Hot Rod Lincoln
Charlie Ryan
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My pappy said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin' If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln." Have you heard this story of the Hot Rod Race When Fords and Lincolns was settin' the pace. That story is true, I'm here to say I was drivin' that Model A. It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up. That Model A Vitimix makes it look like a pup. It's got eight cylinders, uses them all. It's got overdrive, just won't stall. With a 4-barrel carb and a dual exhaust, With 4.11 gears you can really get lost. It's got safety tubes, but I ain't scared. The brakes are good, tires fair. Pulled out of San Pedro late one night The moon and the stars was shining bright. We was driving up Grapevine Hill Passing cars like they was standing still. All of a sudden in a wink of an eye A Cadillac sedan passed us by. I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!" By then the taillight was all you could see. Now the fellas was ribbing me for being behind, So I thought I'd make the Lincoln unwind. Took my foot off the gas and man alive, I shoved it on down into overdrive. Wound it up to a hundred-and-ten My speedometer said that I hit top end. My foot was blue, like lead to the floor. That's all there is and there ain't no more. Now the boys all thought I'd lost my sense And telephone poles looked like a picket fence. They said, "Slow down! I see spots! The lines on the road just look like dots." Took a corner; sideswiped a truck, Crossed my fingers just for luck. My fenders was clicking the guardrail posts. The guy beside me was white as a ghost. Smoke was coming from out of the back When I started to gain on that Cadillac. Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass. Don't you know by then we'd be low on gas? We had flames coming from out of the side. Feel the tension. Man! What a ride! I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!" And that Caddy pulled over and let us by. Now all of a sudden she started to knocking, And down in the dips she started to rocking. I looked in my mirror, a red light was blinking The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln! They arrested me and they put me in jail. And called my pappy to throw my bail. And he said, "Son, you're gonna' drive me to drinkin' If you don't stop driving that Hot, Rod, Lincoln!"
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Written by: W.S. Stevenson, Charles Ryan
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Song Origin"Hot Rod Lincoln" is a song that recounts a car race in graphic detail. The song was first written by Charlie Ryan and W.S. Stevenson, and originally recorded by Charlie Ryan.
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InspirationRyan was inspired to write "Hot Rod Lincoln" by his own experiences as a hot rod racer. The song is based on his 1948 race between his Lincoln-powered Model A and a Cadillac sedan in Idaho's Lewiston Hill.
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Different VersionsThe song has been recorded by many artists, but the most famous version is probably the one by Johnny Bond, released in 1960.
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Unique VersionEach version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" is unique as artists often add their own variations to the verses. Johnny Bond's version, for example, differs greatly from Ryan's original.
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InstrumentationThe song is notable for its distinctive guitar riff, which imitates the sound of a revving hot rod engine.
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ChartsJohnny Bond's version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" made it to No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, making it one of the most popular renditions of the song.
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LyricsThe song's lyrics describe a race between a Lincoln and a Cadillac, with the narrator driving the Lincoln. They famously include the line, "You heard the story of the hot rod race, Where the Fords and the Lincolns were setting the pace."
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Ryan's Hot RodCharlie Ryan actually built the hot rod Lincoln described in the song. It combined a modified Model A body with the engine and chassis of a V12 Lincoln Zephyr.
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Hall of FameCharlie Ryan was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 2008 in part because of his contributions to music, particularly for "Hot Rod Lincoln."
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Legacy"Hot Rod Lincoln" is considered a staple of the rockabilly genre and continues to be covered by various artists even today. Some of the musicians who have covered the song include Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Asleep at the Wheel, and Jim Varney.
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Citation
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"Hot Rod Lincoln Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Jun 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/31910141/Charlie+Ryan/Hot+Rod+Lincoln>.
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