of a man that passed you finish hours with her lover and now returning home, he makes the relationship of the years already last and the ones that he still has for the front.
  • Randy from Houghton Lake, MiI think I equally like this cover and the original by Tom Waits. It just depends on what kind of mood I'm in.
  • Oldpink from New Castle, InI actually quite like this song, especially Al Perkins' wonderful pedal steel.
    Also, very nice to hear Henley and Frey sharing vocals so well.
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