I went lickety-splitly out to my old fifty-five
As I pulled away slowly, feelin' so holy,
God knows I was feelin' alive
And now the sun's comin' up
I'm ridin' with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade, and I lead the parade
Just a wishin' I'd stayed a little longer
Lord, don't you know the feelin's gettin' stronger
I had to be on my way
Now the cars are all passin' me,
Trucks are all flashin' me
I'm headed home from your place
I'm ridin' with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Just a wishin' I'd stayed a little longer
Lord, don't you know, the feelin's gettin' stronger
I went lickety-splitly out to my old fifty-five
As I pulled away slowly, feelin' so holy,
God knows I was feelin' alive
And now the sun's comin' up, yes it is
I'm ridin' with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Freeway cars and trucks,
Ridin' with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks,
Ridin' with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Ridin' with Lady Luck..
ok, this is one of the greatest songs on the frickin planet. how i interpret this is like he had this girl and he's happy with the time he had with her but he 'just a wishin' i'd stayed a little longer' meaning that it wasn't quite perfect. also, with the cars all passin' me and those lines, that like means that life seems to just pass by before your eyes without stopping. i could be dead wrong about this but w/e. it's still the best song by the eagles. it should be on the greatest hits album.
I hate to be a kill-joy, but if you know Tom Waits' attitudes and keep an open mind while enjoying this classic, this song is written from the viewpoint of the recently departed of a funeral procession. He's leading the parade, driving away slowly (Eagles substitute "pulled away" in first verse which does sound like leaving a woman), had no warning (he died unexpectedly), life went by too fast (lickety splitly), original lyrics had "trucks are all passing me, lights are all flashing me" because funerals used to get stop lights to blink so everyone would stop & let funeral go by...
Give it a listen with that in mind and see if you don't experience it in a whole different "light".
Definately of the best of the Eagles, made only better by it's multiple layers of meanings.
This song is written all about death. I would interpret he is driving his life slowly to the end in one morning. He feels holy and wish he could stay alive a little bit longer with his lover but of course, he cannot. He leads the parade(funeral) and for all the rest of the lyrics are stated in the first person POV from the funeral vehicle after he passed away. He sees trucks are passing and lights are flashing. Since he is on the way to be sent to the grave, it is the last time he could stay so close with her. ("Riding" in the same car is like riding with a lady luck.) He goes back to the heaven from her embrace(her place). OL 55 = he died @ 55.
Not by the Eagles. Written by Tom Waits. Both versions are really good though
But this cover is awesome!
No, Tom Waits himself states that this song is about a friend calling him up in the middle of the night asking for gas money so he could drive the girl he was out with on a date back to her house. The car was in such bad shape that it only had reverse left on it so the friend sold Tom some jokes he could use in exchange for money so he could buy some gas to drive his date home. Tom claims the car was either a '55 Buick Roadmaster or Cadillac and his friend actually drove home all the way in reverse.. If you read the lyrics it all makes sense.
It could be about leaving behind a period of your life and starting out new. Even though he knows he has to leave, he's already feeling the pangs of nostalgia/homesickness: "wishin' I'd stayed a little longer".
Geez,you people are CLUELESS!!! As you may or may not know,OTR truckers have "one night stands" because they are away from home so long and their wives or girlfriends live with that.'Ol 55 can refer to one of 2 things,either a 55 foot trailer or a 1955 truck he is driving(its not uncommon for old trucks to still run).He has visited a "lady" at a truck stop.It felt good and he wanted to "stay a little longer",but is now heading home to his GF or wife at home."Leading the parade" means as people wake up and go to work,including other...
Geez,you people are CLUELESS!!! As you may or may not know,OTR truckers have "one night stands" because they are away from home so long and their wives or girlfriends live with that.'Ol 55 can refer to one of 2 things,either a 55 foot trailer or a 1955 truck he is driving(its not uncommon for old trucks to still run).He has visited a "lady" at a truck stop.It felt good and he wanted to "stay a little longer",but is now heading home to his GF or wife at home."Leading the parade" means as people wake up and go to work,including other truckers at the truck stop,he is one of the first ones out on the road.I love how people just make stuff up to suit them.This is the meaning and I know cause I was there.yeah I'm 56,a bit younger than the Eagles.but now you know the TRUE meaning,so read them AGAIN! lol
The Old 55 isn't a Truck, it's a Hurst.
The Literal meaning is about driving his old truck home after hooking up. The Deeper meaning is about death after having lived a full life, and going to Heaven.