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In the lyrics, some pieces I couldn't understand very well:

Shakey wake up thirsty from a night in the bar
And snake hips Joe is Mr. Cool

What's snake hips? And, does the name Joe have a special meaning?

Out on the boulevard
The pimp from the Jack of Diamonds

I guess Jack of Diamonds is somewhere similar to Casino, yes?

Just got another Jane Doe
She just got off the last bus from Montecedo

Why Jane Doe? Is the guy very special? And where is Montecedo?

Sailor boys find trouble in the alien state
It's one on one from Las Palmas to the Golden Gate
Fly boys on the corner waiting for a ride
For twenty bucks he'll pull the cork on the man inside

Why on the corner, but not in the corner? And what means waiting for a ride?

I'm also confused with the phrase pull the cork on the man inside.

`Cause we're rolling in heavy traffic
Judy's in the jump seat and Jody's in the bucket
Billy likes to drive and Jackie's just high
And Cindy thinks we're all gonna commit suicide

How to understand the word rolling?

`Cause we're rolling in heavy traffic
Yeah we're rolling in heavy traffic

Mack he's got his Marlboros tucked up in his sleeve

FWIK, Marlboro is a brand of cigarette, yet? But how do Mack hidden Marlboro in his sleeve?

He's shacked up in his basement making P.C.P.
He used to shake the french fries

What P.C.P was Mack making?

Down on 12th and Maine
And now he stays up nights on apple juice and cocaine

How to understand Down on 12th?

I know I have got too many questions, but any help pointing out answers is appreciated.

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closed as off-topic by FumbleFingers, MetaEd♦, Kris, tchrist♦, p.s.w.g Jul 13 '13 at 20:31

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Jack of diamonds is also a playing card. There are four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. Jack is the card between a 10 and a queen.

Jane Doe means unknown female person; John Doe is the male equivalent. It means she is a small town girl from some backwater village.

Tough guys used to roll their sleeves and put a cigarette box into the wrap, so that the box is next to biceps muscles. Google "cigarette rolled in sleeve" for pictures.

PCP, aka Angel Dust is hallucinogenic drug. Shaking french fries means that Mack used to work in a fast-food restaurant, which usually is poorly paid.

Down on 12th means 12th street. In the United States, streets often are numbered instead of having "real" names.

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  • Stripping the lyrics down to the dictionary level defeats the whole idea of a song. That's done in a literature/criticism class. – Kris Jul 12 '13 at 7:10
  • Perhaps pointless, as this had been closed for quite a while, but I suspect he meant "12th and Main". In the US at least, the central street in nearly every city is named "Main". "12th and Main" will be a downtown area just about anywhere. – T.E.D. Oct 17 '13 at 21:51
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'Snake hips' is a term describing someone who is a good dancer, specifically because they are flexible. It is a kind of joke because snakes, of course, don't have hips. I don't think 'Joe' has any special significance.

'Jack of Diamonds' is probably the name of a club or casino, yes.

'On the corner' refers to the corner of a street. So they're waiting 'on the street corner'. 'In the corner' would mean they were indoors, in the corner of a room, say.

'Rolling in heavy traffic' simply means driving in heavy traffic.

Anonymous has answered the others admirably.

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