Workin' At The Car Wash Blues

The speaker has just left prison and hopes to land an important office job, but employers turn him away. He ends up washing cars and feels disappointed, frustrated, and trapped. His confidence remains high, however: he insists that he deserves a much grander life, even while describing the unpleasant reality of his work.

The contrast between an “air conditioned” office and rubbing car fenders shows the gap between his ambitions and his current situation. “Carwash blues” suggests both sadness about the job and a catchy, comic way of naming his troubles. Calling himself an “undiscovered Howard Hughes” is an exaggerated comparison: he imagines himself as a brilliant, wealthy man whose abilities have not yet been recognized.

The humor makes the speaker’s complaints entertaining, but it also leaves room for sympathy. He may truly feel overlooked, yet his boastful claims and flirtatious fantasy about office life make him seem unreliable and self-important. The song does not tell us whether he will improve his situation; it ends by returning to the same job and mood.