Ol’ 55 by Tom Waits Lyrics Meaning – The Road Trip of Existential Musings
Lyrics
I went lickety-splickly
Out to my old ’55
As I pulled away slowly, feeling so holy
God knows, I was feeling alive
Now the sun’s coming up
I’m riding with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishing I’d stayed a little longer
Oh, Lord, lemme tell you that the feeling’s getting stronger
And at six in the morning, gave me no warning
I had to be on my way
Well there’s trucks all a-passing and and the lights all a-flashing
I’m on my way home from your place
And now the sun’s coming up
I’m riding with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishing I’d stayed a little longer
Oh, Lord, lemme tell you the feeling’s getting stronger
And my time went so quickly
I went lickety-splickly
Out to my old ’55
As I pulled away slowly, feeling so holy
God knows, I was feeling alive
And now the sun’s coming up
I’m riding with Lady Luck
Freeway cars and trucks
Freeway cars and trucks
Freeway cars and trucks
Tom Waits’ gravelly voice and predilection for storytelling have long established him as a troubadour of the trodden path. In ‘Ol’ 55,’ found on his debut album, ‘Closing Time’ (1973), Waits crafts a narrative that is as much about a car ride as it is about the journey of life itself. Navigating through the song’s sweet melodies and the husky delivery is akin to taking a ride through the quiet introspection of the breaking dawn.
It is in the seemingly simple verses of ‘Ol’ 55′ that Waits invites us to sit shotgun on a trip that transcends the physical. Below the surface of the open road and the freedom of the ride, hides a metaphorical depth that captures the ephemeral nature of existence and the longing for moments now slipped away.
The Predawn Escapade: A Romance with the Open Road
One cannot truly grasp the essence of ‘Ol’ 55′ without slipping into the very soul of wanderlust that animates its verses. Waits paints a picture of an early morning escape, the climax of an adventure as the protagonist finds himself alone with his thoughts and the hum of the ’55 beneath him.
There’s an intimacy in these descriptions, a consecration of the mundane act of driving as something divine. The ‘pulling away slowly, feeling so holy’ line is a subtle nod to the sacred feeling of liberation that comes when we begin a journey, be it literal or existential.
Unmasking the Allegory: The Layers Beneath the Asphalt
To view ‘Ol’ 55′ as merely a song about a man and his car is to miss out on the symphony of deeper meanings playing beneath its surface. With each verse and chorus, Waits seems to peel back the layers of human emotion, revealing a poignant contemplation on the transient nature of joy and the inevitable march of time.
The repeating chorus about Lady Luck and the illusion of leading the parade offers a stark contrast to the solitary conclusion of the journey, suggesting that for all our grandeur and search for companionship, our paths are ultimately ours to travel alone.
Repetition and Revelation: The Sunrise of Enlightenment
The structure of ‘Ol’ 55′ relies heavily on the repetition of its chorus and verses, mirroring the repetitive cycles of life and the recurring thoughts that haunt us during moments of solitude.
With each utterance, the lines gain new meaning, and the listener is drawn further into the ritual of introspection. Waits turns the act of driving towards the sunrise into a metaphor for seeking enlightenment, of coming to terms with oneself amid the vast and relentless pace of the world.
Memorable Lines that Linger: Quotables from the Highway
‘Stars beginning to fade, and I lead the parade,’ stands out as particularly evocative, encapsulating a fleeting moment of glory and the solitude that comes when the stars—that is to say, the guidance of the night—disappear into the daylight of stark reality.
The beauty in these words is their universal relatability; we’ve all been there, in those quiet moments after something magical, realizing the impermanence of our experiences but still wishing to linger in their warmth a while longer.
The Hidden Meaning Exposed: Lickety-Splickly to Existential Reality
The hidden gem within ‘Ol’ 55′ may very well lie in its peculiar phrase ‘lickety-splickly,’ a colorful expression that echoes the careless speed of youth and the brisk passage of time.
As Waits narrates his timely exit in ‘Ol’ 55,’ he also metaphorically speaks to the human condition; how often we speed through life’s chapters, oblivious to their significance until they are distant in the rearview mirror, leaving us only with the desire to have treasured them a little longer.
