Little Deuce Coupe Lyrics
You don't know what I got
Little deuce Coupe
You don't know what I got
But I've got the fastest set of wheels in town
When something comes up to me he don't even try
Cause if I had a set of wings man I know she could fly
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
But she'll walk a Thunderbird like SHE'S standin' still
She's ported and relieved and she's stroked and bored
She'll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
And she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar
And if that ain't enough to make you flip your lid
There's one more thing, I got the pink slip daddy
Well she blows 'em outta the water like you never seen
I get pushed out of shape and it's hard to steer
When I get rubber in all four gears
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
Beach Boy car songs are among the most opaque if you aren't familiar with 60's S. Cal. slang. This song is full of examples: "She's ported and relieved and she's stroked and bored"--All engine modifications
"She'll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored"--S/B "..in the top end floored," i.e., in the highest gear with the pedal to the metal
"the four on the floor--S/B "..a four on the floor, meaning a 4-speed transmission with the shifter mounted on the floor rather than on the steering column, as Dad's car would have had it.
"she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar" Lake pipes were a type of exterior, chrome exhaust pipes that visibly ran along the lower, outside of the car or at the edge of the running board. Compared to "scavengers" which hung underneath.
"When I get rubber in all four gears" Meaning the car is so powerful that he can spin the wheels, "lay rubber," even when shifting to the higher gears.
"There's one more thing, I got the pink slip daddy" In Cal. a vehicle's certificate of title was printed on pink paper. He's bragging that he owns this car outright. A similar expression of the era was to "race for pinks" meaning the winner took the loser's car.
@Cerdarcroft "Top end" is the end of a quarter mile drag race. So a hundred and forty is what was measured through the speed trap at the end of the race.
@Cerdarcroft "Top end" is the end of a quarter mile drag race. So a hundred and forty is what was measured through the speed trap at the end of the race.
@Cerdarcroft I also thought the reference to the pink slip was bragging that he had the original title, which would be pretty awesome for a 1932 model in the 60s.
@Cerdarcroft I also thought the reference to the pink slip was bragging that he had the original title, which would be pretty awesome for a 1932 model in the 60s.
In a detailed interview, in Bob Shannon and John Javna's book Behind The Hits, Roger Christian, who grew up in Buffalo, NY, recalled 50s teenage life was about three things - your car, your girl, and (American) football. And, according to Roger, the one single car you had to have was a 1932 Ford Coupé (cf: Ballad Of Ole Betsy). Christian moved to Southern CA, got a job, saved his money, bought a coupe, and moved back home. It was his first car.
Then, as Christian recalls, "Mike Love bought up the subject of 'deuce coupes' because he owned one at the time. Mike told Brian it would be great to make a song about it. So Brian came back and asked about the song and brought back a demo for it." Dennis' original drumming was replaced by that of Hal Blaine.
She's my little deuce coupe You don't know what I got
1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe
when you think of hot rod you think of the 32 Ford Coupe.
cars hot...poppy song too
A "flathead mill" is the original 1932 Ford engine which was a V8. 1932 was the very first year for Ford's V8; the 1928-31 Fords were Model A's, and they had flathead 4 cylinder engines. The '32 Ford was thought of as a hot rod from day from day one.
THUNDER-BURN? whats a THUNDER-BURN?
ported = increase size of intake and exhaust ports to allow increased flow relieved = grind area between valves and combustion chambers (valves are in the block on a flathead) stroked = offset grind the rod journals of a Mercury crankshaft down to Ford size to increase stroke bored = flathead blocks could be bored out a quarter of inch or so Between being stroked and bored you could go from 221 cubic inches to 295.
I think he's not singing "pink slip" but instead "big slip" which refers to a limited slip differential.