Early in his career Setzer was a member of the NYC band Bloodless Pharaohs, and later fronted the popular rockabilly revival band, Stray Cats. The Stray Cats particularly caught America's attention with the 1982 album Built for Speed, which included the two Top Ten hits, "Rock This Town" (#9) and "Stray Cat Strut" (#3), as well as with the follow-up 1983 album Rant 'N Rave, which included the two successful singles "(She's) Sexy + 17" (#5), and "I Won't Stand In Your Way" (#35).
In the mid 1990s, Setzer led a comeback of sorts for swing music and big band music, when he formed Brian Setzer Orchestra. The band has released at least 5 albums to date and one live DVD. This group had one hit, "Jump, Jive, and Wail" around the same time swing revival acts like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies' "Zoot Suit Riot" had been received favorably in mainstream America.
Brian Setzer also recorded some solo albums during Stray Cats' break in the 1980s along with some in the 1990s. In 2001 he released an album titled Ignition with his band '68 Comeback Special. A new solo album titled Rockabilly Riot Vol. 1: A Tribute To Sun Records was released on July 26, 2005, in the United States.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Setzer
Switchblade 327
The Brian Setzer Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Switchblade 327
Lit cigarette in his hand
Steel-toed boots on the accelerator
Oil leakin' outta the pan.
Switchblade, three 2-barrels
Gettin' there as fast as he can
All juiced up like a hot carburetor
Blacktop burnout, Saturday night
Try and catch him if you can
Switchblade 327
Switchblade, seven come eleven
Switchblade, he's all right
When he get's drunk he fights all night
Switchblade 327
Pullin' way ahead of the pack
Chop top deuce, Saturday night
Flames shootin' outta the back
Switchblade, don't cut him off
He won't cut you no slack
He'll cut you to ribbons if you come to town
He'll carve out his name in your back
Blacktop burnout, Saturday night
Try and catch him if you can
Switchblade 327
Switchblade, seven come eleven
Switchblade, he's all right
When he get's drunk he fights all night
Switchblade 327
Someone was calling his name
All he could hear was his engine
And the sound of the pouring down rain
Switchblade 327
Ran 125 down the lane
But someone cut both his fuel lines
And the '32 burst into flames
Blacktop burnout, Saturday night
Try and catch him if you can
Switchblade 327
Switchblade, seven come eleven
Switchblade, he's all right
When he get's drunk he fights all night
The song Switchblade 327 by The Brian Setzer Orchestra is an ode to the hot rod culture of the 1950s. The lyrics describe a powerful car, the Switchblade 327, with its lit cigarette and steel-toed boots accelerating down the road, leaving an oil leak behind. The car is juiced up like a hot carburetor, ready for action. The driver is described as someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly and will cut anyone who gets in his way. The chorus repeats the line "Switchblade, seven come eleven" which is a reference to a gambling game, indicating that this driver is not only daring on the road but also a risk-taker in life. The song continues with a description of a high-speed pursuit, with the Switchblade pulling ahead of the pack and flames shooting out of the back. The driver is someone who lives fast and fights hard, a legend in his own time. However, the final verse describes his tragic demise when someone sabotages his car, and it bursts into flames.
Line by Line Meaning
Switchblade 327
A powerful car with a sharp name.
Lit cigarette in his hand
The driver enjoys smoking while driving.
Steel-toed boots on the accelerator
The driver is wearing protective boots while driving and is driving very fast.
Oil leakin' outta the pan.
The car is in need of maintenance because there is oil leaking from the pan.
Switchblade, three 2-barrels
The car has three 2-barrel carburetors.
Gettin' there as fast as he can
The driver is pushing the car to go as fast as it can.
All juiced up like a hot carburetor
The car is fueled up and ready to go like a hot engine.
Spittin' gas onto the fan
The car is spilling gasoline onto the fan.
Blacktop burnout, Saturday night
The driver is doing a burnout on the blacktop road on a Saturday night.
Try and catch him if you can
The driver is driving recklessly and challenging others to try to catch up.
Switchblade, seven come eleven
The car is named after the lucky roll of dice in a game of craps.
Switchblade, he's all right
The driver and car are both powerful and cool.
When he get's drunk he fights all night
The driver is known to become violent when drunk.
Pullin' way ahead of the pack
The driver is leaving other drivers behind in the race.
Chop top deuce, Saturday night
The car is a chopped top 1932 Ford coupe and it's Saturday night.
Flames shootin' outta the back
The car has flames shooting out of its exhaust.
Switchblade, don't cut him off
The driver will not hesitate to harm you if you cut him off on the road.
He won't cut you no slack
The driver will not give you any slack or mercy.
He'll cut you to ribbons if you come to town
The driver is violent and will harm you if you go to his town.
He'll carve out his name in your back
The driver will hurt you very badly and leave his signature mark.
Someone was calling his name
Someone was trying to get the driver's attention.
All he could hear was his engine
The driver was so focused on his driving that he couldn't hear anyone else.
And the sound of the pouring down rain
It was raining heavily and the sound of rain was loud.
Ran 125 down the lane
The driver was driving at 125 mph down the road.
But someone cut both his fuel lines
Someone sabotaged the car by cutting both of its fuel lines.
And the '32 burst into flames
The car caught fire and burned down.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN SETZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind