Lana Del Rey | Born To Die (Deluxe) | lyrics

Off To The Races

lyrics:

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my old man is a bad man but
I can't deny the way he holds my hand
and he grabs me, he has me by my heart

he doesn't mind have a Las Vegas past
he doesn't mind I have an LA crass way about me
he loves me with every beat of his cocaine heart

swimming pool, glimmering, darling
white bikini off with my red nail polish
watch me in the swimming pool, bright blue ripples
you sittin', sippin' on your black crystal, yeah

light of my life, fire of my loins
be a good baby, do what I want
light of my life, fire of my loins
give me them gold coins, give me them coins

and I'm off to the races
cases of Bacardi chasers
chasin' me all over town
'cause he knows I'm wasted
facing time again on Riker's island and I won't get out

because I'm crazy, baby
I need you to come here and save me
I'm your little harlot, starlet
singin' in the garden
kiss me on my open mouth ready for you

my old man is a tough man
but he got a soul as sweet as blood red jam
and he shows me
he knows me
every inch of my tar black soul

he doesn't mind I have a flat, broke-down life
in fact he says he thinks it's what he might like about me
admires me
the way I roll like a rolling stone

he likes to watch me in the glass room, bathroom, Chateau Marmont
slippin' on red dress, putting on my makeup
glass room, perfume, cognac, lilac fumes
says it feels like heaven to him

light of his life, fire of his loins
keep me forever, tell me you want me
light of your life, fire of your loins
give me them gold coins, give me them coins

yo, I'm off to the races, laces
leather on my waist is tight and I am fallin' down
I can see your face is shameless
Cipriani's basement
love you, but I'm going down

God, I'm so crazy, baby
I'm sorry that I'm misbehaving
I'm your little harlot, starlet,
Queen of Coney Island
raising hell all over town
sorry 'bout it!

my old man is a thief and I'm gonna stay and pray with him till the end
but I trust in the decision of the lord to watch over us
taking him when he may if he may
I'm not afraid to say that I'd die without him

who else is gonna put up with me this way?
I need you, I breathe you, I'd never leave you
they would rue the day I was alone without you

you're lyin' with your gold chain on
cigar hangin' from your lips
I said, "hun, you never looked so beautiful
as you do now my man."

and we're off to the races, paces
ready, set the gate is down and now we're goin' in
to Las Vegas, chaos, casino oasis
honey, it is time to spin

boy, you're so crazy, baby
I love you forever not maybe
you are my one true love
you are my one true love.

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analysis:

my thoughts

Off To The Races is the second track of Lana Del Rey's debut LP "Born To Die". The song is scandalous, seductive and passionate, illustrating through the very visual lyrics a life of notoriety and impulse. The beginning starts with Lana singing soulfully into the microphone slightly off to a beat and a background noise of kids shouting in a playground. The track, like several other songs on the record Carmen and Lolita are based off one of Lana Del Rey's favourite books; "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. By using the term "my old man" it paints a picture of a young girl with someone older than her. The actually phrase usually refers to your father, but this proves how heavily inspired the track is by Lolita and Humbert's relationship.

Lyrically, this song paints pictures of Coney Island, Chateau Marmont and sparkling starlets in Las Vegas, very similar to Carmen, with liquor, drugs, cars and money. All the shallow things that are supposed to make people happy, but the character portrayed in the song is sort of a mix between Lana and Lolita. The girl is young and most probably has a criminal past of alcohol, stripping and overspending. She sings of a love so strong for an older, wealthy gangster who she admires more than reason and is willing to put everything else on the line for him, even doing time in jail with him.

Although they both know they are treacherous people with dark pasts, their love rules out in the end, with the last line being "you are my one true love."

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