In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
We left for Frisco in your Rambler
The radiator running dry
I've never been much of a gambler
And had a preference to fly
You said "forget about the airline,
Let's take the car and save the fare."
We blew a gasket on the Grapevine
And eighty dollars on repairs
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard
Hot summer night in Sausalito
Can't stand the heat another mile
Let's drop a quarter in the meter
And hit the sidewalk for a while
I'll have a burger and a root beer
You feed the heap some of the grape
A shot of premium to boot, dear
We'll get across the Golden Gate
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard
Cashin' all my checks
Straightenin' out my bank?
Spend it on a Rambler
With a wormhole in the tank
Look out over here
Watch out over there
Can't afford a blowout
'Cause we haven't got a spare
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard
The radiator running dry
I've never been much of a gambler
And had a preference to fly
You said "forget about the airline,
Let's take the car and save the fare."
We blew a gasket on the Grapevine
And eighty dollars on repairs
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard
Hot summer night in Sausalito
Can't stand the heat another mile
Let's drop a quarter in the meter
And hit the sidewalk for a while
I'll have a burger and a root beer
You feed the heap some of the grape
A shot of premium to boot, dear
We'll get across the Golden Gate
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard
Cashin' all my checks
Straightenin' out my bank?
Spend it on a Rambler
With a wormhole in the tank
Look out over here
Watch out over there
Can't afford a blowout
'Cause we haven't got a spare
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard
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It's a good ol' cruising to California song. However, instead of riding in a hot rod with chicks by their side, this trip isn't a fun one because of the various problems they have with their junker of a car.
The missing lyrics are:
"Another mile or two to Frisco, 800 gallons from L.A. The engine's thumping like a disco, We ought to dump her in the Bay..."
Love this song.
Gettin' Out of High Scool without a worry in the world!
We left for Frisco in your Rambler The radiator running dry I've never been much of a gambler and had a preference to fly
You said "forget about the airline, let's take the car and save the fare." We blew a gasket on the Grapevine and eighty dollars on repairs
All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard
Hot summer night in Sausalito Can't stand the heat another mile Let's drop a quarter in the meter and hit the sidewalk for a while
I'll have a burger and a root beer You feed the heap some of the grape A shot of premium to boot, dear We'll get across the Golden Gate
All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard
Another mile or two to Frisco, 200 gallons from L.A. The engine's thumping like a disco, We ought to dump her in the Bay...
All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard
Cashin' all my checks Straightenin' out my bank? Spend it on a Rambler with a wormhole in the tank
Look out over here Watch out over there Can't afford a blowout 'cause we haven't got a spare
All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard (Sausalito summernight) All aboard
I heard this one quite a lot on the radio in the summers of '81-82 or so. This is about how a guy listens to his girlfriend and instead of flying from LA to San Francisco, they take a road trip. Unfortunately, almost nothing goes as planned; the car breaks down, the trip is long, but they still have a lot of fun and it's worthwhile to them.
Songs like this seem sadly missing from radio today. It's all profit, profit, profit without the fun.
I recently saw a video featuring the band talking about it. They said it was inspired by an incident in 1979 when they were touring California and their tour bus broke down in Sausalito, California when they had a gig that night in San Francisco. It was summertime and pretty warm.
"Feed the heap some multi-grade ..."