Lyric Thursday--The Last Chance Texaco

I mentioned back in December that my husband gave me a 30 GB iPod for Christmas. And I have to admit, it's incredible. Not because I never listened to music before (I did, and a lot), but CDs tend to fall to the back of the pile as new ones come into the house and then inertia takes over and I stop listening to the older ones. But ripping to them to iPod has meant I listen now to songs I've always loved but haven't heard in years.

But in addition to music, I'm in love with words. And rediscovering some of these gems in my CD collection has made me want to share them. So starting today and until I run out of great musical poetry to share, I'm going to post the lyrics to one of my favorite songs (mostly lesser known ones) every Thursday. Hopefully, I'm not busting anyone's copyright by doing so, but I'd like to think the artists would appreciate this rather than hate it. I'd share the music files, too, except, darn it, I know that's naughty!

As you might have guessed from the title of the post, the first installment is a song called The Last Chance Texaco, by Rickie Lee Jones. It's from her first, self-titled album, famous mostly for the hit Chuck E's in Love. I love the lyrics to this song because they're such a wonderful poetic (and double-entrendre filled) twist on the language of car mechanics and transportation. I wish I could share the music and her singing with the words, because they're an integral part of the package. But if you've never heard the song before and you like the lyrics, I hope you'll consider finding a copy for yourself!

The Last Chance Texaco
by Rickie Lee Jones, copyright 1979

A long stretch of headlights
Bends into I-9
Tiptoe into truck stops
And sleepy diesel eyes
Volcanoes rumble in the taxi
And glow in the dark
Camels in the driver's seat
A slow, easy mark

But you ran out of gas
Down the road a piece
Then the battery went dead
And now the cable won't reach...

It's your last chance
To check under the hood
Last chance
She ain't soundin' too good,
Your last chance
To trust the man with the star
You've found the last chance Texaco

Well, he tried to be Standard
He tried to be Mobil
He tried living in a World
And in a Shell

There was this block-busted blonde
And he loved her - free parts and labor
But she broke down and died
And she threw all the rods that he gave her

Ah but this one ain't fuel-injected
Her plug is disconnected
She gets scared and she stalls
She just needs a man, that's all

It's her last chance
Her timing's all wrong
Her last chance
She can't idle this long
Her last chance
Turn her over and go
Pullin' out of the last chance Texaco
The last chance

There's another Rickie Lee Jones song from her second album, Flying Cowboys, called Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying on the iPod right now and it's fabulous, too. Damn, this woman is a lyrical and musical genius!