Inca Roads
Lyrics
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Just to land in the Andes?
Was it round
And did it have
A motor
Or was it
Something
Different
George: Sure was different. I ain't never seen nothing like that in my entire life!
Napoleon: Whose python boot is that? That ain't my sh-- What?
FZ: Why don't you sharpen it then?
George: Little round ball . . . I could . . . couldn't . . . That white cain't do nothin'
Napoleon: Je-he-zus! Wait a minute!
FZ: Mother Mary and Jozuf!
Did a vehicle
Did a vehicle
Did a vehicle
Fly along the mountains
And find a place to park itself
Park it
Se-e-e-elf
(PARK IT . . . PARK IT)
Or did someone
Build a place
To leave a space
For such a thing to land
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Did a vehicle come
From somewhere out there
Did the Indians, first on the bill
Carve up the hill
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Just to land in the Andes?
Was she round
And did she have a motor
Or was she something different
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
At the Armadillo in Austin Texas, her aura,
Or did someone build a place
Or leave a space for Chester's Thing to land
(Chester's Thing . . . on Ruth)
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Did the Indians, first on the bill
Carve up her hill
On Ruth
On Ruth
That's Ruth
Players On This Song
THE BEST BAND YOU NEVER HEARD IN YOUR LIFE version
- Frank Zappa - lead guitar, computer-synth, vocal
- Ike Willis - rhythm guitar, synth, vocal
- Mike Keneally - rhythm guitar, synth, vocal
- Bobby Martin - keyboards, vocal
- Ed Mann - vibes, marimba, electronic percussion
- Walt Fowler - trumpet, flugel horn, synth
- Bruce Fowler - trombone
- Paul Carman - alto sax, soprano sax, baritone sax
- Albert Wing - tenor sax
- Kurt McGettrick - baritone sax, bass sax, contrabass clarinet
- Scott Thunes - electric bass, mini-moog
- Chad Wackerman - drums, electronic percussion
Records On Which This Song Has Appeared
Official Zappa Albums
- One Size Fits All
- The Lost Episodes
- You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2
- The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life
- Trance-Fusion as "A Cold Dark Matter"
- The Dub Room Special! (The Album)
- Roxy By Proxy
- The Roxy Performances
- Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show
Tributes & Cover Albums
- Various Artists: Zappa's Universe
- Omnibus Wind Ensemble: Music By Frank Zappa
- Pierrejean Gaucher: Zappe Zappa
- Ensemble Ambrosius: The Zappa Album
Notes About This Song
- Steve Vai on Inca Roads in an interview (Zappa's Universe - Guitar World, February 1999):
GW: Is it true that you once transcribed Frank's entire "Inca Roads" solo from One Size Fits All (Rykodisc, 1975), strictly from memory, while riding on a bus?
Steve Vai: Yes, it's true. I doubt I got it exactly right, but that solo was something that I really, really loved. The One Size Fits All album was very important to me, and I loved that song in particular. It said in the credits that the main part of the tune was recorded in a Los Angeles TV studio, and the solo was taken from a concert in Helsinki, Finland. I could hear where the edit was, and I thought, "Wow, this is incredible." The way he'd combined those two elements was one of the coolest things I'd ever heard.
- On the You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2 version of Inca Roads, at 1:07, one can hear the question "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?".
CC Clues In This Song
- Towards the end, the song makes reference to Chester Thompson's encounter with a particular groupie ("Chester's thing", "a booger-bear").
