Ida Lee
Becker And Fagen Lyrics
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For big Ida Lee
The man from the skyway
The Chinaman and me
There's so much affection
It's making me crazy
I've run out of reasons
For keeping it neat
Everybody's makin' love
Ida Lee
It's you I'm thinkin' of
Threw out the favours
The hooters and the hats
Put out the candle
And blew out the cat
My temperature's rising
We're all on the chaise lounge now
Big Ida Lee
She's nowhere to be found
They open the air shaft
As Ida walks in
She comes up to me and whispers
Honey, where have you been?
I'm stripping my gears
I'm blowing my fuse
'Cause Ida Lee's giving me somewhat more than I can use
The lyrics to Becker and Fagen's song "Ida Lee" seem to tell the story of a wild party that's happening in honor of a woman named Ida Lee. The singer of the song seems to be a bit overwhelmed by the celebration and all the affection that's being shown towards Ida Lee. He has "run out of reasons for keeping it neat" and appears to be caught up in the chaos of the moment.
There's a lot happening in the lyrics, with references to throwing out favors, blowing out candles, and even a cat. It's clear that the party is getting pretty raunchy, with "everybody making love" and the singer's temperature rising. Despite all of this, though, he can't help but think of Ida Lee.
The whole thing reaches a climax when Ida Lee herself shows up at the party and comes over to the singer. He's so overwhelmed by her that he's "stripping [his] gears" and "blowing [his] fuse." It's not entirely clear what's happening between Ida Lee and the singer, but there's definitely something there that's more than he can handle.
Line by Line Meaning
They're throwin' a party
A party is being thrown
For big Ida Lee
The party is in honor of Ida Lee
The man from the skyway
Someone who lives or works in the skyway is in attendance
The Chinaman and me
The artist and a Chinese person are present
There's so much affection
There is a lot of love and emotion among the partygoers
It's making me crazy
The intense display of affection is overwhelming the singer
I've run out of reasons
The singer cannot justify or explain the strong emotions and feelings being expressed
For keeping it neat
For trying to contain or control the passion and excitement of the party
Everybody's laughin'
The guests are all laughing and having a good time
Everybody's makin' love
Couples at the party are engaging in romantic behavior
Ida Lee
The singer is thinking of Ida Lee
It's you I'm thinkin' of
The artist is focused on thoughts of Ida Lee
Threw out the favours
Party favors have been discarded
The hooters and the hats
Noisemakers and hats are no longer being used
Put out the candle
A candle has been extinguished
And blew out the cat
A cat figurine or decoration has been removed or destroyed
My temperature's rising
The artist's excitement and arousal are increasing
We're all on the chaise lounge now
The guests are relaxing on a chaise lounge together
Big Ida Lee
A reference to Ida Lee, the guest of honor
She's nowhere to be found
Ida Lee is missing or has left
They open the air shaft
The airshaft is opened
As Ida walks in
Ida Lee enters the room
She comes up to me and whispers
Ida Lee approaches the singer and speaks quietly
Honey, where have you been?
Ida Lee is asking the artist where they have been
I'm stripping my gears
The singer is becoming overwhelmed or overstimulated
I'm blowing my fuse
The singer is becoming angry or frustrated
'Cause Ida Lee's giving me somewhat more than I can use
Ida Lee's behavior or attention is too much for the singer to handle
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: DONALD JAY FAGEN, WALTER CARL BECKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind