Download "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo"

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo by A Tribe Called Quest

Release Date
Wed Apr 11 1990
Produced by
Jungle Brothers & A Tribe Called Quest
Writed by
Q-Tip & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
About

The song title is a reference to Sanford and Son, a popular television sitcom from the 70s. Fred Sanford, a character from the show, would always mention El Segundo as a joke, like “Godzilla Eats El Segundo!” for example.

Q also tells us this in the movie/documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The T...

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I Left My Wallet in El Segundo Lyrics

[Intro]
Toqué ese guitarra!

[Chorus: Q-Tip]
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I gotta get it, I got, got to get it
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I gotta get it, I got, got to get it

[Verse 1: Q-Tip]
My mother went away for a month-long trip
Her and some friends on an ocean liner ship
She made a big mistake by leaving me home
I had to roam so I picked up the phone
Dialed Ali up to see what was going down
Told him I pick him up so we could drive around
Took the Dodge Dart, a '74
My mother left a yard but I needed one more
Shaheed had me covered with a hundred greenbacks
So we left Brooklyn and we made big tracks
Drove down the Belt, got on the Conduit
Came to a toll, and paid and went through it
Had no destination, we was on a quest
Ali laid in the back so he can get rest
Drove down the road for two-days-and-a-half
The sun had just risen on a dusty path
Just then a figure had caught my eye
A man with a sombrero who was 4 feet high
I pulled over to ask where we was at
His index finger he tipped up his hat
El segundo, he said, my name is Pedro
If you need directions, I'll tell you pronto
Need a civilization, some sort of reservation
He said a mile south there's a fast food station
Thanks, señor, as I started the motor
Ali said "Damn, Tip, what did you drive so far for?"

[Skit]
Well, describe to me what the wallet looks like

[Verse 2: Q-Tip]
Anyway a gas station we passed
We got gas and went on to get grub
It was a nice little pub in the middle of nowhere
Anywhere would have been better
I ordered enchiladas and I ate 'em
Ali had the fruit punch
When we finished we thought for ways to get back
I had a hunch
Ali said: pay for lunch, so I did it
Pulled out the wallet and I saw this wicked beautiful lady
She was a waitress there
Put the wallet down and stared and stared
To put me back into reality, here's Shaheed
"Yo Tip man, you got what you need?"
I checked for keys and started to step
And what do you know, my wallet I forget

[Skit]
It was a brown wallet, it had props numbers
It had my jimmy hats, I gotta get it man

[Verse 3: Q-Tip]
Lord, have mercy
The heat got hotter, Ali starts to curse me
I feel bad but he makes me feel badder
Chit-chit-chatter, car starts to scatter
Breaking on out, we was northeast bound
Jetting on down at the speed of sound
Three days coming and three more going
We get back and there was no slack
490 Madison, we're here, Sha
He said, "all right, Tip, see you tomorrow
Thinking about the past week, the last week
Hands go in my pocket, I can't speak
Hopped in the car and torped' to the shack
Of Shaheed, we gotta go back
When he said "Why?," I said "We gotta go
'Cause I left my wallet in El Segundo"

[Chorus: Q-Tip]
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I gotta get it, I got, got to get it
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I left my wallet in El Segundo
I gotta get it, I got, got to get it

[Outro: Q-Tip​​]
Come on, let's go
Come on, let's go
(Yo Phife)

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo Q&A

Who wrote I Left My Wallet in El Segundo's ?

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo was written by Q-Tip & Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Who produced I Left My Wallet in El Segundo's ?

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo was produced by Jungle Brothers & A Tribe Called Quest.

When did A Tribe Called Quest release I Left My Wallet in El Segundo?

A Tribe Called Quest released I Left My Wallet in El Segundo on Wed Apr 11 1990.

What have the artists said about the song?

On “Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” when I heard the title, I was like, “What the hell does that mean?” [laughs] But it was never about that. People could’ve gotten lost on it, but I never did because the lyrics of the song described our relationship. Even though the title was foreign, the body of th...

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What have other members said about the song?

Writer Q-Tip explained how he came up with the idea and lyrics for this song in and interview with Wax Poetics:

On “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” I would always watch Sanford & Son, and Fred Sanford always talked about El Segundo, so I turned it into a fun record. It was nonsensical.

Is there any sample information for this song?

Yes, there are two samples used in this song. The first is taken from “Sueno” by The Young Rascals, which is shown in the intro of this song:

The second sample is from “Funky” by The Chamber Brothers. The producers of this song took a lot of inspiration from this song, as the guitar loop, drum line...

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Is there a music video for this song?

Yes, you can find it here:

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