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Hot Rod Lincoln
Commander Cody Lyrics
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If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln"
Have you heard this story of the Hot Rod race
When Fords and Lincolns was settin' the pace
That story is true, I'm here to say
I was drivin' that Model A
That Model A Vitimix makes it look like a pup
It's got eight cylinders, uses them all
It's got overdrive, just won't stall
With a 4-barrel carb and a dual exhaust
With 4.11 gears you can really get lost
It's got safety tubes, but I ain't scared
The brakes are good, tires fair
Pulled out of San Pedro late one night
The moon and the stars was shinin' bright
We was drivin' up Grapevine Hill
Passing cars like they was standing still
All of a sudden in a wink of an eye
A Cadillac sedan passed us by
I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"
By then the taillight was all you could see
Now the fellas was ribbin' me for bein' behind
So I thought I'd make the Lincoln unwind
Took my foot off the gas and man alive
I shoved it on down into overdrive
Wound it up to a hundred-and-ten
My speedometer said that I hit top end
My foot was blue, like lead to the floor
That's all there is and there ain't no more
Now the boys all thought I'd lost my sense
And telephone poles looked like a picket fence
They said, "Slow down! I see spots!
The lines on the road just look like dots"
Took a corner; sideswiped a truck
Crossed my fingers just for luck
My fenders was clickin' the guardrail posts
The guy beside me was white as a ghost
Smoke was comin' from out of the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass
Don't you know by then we'd be low on gas?
We had flames comin' from out of the side
Feel the tension. Man! What a ride!
I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!"
And that Caddy pulled over and let us by
Now all of a sudden she started to knockin'
And down in the dips she started to rockin'
I looked in my mirror; a red light was blinkin'
The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln!
They arrested me and they put me in jail
And called my pappy to throw my bail
And he said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln!"
The song "Hot Rod Lincoln" is a classic rockabilly song by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, released in 1971. The lyrics tell the story of a reckless driver who races his hot rod Lincoln against a Cadillac and is chased by the police. The song is known for its catchy guitar riff and fast-paced rhythm, which captures the excitement of the story.
The song opens with the singer's father warning him that his fast driving will drive him to drink. The singer tells the story of a hot rod race between Fords and Lincolns, in which he was driving a Model A with a souped-up Lincoln motor. He describes the car's features, including eight cylinders, overdrive, a 4-barrel carb, and a dual exhaust.
The race takes place on Grapevine Hill, and the competition is fierce. At one point, a Cadillac sedan passes the singer's car, and he decides to take up the challenge. He shifts into overdrive and races down the road at a hundred-and-ten miles an hour, trying to catch up to the Cadillac. Along the way, he narrowly avoids a collision with a truck and attracts the attention of the police. In the end, he is arrested and his father must bail him out of jail.
Line by Line Meaning
My pappy said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln"
My father warned me that if I do not stop driving my customized Lincoln automobile, he will turn to drinking because of my actions.
Have you heard this story of the Hot Rod race
When Fords and Lincolns was settin' the pace
That story is true, I'm here to say
I was drivin' that Model A
There was a legendary race between Fords and Lincolns which I can attest to as I was driving a Model A in that race.
It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up
That Model A Vitimix makes it look like a pup
It's got eight cylinders, uses them all
It's got overdrive, just won't stall
My car has a Lincoln motor that has been modified to become much more powerful than a standard Model A. With eight cylinders and the addition of overdrive, the car never stalls and runs like a puppy.
With a 4-barrel carb and a dual exhaust
With 4.11 gears you can really get lost
It's got safety tubes, but I ain't scared
The brakes are good, tires fair
The car also has a 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust system to boost performance. The high gear ratio of 4.11 makes the car go fast enough to get lost. Even though the car has safety modifications, I'm not afraid to drive it fast due to its good brakes and fair tires.
Pulled out of San Pedro late one night
The moon and the stars was shinin' bright
We was drivin' up Grapevine Hill
Passing cars like they was standing still
One night, I left San Pedro and found myself driving up Grapevine Hill under the moon and stars. While driving, we were passing other cars that seemed to be standing still in comparison to my Hot Rod.
All of a sudden in a wink of an eye
A Cadillac sedan passed us by
I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"
By then the taillight was all you could see
A Cadillac effortlessly passed us by, inspiring me to chase after it. By the time we saw the taillight, the car was too far ahead of us to catch up and overtake it.
