Another classic Lana love song, even more perverse than her other songs, “Off to the Races” gives Lana her credibility as a free-spirited artist.
This song is obviously about the classic "Lolita", by Vladimir Nabokov as the opening line to the book is "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul." Lana has described her style as "Lolita got lost in The Hood," meaning that she has probably read the book, and based "Off To The Races" on it. This whole song is about the book and film Lana Del Rey claims she loves: Lolita. I believe she uses the book as an overall metaphor for her own life, or it could just possibly weave between the two.
"Light of my life, fire of my loins," are the opening words to 'Lolita,' if you've read it you'll realize that the song is much like a soundtrack to the book. The book is a classic and she has put a nice 'gangsta' spin on it, semi-rapping and giving off that stong angst. So what was “Lolita” about?
Humbert Humbert, a British professor coming to the US to teach, rents a room in Mrs. Haze's house, but only after he sees her 14-year-old daughter, Dolores (Lolita), to whom he is immediately attracted. Though he hates the mother, he marries her as this is the only way to be close to the girl, who will prove to be too mature for her age. They start a journey together, trying to hide their “incestuous” relationship throughout the country, being followed by someone whom Humbert first suspects to be from the police. The profound jealousy, and maybe some guilt from the forbidden love, seem slowly to drive the man emotionally unstable.
People claim they love this song without having any idea what it is about and just thinking it is another love story. It is more than that as in this song Lana sings as if she is Lolita even from her voice which she makes very child-like throughout.
“Light of my life, fire of my loins
Be a good baby, do what I want
Light of my life, fire of my loins
Give me them gold coins, give me them coins”
Lana uses her child-like voice in these lines of the songs and that makes her a genius artist.
Listen to this song and you’ll get high by the music and it is hard to get out of your head.
