captain beefheart electricity

BEATLE BONES AND SMOKIN' STONES
album lyricsflits

SHINY BEAST (BAT CHAIN PULLER)
study the discography



SIDE ONE
 
THE FLOPPY BOOT STOMP

the floppy boot stomped down onto the ground
the farmer screamed and blew the sky off the mountains
eye sockets looked down onto chestbone meadows
and the sun dropped down and the moon ran off
his heels and elbows pale as chalk
and all the comets collided and blew to dust
for fear they would be seen
and the sky turned white in the middle of the night [2x]
and the big floppy boot stomped down onto the ground
and the red violin took the bow for to do the hoodoo hoe-down [2x]
the farmer jumped in a circle and flung his chalk right down
do-si-do the devil sure showed and he broke off his horns
and fiddled him down the road through the fork
and the farmer's floppy boot stomped down
red tail squirmed and the hot leg kicked
and the fire leaped and licked
[repeat of last two sentences]
and when the boot came up the fire went out
and hell was just an ice cube melting off onto the ground
the bow caught down for to do the hoodoo hoe-down
and the bow caught down for to do the hoodoo the devil hoe-down [2x]
through the fork huddled in the hollows
standing at the crossroads
was that bunged-up bandaged broken bum
that fell into the wrong circle
he had a sore red tail that once went red
now was pale fee-fo-fi-fum
he was summoned up from hell, booted down a spell
by a square dancing farmer [2x] well
that old bum was sticking out his thumb
when the farmer drew up and said: 'listen son'
- and the horse compared his hooves -
'if you fall in my circle again
i'll tan your red hide and dance you on your tail
and pitch you from now and now' [2x]
and the hot leg kicked and the fire leaped and licked
[several repeats]

originally a track from the unreleased album bat chain puller (1976)
 

***

 
TROPICAL HOT DOG NIGHT

tropical hot dog night
like two flamingos in a fruit fight
every color of day whirling around at night
i'm playing this music
so the young girls will come out
to meet the monster tonight

tropical hot dog night
like two flamingos in a fruit fight
i don't want to know about wrong or right
yeah, i don't want to know, i'm anywhere tonight

tropical hot dog night
like two flamingos in a fruit fight
like stepping out of a triangle into
striped light [2x]

tropical hot dog night
everything is wrong at the same time it's right
the truth has no patterns for me tonight
i'm playing this music
so the young girls will come out
to meet the monster tonight
meet the monster tonight

what do all you women do
when the men get tropical hot dog payday?
what do you do on tropical hot dog day day?
hey, hey, step out of a triangle into striped light
turn around and step back into striped light
tropical hot dog night
i'm playing this song
for all the young girls
to come out to meet the monster tonight
meet the monster tonight

a part of this text is available in hand writing !
 

***
 

ICE ROSE

an instrumental, so no lyrics


***

 
HARRY IRENE

harry irene
were a couple that lived in the green
harry irene
were a couple that ran a canteen
ran a canteen [2x]
two people harry and irene like you've never seen
the floor was made of oak, the door was smokey grey
their tuna sandwiches would turn the dark into day
they sold wine like turpentine to painters
they took to social life like props to aviators
[repeating of parts]
took harry for all of his green and irene
harry was left holding an empty canteen
and by the way folks, it was dusty, not harry
what does this mean? [2x]
what's the meaning of this?
poor harry, i guess

originally a track from the unreleased album bat chain puller (1976)
 

***

 
YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MAN

no lyrics given on text sheet, as it is 'self explanatory'

ah, you know you're a man
yeah, she makes you understand
yeah, you know you're a man
yeah, you know you're a girl
about the same time
yeah, about the same time
i know i'm a man
you know you're a girl
oh, when we're starting to
deep down in your heart [2x]
you know you're a girl
when i know i'm a man

way down deep in your heart
way down deep in my heart
i got a glow
way down deep in your heart
you hear me, yeah, you hear me?
well, you're ready to love
when we're starting to
you got a glow, darling
deep down in your heart
loving by you

yeah, you know you're a man
yeah, she makes you know you're a man
yeah, you know you're a girl
about the same time
you know you're a man
yeah, you know you're a man
about the same time
she knows she's a girl
i know she makes you understand
[repeating of parts]