Now the fellas was ribbin' me for bein' behind
So I thought I'd make the Lincoln unwind
Took my foot off the gas and man alive
I shoved it on down into overdrive
The guys with me started teasing me for falling behind, so I decided to take it up a notch and unleash the full power of the Lincoln by putting it into overdrive.
Wound it up to a hundred-and-ten
My speedometer said that I hit top end
My foot was blue, like lead to the floor
That's all there is and there ain't no more
I pushed the car to its limit, driving at a speed of one hundred and ten miles per hour until I couldn't push it any further. My foot was pushing the pedal down as far as it could go, and that was all the car had.
Now the boys all thought I'd lost my sense
And telephone poles looked like a picket fence
They said, "Slow down! I see spots!
The lines on the road just look like dots"
My friends started to worry and claim that I had lost my sanity. To them, telephone poles appeared like small picket fences as I drove by at high speeds. They were pleading with me to slow down, claiming they saw spots and that the lines on the road were indistinguishable dots.
Took a corner; sideswiped a truck
Crossed my fingers just for luck
My fenders was clickin' the guardrail posts
The guy beside me was white as a ghost
As we approached a corner, my car collided with a truck. I crossed my fingers for good luck as my car's fenders clicked against the guardrail posts. My passenger was terrified and looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Smoke was comin' from out of the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass
Don't you know by then we'd be low on gas?
Smoke began to emanate from the back of my car as I continued to accelerate and approached the Cadillac again. I was certain that I could catch up and pass him, but I began to worry that I may run out of gas before I could even attempt it.
We had flames comin' from out of the side
Feel the tension. Man! What a ride!
I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!"
And that Caddy pulled over and let us by
Suddenly, flames appeared coming out of the side of my car, resulting in an intense, fiery ride. I yelled to my buddies to be careful as I was an experienced driver with a license to fly. Finally, the Cadillac pulled over and let us pass through.
Now all of a sudden she started to knockin'
And down in the dips she started to rockin'
I looked in my mirror; a red light was blinkin'
The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln!
However, my car began to knock and experience difficulties as we descended into a dip in the road. When I looked into the mirror, I noticed a red blinking light coming from a police cruiser; the authorities were after me for driving the Hot Rod Lincoln recklessly.
They arrested me and they put me in jail
And called my pappy to throw my bail
And he said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln!"
The police arrested me and put me in jail for my reckless driving. They informed my father of my situation and he had to bail me out. He warned me once again that my driving will drive him to drink if I do not stop driving the Hot Rod Lincoln.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: W.S. Stevenson, Charles Ryan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@berwick777
50+ years later it’s STILL one of the coolest songs ever recorded.
@SafetyMentalst
Cars go faster than a mind can think
Follow to close you'll hit a brake light
So always signal your blinkers do blink
Night driving requires lights on bright
And rethink having to much to Drink
@codzy3532
totally agree classic
@stinkyfungus
Right?
But 110 ain't nothing any more. Shit, I made 120 in an 88 16v VW Gti.
I lifted off at 160 in my modded WRX... not long ago. it wasn't redlined, and it was still pulling but 3x the posted speed limit was enough 😂.
This song is a speeding ticket that you get through your stereo..
@roblacey1511
First record I ever bought
@MrSuzuki1187
The lyrics say" ...got safety tubes, and I'm not scared...". Safety tubes is a term few people know the meaning of today. Back in the 1950's, cars were huge, and very heavy. Tires back then were not always up to the task of handling the weight and speeds of cars that weight sometimes 5,000 lbs. In those days, all tires had an inner tube, a balloon like tube that held the air that the tire was inflated with. Back then, catastrophic tire failure, a fairly common event in the Fifties, could occur when the tire overheated, hit a pot hole, or for other reasons, and the tire would literally blow out and rapidly deflate. Many car crashes resulted from blowouts in those days and having a blowout was always a concern at highway speeds. Then, some company invented the "safety tube", which prevented catastrophic blowouts. And this is what Charlie Ryan was talking about in his lyrics. However, the technology behind how this was done has escaped my 70 year old brain, but I do recall it was a big deal to have safety tubes in your tires in those days.
@marclayne9261
Correct...Hot Rodder...1960s, 327 Camaro.....rarely beat.....we raced at County Fair, Hamilton Ohio...
@dynamitegms522
i did not know that, However i think it could also be used to mean, a Rollcage, which is what i thought it meant.
@billjenkins9634
Thanks for sharing that. I loved this song as a kid ( about 8) when I first heard it! We need to pass our knowledge and history down to the next generations. Otherwise it’s forgotten.
@robertperry1293
Goodyear Lifeguard Safety Tubes