How many times have I accompanied the show “Grease” on piano? Dozens. And yet, I still have this question. In “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” the mocking song Rizzo sings about Sandy, she states: “As for you, Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do, you’ve got your crust, I’m no object of lust, I’m just plain Sandra Dee.”
What does that lyric mean “You’ve got your crust?” I have never heard that word used in that context before. I’ve heard of crusty old men, but I equate that to grizzled and/or grouchy or hardhearted.
That’s another idea, but what about “your”? “You’ve got your crust” seems to mean crust is a physical thing. If it was “You’ve got a crust” it might imply something more akin to “you’ve got a lot of balls.” “Or you’ve got an STD.” I don’t know. Either way, definitely a reach. I am pretty positive none of the Rizzos I ever accompanied knew what the hell they were singing.
Yeah I think that’s it. “As for you, Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do [but] you’ve got your nerve. I’m no object of lust, I’m just plain Sandra Dee.”
I recall hearing the word “crust” used interchangeably with “nerve” back in the 60’s. I believe I saw it used in Superman comic books from the 1950’s, too.
I have no idea where this comes from or why I think it, but I’ve always interpreted it to mean “you’re a wealthy person” or someone who’s entitled to get whatever they want, and she’s saying “… but you can’t have me”. Again, absolutely no idea why.
In Robert Heinlein’s juvenile novel, The Star Beast, one character tells another, “You’ve got the crust of a bakery pie.” He’s using this word to mean “nerve”. This book was published in 1954.