# What is a 'Lodi'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123 "2004-04-15T06:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sisyphus\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sisyphus\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sisyphus_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/1 "2004-04-15T06:13:09Z")
Creedence Clearwater Revival, in their tune with the same title, mention a lodi. from the context it appears to be a state of suspended activity or absolute end-of-the-road period of destitution. One of the lines mentioning the lodi, as best I can interpret it is “Ran out of time and money. Looks like they took my friend. Oh Lord, stuck on a lodi again”. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/2 "2004-04-15T06:14:49Z")
Must. Fight. Urge. To. Quote. Slick. Rick. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/3 "2004-04-15T06:18:38Z")
It’s a backwater town (for the purposes of the song). Probably the one in California, East of San Francisco on S.R. 99. There is also a Lodi in Ohio. (Not sure of other places.) ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/4 "2004-04-15T06:19:49Z")
AFAIK CCR was stuck in Lodi California. I don’t think there was an “a” before Lodi but it might have been John Fogerty’s diction. [http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/creedence-clearwater-revival/34332.html](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/creedence-clearwater-revival/34332.html) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/5 "2004-04-15T06:20:21Z")
Good question. Bruce McCullouch also says it in the song “[Al Miller](http://www.kithfan.org/kith/sbm/almiller.html)” from his album _Shame Based Man_ > [@](#): > > “Gettin’ drunk in a hotel? / Well then you better play lodi.” Always wondered why the hell he was singin’ about a town in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/6 "2004-04-15T06:21:33Z")
BTW, it is “stuck _in_ Lodi, again.” [Lodi](http://www.mts.net/~mloewen1/ccr/lyrics/ccr2.html#10) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/7 "2004-04-15T06:22:03Z")
Ok well upon reading the replies and re-reading the lyrics I found, dude says “Low Die”… What the heck is “Low Die” then? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/8 "2004-04-15T06:26:30Z")
CCR cultivated a Louisiana/Cajun sound, but was a SF Bay area band. [Lodi.](http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=M7tNO.p_0TqT&csz=lodi%2C+ca&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=) Click on level 6 to get the proper persective. From San Jose, it’s kind of on the way when you drive to Sacramento or Yosemite. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/9 "2004-04-15T06:33:18Z")
[This link](http://www.lodi.gov/) should answer your question. So should [this one](http://mapsonus.switchboard.com/bin/maps-maponly/usr=~407e2a7c.4d679.4cda.6/c=2/formName=setclickpost). Also, why you’re at it, check out [this site.](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/LODI-lyrics-Creedence-Clearwater-Revival/2FA8A1F0FBFC808D48256AAB0030953B) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sisyphus\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sisyphus\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sisyphus_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/10 "2004-04-15T07:01:45Z")
Thank you, all. A mystery cleared. Here I was thinking it was some type of drug-enhanced sixties sexual activity. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/11 "2004-04-15T09:38:25Z")
Just for the record - there’s also a Lodi, Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/12 "2004-04-15T12:52:22Z")
New Jersey too: [http://www.2chambers.com/lodi,\_new\_jersey.htm](http://www.2chambers.com/lodi,_new_jersey.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/13 "2004-04-15T13:23:35Z")
Another link anyone? > **[Global Industry Market Sizing - NationMaster](https://www.nationmaster.com/)** > > Looking for country statistics? NationMaster gives access to market sizing and trends across 300 industry verticals and a global coverage. Lodi (pronounced LOH-die) is the name of several places: in the United States of America: Lodi, California Lodi, New Jersey Lodi, New York Lodi, Ohio Lodi, New Jersey in Italy: Lodi, Italy (pronounced LAW-dee) ---- “Lodi” is the title of a track from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 album Green River. Although songwriter John Fogerty wrote the song about being trapped in Lodi, California, about 75 miles from his hometown of El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California, he has admitted in interviews that he had never actually been there, and picked its name for the song’s title merely because it sounded like the name of a small town. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/14 "2004-04-15T14:35:59Z")
I’ve been to Lodi, CA for an engagement party. The people I met there enjoyed ribbing the out-of-town guests about being “stuck in Lodi”. In fact, they seemed a little proud of the song, since it at least put them on the map. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/15 "2004-04-15T15:59:47Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Ok well upon reading the replies and re-reading the lyrics I found, dude says “Low Die”… > > What the heck is “Low Die” then? A dice game, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/16 "2004-04-15T18:22:51Z")
According to my spouse, who grew up in Lodi, CA, it was originally named for a racehorse. [This one,](http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Lodi.html) I would assume. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/17 "2004-04-15T18:56:32Z")
Interestingly, the song has become anachromistic. I’m sure that in the 60s Lodi seemed like it was “in the middle of nowhere”. But the growth of Silicon Valley and the high cost of housing means that it’s not unusual for people now to commute in from as far away as Tracy and Manteca, both of which are Central Valley towns, as is Lodi. ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/18 "2004-04-15T19:00:30Z")
In a misheard lyrics conversation, I confessed to an old boss, I couldn’t understand what Fogerty was saying there. I knew my substitution wasn’t correct, but it was the closest I could get it at the time: Oh Lord, I’m stuck in an old diaphragm. After her giggling and pointing stopped, she set me straight on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/19 "2004-04-15T19:01:07Z")
[Lodi](http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=250&addtohistory=&address=&city=lodi&state=ca&zipcode=&submit=Get+Map) Haj ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123/20 "2004-04-15T19:16:24Z")
Seems like it’s been sorted out, but the “extended period of destitution” caught my eye since in Swedish, the word for “bum” is _lodis_ … Pretty close. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-lodi/240123.md?page=2)