History Beach Boys “Little Duce Coupe’ lyrics question

Listening to some old music today, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ plays - there is a section that says ‘I’ve got the pink slip daddy’.

I’ve always wondered what that refers to - my guess it is some sort of California registration paper?

 

Pink Slip is a vehicle title. A common saying was “I’ll race you for Pink’s”.

 

It’s the title.

 

He is emphasizing the fact that he owns the car outright, does not owe the finance company.The registration document was wallet sized printed on pink paper. If you financed a car they held the registration "pink slip" papers until the loan was paid off. Surprisingly, a lot of the late model customs of the era were financed as stock cars then modified. If the lender knew you were tearing the car up and changing it they would get real upset. So, don't tell them.

 

NOW A DAYS, song lyrics about a young man telling his dad that he owns a pink slip MIGHT be relaying an entirely different message...just saying.

 

FYI, but Ca. Went to the titles in pink for a period of time, hence pink slip.
I think sometime in the late 70’s/early 80’s they went to white titles.
No sure when pink began though. I’m sure I wasn’t around

 

$13!!!!!. I wish

 

...'51 Willys!!!!!. I WISH

 

In Va ,
Was a Big Reward , Hard core Racer Deal , Ego Like winning a
Wally or Iron Man !!
Some Just Naïve and Dumb
I was Involved several times Racing &
S -R for pink slips,in 70s to 80ish
Was Not always easy to Hand over ,
Then much Value loss to bit $$
Instead of Pink,,
Pink Slip Racing , a Dum Simple as forgetting to turn on your electric fuel pump or a 5 cent Part costing your Ride

 

Little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got (you don't know what I got)
Little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
Well, I'm not bragging babe, so don't put me down (deuce coupe)
But I've got the fastest set of wheels in town (deuce coupe)
When something comes up to me, he don't even try (deuce coupe)
'Cause if I had a set of wings, man I know she could fly
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
Just a little deuce coupe with a flathead mill (deuce coupe)
But she'll walk a Thunderbird like she's standing still (deuce coupe)
She's ported and relieved, and she's stroked and bored
She'll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
She's got a competition clutch with the four on the floor
And she purrs like a kitten 'til the lake pipes roar
And if that ain't enough to make you flip your lid
There's one more thing, I got the pink slip, daddy
And coming off the line when the light turns green (deuce coupe)
Well, she blows them out of the water like you never seen (deuce coupe)
I get pushed out of shape, and it's hard to steer (deuce coupe)
When I get rubber in all four gears
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
(My little deuce coupe)
(You don't know what I got)
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got
She's my little deuce coupe
You don't know what I got

 

• The term "pink slip" is slang for a car title, a term that originated in California in the 1950s.
• California titles were printed on pink paper so that owners wouldn't throw them away by mistake.
• Today, most car titles are printed on white paper.
• A car title is a certificate of ownership that includes the owner's name, the issue date, and other information.
• You need your car title to sell your car, or to buy or trade.

I can hear the Beach Boys singing it now a days

"She purrs like a kitten 'til the lake pipes roar
And if that ain't enough to make you flip your lid
There's one more thing, I got the WHITE slip, daddy"

 

The car they used on the record cover is nothing like the car in the song.

 

The whole song sounds like he is bragging to me.
In the late 70s, it was hard enough to find a guy willing put up a $100 bill to prove he was worthy of racing. Racing title for title was stupid stuff.

One night while cruising around town, I had a couple punks pull up along side of me, wanting to race title for title. They were in a pretty nice 66 Chevelle, and were from out of town (I knew most of the car guys in town). I was in a primed old Plymouth. I looked out my window at the car, and told the guy I didn't want his pile of junk. For some reason he was mad? When the light turned green, we took off, I was a couple car lengths ahead so I took his lane from him so I could make the next left turn. The next block we both made another right back onto a double lane one way street, with another traffic light. With the green, we both took off again, and again I easily pulled him better then a car length before we slowed for the next traffic light. That was the last traffic light for a 6 -8 block run, but it also happened to be where the police station was. I saw the cop sitting in the car (probably waiting for us), but my car sort of blocked the other guy's view. When that light turned green, he was off like a rocket, spinning tires, tire smoke, and a screaming sbc, the whole deal! But I just sort of idled away. A few blocks later, the police car had the Chevelle pulled over. I smiled and waved as I drove past. What ever his ticket was, it was probably better then a drag racing ticket, and was cheaper then loosing his car.

I learned early on not to race someone with out knowing what their car could do. My primed old Plymouth won a lot of $100 bills. Sitting and spinning didsn't win street races.

 

Thanks for the replies

 

HRP.... Texas Titles are blue.

 

There used to be a tv show called "Pinks". I think they actually raced for titles.

 

I have the original for my Commando.

 

I did plenty of street racing in my teens and twenty's. Won plenty of $. Never even thought about racing for title's. Too many things can go sideways in a street race or any drag race for that matter.

 

For what it’s worth

California vehicle Certificate of Title’s are still pink. They do not look like the ones shown above anymore though.

They are a larger format @ 7 inches by 8 inches. Blue edge border looking like a dollar bill with a pink field including a state seal and a watermark. They look more like a stock certificate. They also have areas that have micro printing making it harder to forge or alter.

Only the old timers and Hot Rodders call em pink slips anymore. The normies and younger generations just call them a TITLE.

 

I Lost alot of documents due to fire ,
Documents paper work , registrations.
& the one's in my family involved in this hobby from pre war pretty mush deceased,
In Va , I am sure up until 80s a Va registration had a place you could sign
Owner ship over/ as bill of sale .
I Faintly remember a pink slip in 70s
I remember even not Pink , was referred I'll race you for Pinks.

I had a Unique Va title my grandfather
gave me back in 90 ,
It was for a car that was titled in his name in 57 with 2 or 3 but I believe to remember 3 , three Vin's
One for Frame vin #
2nd was Engine #
3rd Was trans #

Some where in all my junk I even have sets of the miniature Va tags for keychain

 

Like these? The top one is from my Dad's T-Bird. The bottom ones are from my 57 Plymouth.

 

HAHAHAHA SNORT HAHAHAHAHAHAHA SNORT HAHAHAHA

 

My friend financed a 1968 Ford back in the day. All he had was a title and an engine….the rest of the money we used to buy and race a circle track stock car! The things we did, back then! lol






Bones

 

In red above...
YES...they were !!!
So, your point ?

Mike

 

I never raced for money, I wasn't that sure of myself or my car and to be honest I didn't have the money to lose but my 63 1/2 Falcon Sprint was pretty quick after Gene Cromer did some work on the engine.

A good friend of mine raced my car and won, he made a few bucks . HRP

 

Oh. All these decades I thought it was "big slip" as in the car having a large limited slip differential.

 

So they claimed

 

My '33 Willys coupe came with the original pink. When I applied for a title in my home state I requested that the original paperwork including receipt and pink slip be returned to me "for historical records purposes" along with a new title. Still got them.
And still own the car too.

 

I thought it was pink slip “ready” until I read the lyrics on the net years ago!