***

 
BAT CHAIN PULLER

bat chain puller
[several repeats]
a chain with yellow lights that glistens like oil beads
on its slick smooth trunk
that trails behind on tracks and thumps
a wing hangs limp and retrieves
bat chain puller puller puller
bulbs shoot from its snoot and vanish into darkness
it whistles like a root snatched from dry earth
sod bust and rakes with grey dust claws
announces its coming in the morning
this train with grey tubes that houses people's
very thoughts and belongings
[several repeats]
this train with grey tubes that houses people's thoughts
their very remains and belongings
a grey cloth patch caught with four threads
and the hollow wind of its stacks
ripples felt fades and grey sparks clacks
lunge into cushion thickets
pumpkins span the hills with orange crayola patches
green inflated trees balloon up into marshmallow soot
that walks away in faulty circles caught in grey blisters
with twinkling lights and green sashes
drawn by rubber dolphins with gold yawning mouths
that blister and break in agony in zones of rust
they gild gold sawdust into dust
[several repeats]

originally a track from the unreleased album bat chain puller (1976)
 

***

streep


SIDE TWO

WHEN I SEE MOMMY I FEEL LIKE A MUMMY

oh, woe, when i see mommy
i feel like a mummy [3x]
gonna wrap her up
every time i see her [2x]
i want to grab her
pull her up to me
till i look through her
but she moves so fast
that i can't even see her
her interest fades
like breath on a mirror
every time i see her [2x]
i try to grab her
and the wind from my hand
blows away like a feather
every time i grab her [2x]
oh, when i see mommy
i feel like a mummy
gonna wrap her up [2x]
next time i see her [2x]
i'm gonna seize her
then i'm gonna freeze her
it's the only way
that i might get to see her
gonna wrap her up - oh, mommy
oh, when i see mommy
i feel like a mummy [3x]
every time i see her [2x]
i want to grab her
pull her up to me
till i look right through her
but she moves so fast
that i can't even see her
her interest fades
like a breath on a mirror [5x]
yeah, when i see mommy
i feel like a mummy [2x]


***

 
OWED T' ALEX (carson city)

lyrics co-written with herb bermann

stupid heart, cupid heart,
where will you go from here?
magnetic ring, magnetic draw,
ahhh, what [have] you got me into?
eye of a wolf, chrome claw,
leaving you now, i'll write you, ma
taking a putt up to carson city
well, if you hear me howling - well, hell
sitting pretty, tasting nitty gritty
putting on in to carson city
sparks, tattoos, two tats, and a toot
helmets, crosses, and a patch to boot
engine hot, pipes burn white
glad i'm not... home tonight
five miles back i took a spill
thought i almost paid my bill
making my putt to carson city
party time with the jones by name,
ahhh, it's a shame - say it's a pity
gotta putt out of carson city
ahhh [several times]

originally a track from the unreleased album bat chain puller (1976)

***

 
CANDLE MAMBO

candle shy
candle weep
fly hot candle leap
candle roll
unfold and ball
candle large
candle small
your threads of fire are burning up
your feathers of fire are winning night
and turning light [2x]
light deepest night for me
and steer for me
spin and spin then and then
when i'm dancing with my love
the shadows flicker up above
up above the shadows do the candle mambo
candle roll
unfold and ball
candle blur
candle whir
candle her [2x]
while your lights are spinning around
your feathers of fire are winning night
and turning light [2x]
candle crack
candle break
correct the night's mistake
[repeating of parts]

originally an
outtake of the unreleased album bat chain puller (1976)

 

***

 
LOVE LIES

stopped by your house
saw your lamp lit
not a sign of you in it
where could you go at this hour?
has all our love lost its power?
i said i would be here with our flower
street lamps flutter like fireflies
i wished i hadn't told you
all of those love lies
[repeating of parts]
i miss you more hour by hour
the roses seem to smell sour
[repeating of parts]
butter lamps flutter like fireflies
[repeating of parts]


***
 

SUCTION PRINTS

an instrumental, so no lyrics


***

 
APES-MA spoken words

apes-ma, apes-ma
your cage is too dirty, apes-ma
remember when you were young, apes-ma?
and you used to break out of your cage?
well you know that you're not
strong enough to do that anymore now
and apes-ma, the little girl that
named you years ago has died now
and you're older, apes-ma
remember when she named you
and it was in the paper, apes-ma?
apes-ma, apes-ma
you're eating too much
and going to the bathroom too much, apes-ma
and apes-ma,
your cage isn't getting any bigger, apes-ma

originally a track from the unreleased album bat chain puller (1976)


***

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