Lido Shuffle

Here's my take on the meaning behind these mysterious lyrics.

Lido missed the boat that day he left the shack (Lido did time in Angola prison, which requires a ferry boat ride across the Mississppi.) But that was all he missed and he ain't comin' back (Obviously he doesn’t want to return.) A tombstone bar in a jukejoint car, he made a stop (He’s driving a stolen car and stopping at a highway bar in the middle of nowhere in order to rob it.) Just long enough to grab a handle off the top (This is a reference to the old style cash registers which used large manual handles for opening/closing the til. He grabbed the handle, opened the til, and stole the cash, while probably pointing a gun at the bartender.) Next stop Chi town, Lido put the money down and let it roll (He drove up to Chicago to gamble.)

(The next section and the Refrain indicate that Lido wants to get financially set before he gives up his life of crime, but he’s always gambling his loot away.) He said one more job ought to get it One last shot 'fore we quit it One more for the road

Refrain: Lido, whoa-oh-oh-oh He's for the money, he's for the show Lido's waitin' for the go Lido, whoa-oh-oh-oh He said one more job ought to get it One last shot 'fore we quit it One more for the road

(Lido gets a letter from his lady, saying to clean up his act or get out. So he plans one last big robbery.) Lido be runnin', havin' great big fun, until he got the note Sayin' toe the line or blow, and that was all she wrote He be makin' like a beeline, headin' for the borderline Goin' for broke

(Lido finds a good place to rob, looks like an easy mark. We don’t get to see what happens, but I suspect he gets caught, because the song title is “Lido Shuffle”, suggesting a repetitive dance in and out of jail in this case.) Sayin' one more hit ought to do it This joint ain't nothin to it One more for the road

This song never stops being cool.

Actually being from the CHICAGO area I know that the famous Tombstone Pizza's originaed in a little bar across from a cemetery in Calumet city Illinois just otside of Chicago. The name of the bar is called the tombstone inn because there is a tombstone place right next door to it. SO in a tombstone bar combined with next stop Chi town most likely would be that Tombstone Inn Bar just outside of Chicago.

This song is a story, therefore, it has a beginning, a middle and an end. This song can be hard to decipher because it is not told in linear fashion: the story jumps around. We have to piece it together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Lido is on the run because he had someone's money and instead of returning it, he gambled it away. We can assume Lido's plan was to gamble and win, pocket the winnings and return the original money to its rightful owner (Mafia/drugdealer we can also safely assume). However, he didn't win, and was forced to run, gambling the whole time, having fun, but trying to win enough to be able to give the money back.

But in the middle of it all, they found him, and told him he better pay the money back or split. That scared him and he decided he better head for the border. As Boz Scaggs was from Ohio, we can assume Lido was as well and was heading to the Canadian border, going through Chicago.

Lido is the classic sketchy guy who just can't quit. Just one more.

Lido got some luck just before Chicago. "Grab a handle off the top" refers to money, not booze, as the next line confirms by saying "Lido put THE money down and let it roll." The word "the" refers to "handle", meaning that he won enough in the previous town to bet-it-all and come out even, at least, when he got to Chicago.

The story ends with Lido getting his roll, hitting it big. We have to look back to the first line of the song for evidence: "Lido missed the boat that day . . . But that was all he missed". He won his money back, he can stop running.

Great song, hit song, happy ending.

"Sayin' toe the line or blow, and that was all she wrote". Hi 1970's how ya doin'? :)

I love this song, and being from Philadelphia I love when Chris Berman makes a reference to the song when talking about Lito Sheppard.

Being from the UK, I have not got a clue who Lito Sheppard & Chris Berman are!!!!

Being from the Philadelphia area, I can tell you that Lito Sheppard plays cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. I can also tell you that Chris Berman is an (American) football TV commentator who likes to make humorous pop culture references. For example, Berman sings a little of this song when Lito (oh, whoa-oh-oh) Sheppard is featured on a highlight.

As for this song, it's about a guy with a gambling problem. Which is fitting when applied to Lito Sheppard- he often takes a football risk by trying for interceptions when he could make safer defensive plays!

So, heres my basic analysis and some questions I have:

Lido is a small time hustler and gambler. He's fed up with his life, maybe he suffered some setback (Lido missed the boat that day) so he leaves his home town (he left the shack But that was all he missed and he ain't comin' back) (where ever that may be, Tombstone, Arizona? from the reference to the tombstone bar). He heads to Chicago (Chi-town), intent on winning big playing craps (put the money down, let it roll).

A handle is a bottle of liquor, in case you didn't know. I just learned that recently.

He just wants to win big once and then he's out (He said one more job ought to get it, One last shot 'fore we quit it, One more for the road)

Apparently things are going well for Lido, (Lido be runnin', havin' great big fun) until he gets a note from his girlfriend or wife telling him to shape up or she's leaving him (until he got the note Sayin' toe the line or blow, and that was all she wrote) at which point he quits gambling and eagerly heads home with his winnings (He be makin' like a beeline, headin' for the borderline Goin' for broke)

^Good explanation. A "handle" can also be the money used to bet on something, which is probably what it means here.

Awesome song!