Steely Dan – Hey Nineteen

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Way back when in 'Sixty seven
I was the dandy of Gamm Chi
Sweet things from Boston so young and willing
Moved down to Scarsdale where the hell am I?

Hey Nineteen
No we can't dance together
No we can't talk at all
Please take me along when you slide on down

Hey Nineteen that's 'Retha Franklin
She don't remember the Queen of Soul
It's hard times befallen the sole survivors
She thinks I'm crazy I'm just growing old

Hey Nineteen
No we got nothin' in common
No we can't talk at all
Please take me along when you slide on down

[solo]

ad libbed lines
nice, sure looks good,
hm hm hmm, skate a little lower now

The Cuervo Gold
The fine Columbian
Make tonight a wonderful thing
[say it again]

The Cuervo Gold
The fine Columbian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

The Cuervo Gold
The fine Columbian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

We can't dance together
No we can't talk at all.

Send "Hey Nineteen" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by AbFab

Track duration: 05:08


Hey Nineteen song meanings
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41 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:My interpretation is of a guy who sits down at a Boston college bar, strikes up a convo with an undergrad….tries to woo her with how cool he “was”...is a little confused that she is not familiar with an icon like Aretha Franklin and with the fact that although hip on the inside, he appears to be older. She soon grows weary, and slides on down the bar. Leaving him to reminisce internally and finally medicating himself with some Columbian and Cuervo
    Flag GH3on April 19, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Maybe the 'fine Colombian' is a fine, Colombian woman
    Flag RonPTon October 17, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"Dandy of Gamma Chi". The greek letters for Gamma Chi resemble "rx", which of course is the symbol for "prescription" or "pharmacy". Always wondered if he was saying he was the "dandy of drugs" or that he was that guy who always had good stuff on hand.
    Flag bigdc67on July 23, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The "fine columbian" is weed. and he definitely opens with a reflection on how "cool" he was "way back in '67". Brilliant arrangement, btw. At 46, SD has been my favorite band since 6th grade when i first heard "Aja"!
    Flag lucasboyd65on March 11, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:An older dude is having a sexual relationship with a much younger woman.
    He laments as they have nothing in common,intellectually and life experience they have
    nothing other then sex.Sex,sex,sex...did I mention sex?
    I have a dirty mind apparently as the line-"Please take me along when ya slide 'em down",he's talking about her underwear. and "Skate alittle lower" he's watching her and wants to see her who-ha or bum... :|
    Sorry.
    Flag Thia007on November 08, 2011   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • -2
    Song Meaning:Everyone's getting hung up on a 'fine Columbian' meaning cocaine or cannabis but, it could also refer to nothing more innocuos than a fine Columbian cigar which our ageing Donald would savour with his Cueva Gold tequilla. Remember; this was back in the days when smoking in bars was not only legal but derigour for a guy of a certain age.
    Flag TheCentralScrutinizeron November 06, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think the song's pretty straight forward & ironmike has it pretty much nailed. I think soul survivor just means he still likes the old soul music from the 60's that she doesn't even know about. I've always thought "please take me along when you slide on down" meant he expected her to get VERY drunk & he wanted to be the same if she was. Maybe not? Anyhow, with Cuervo Gold (tequila) & fine Colombian (marijuana), he figures the sex will be good anyway.
    Flag mt50on October 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Memory:I would like to testify that "Hey Nineteen" was played in drugstores even when it was brand new. I vividly remember hearing it at the time, on the muzak at our local equivalent of Walgreens.
    Flag mrgrifteron March 27, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Seems to me that the narrator starts off by telling us of his prowess in college, at his Boston fraternity. As he's gotten older and moved he finds himself 10 years older still after the same young girls. As he tries to talk to her (even though society frowns on this) he finds that she doesn't respond to his musical tastes (maybe Aretha Franklin is even playing on the stereo at the roller rink/bar where they may be talking). I think that what he has survived is marriage. Here he is at 30 and has been able to avoid getting married whereas most others his age are married. Hard times have befallen unwed 30-year-olds like him in regards to 19-year-old girls. I think that the alcohol and drugs are what make tonight a wonderful thing because he gives them to her to be with her.

    I have no idea what "please take me along when you slide on down" means. If it is sliding down the bar, she would have to be sliding away from him for him to say this, but if she is sliding away, it would mean she wasn't interested in him. But the drugs get her to be with him, so there is at least some interest in what he has for her. I doubt it is a reference to oral sex.
    Flag ironmikeon November 11, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:The 'Colombian' they refer to in the song was actually about marijuana, not cocaine, as popularly believed. Back in the 60's/70's most cocaine still came from Peru, while a whole hell of a lot of marijuana came from Colombia. It wasn't until the mid 80's that Colombia became known for it's cocaine, at least in the United States.
    Flag Bustakapon August 25, 2010   Link

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