Whitewall Tires

by Will Thorpe

 

Well it’s Saturday night and I just got paid when I heard that hot rod Lincoln coming over the hill.  I knew it was Maybellene doing about 104 on the way to the Heartbreak Hotel for some good rockin tonight.  I yelled, “Wake up little Susie, put on your black slacks, it’s time to shake, rattle and roll.”  

So I stuck an Esterbrook fountain pen in the pocket of my pink shirt and flipped up the collar.  We hopped in my Chevy 409 and started moving on down the line.  At the hop we met Bobby McGee who was wearing a white sport coat and a pink carnation.  Along came Henrietta who said, “I feel good.”

Charlie Brown said, “C’mon everybody let’s have a party.”  Charlie Brown, he’s a clown.

Woo hoo!  I’m ready.  Inside there was a whole lotta shakin’ going on.  It was a real frenzy.  I brushed off my blue suede shoes and went crazy man, crazy.  I was red hot!  We’ll rock around the clock tonight.  Claudette the queen of the hop danced over and told me, “Slow down.”

I told her, “You’re a little demon.”

She yelled, “How can you be so mean to me?”

Leroy who is a real rebel rouser ran up all breathless and said, “Honey hush.”

Billy jumped up and mumbled, “Let the little girl dance.”

Then I heard the rumble in the street.  I combed my duck tail and we ran outside.  It was my boy Elvis in his brand new Cadillac.  Johnny B. Goode ran up and yelled, “My Rocket 88 is action packed let’s have a race with the devil.”  

That Rocket 88 fired up and great balls of fire shot out of the tailpipe scorching the Chantilly lace dress that Donna was wearing.  Oh boy!  I noticed that Elvis was wearing sunglasses after dark.

Susie jumped into the back seat of that Cadillac landing on Roy who woke up shakin’ all over and said with a shout, "Hello little bitty pretty one.”

“Cut out the yakety yak” snarled Elvis.

Susie stood up and screamed, “Go go go!”

I took another shot of tequila as they roared off in the still of the night.  All I could think of was that my baby left me so I waved and hollered, “Bye bye love.” 

“See you later, alligator” was all I heard from Susie.  I cried, “Honey don’t” and the brown eyed handsome man standing next to me whispered in my ear, “The girl can’t help it.”  That made me wonder why do fools fall in love?

The race was on and everybody was hand clappin’.  They raced across the railroad tracks just missing the number 9 train.  Then we heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights.

Elvis crooned, “I’m sorry, so sorry, please accept my apology.  Show me some mercy.”  The judge smiled and announced, “I believe what you say and I’d like to help you son but you’re too young to vote.  Forty days at hard labor busting jailhouse rock.”  

That sentence was somethin’ else so I headed down to the Chicken Shack where I ordered the hippy hippy shake.  I knew I was about to have a case of the summertime blues so I joined the Navy and went on a sea cruise.