Pena
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Lyrics
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Dialogue:
Don Van Vliet: (laughter)
taped DVV: "Fast and bulbous"
The Mascara Snake: "Fast and bulbous" DVV: "That`s er . . . "
(more laughter) Frank Zappa: "Okay, do it again, then you`ve won."
DVV: "I love it, it`s one of those words."
MS: "Fast and bulbous"
DVV: "That`s right, The Mascara Snake, fast and bulbous."
MS: "Bulbous also tapered"
DVV: "Yeah, but yer gotta wait until I say, `Also, a tin teardrop` "
MS: (laughing) "Huh. . . christ"
FZ: "Again, beginning"
MS: "Fast and bulbous"
DVV: "That`s right, The Mascara Snake, fast and bulbous. Also a tin
teardrop."
MS: "Bulbous also tapered"
DVV: "That`s right"
Pena
Her litle head clinking
Like uh barrel of red velvet balls
Full past noise
Treats filled `er eyes
Turning them yellow like enamel coated tacks
Soft like butter hard not t` pour
Out enjoying the sun while sitting on
Uh turned on waffle iron
Smoke billowing up from between her legs
Made me vomit beautifully
`n crush uh chandelier
Fall on my stomach `n view her
From uh thousand happened facets
Liquid red salt ran over crystals
I later band-aided the area
Sighed
Oh well it was worth it
Pena pleased but sore from sitting
Choose t` stub `er toe
`n view the white pulps horribly large
in their red pockets
"I`m tired of playing baby," she explained
`n out of uh blue felt box let escape
One yellow butterfly the same size
Its dropping were tiny green phosphorous wor
ms That moved in tuck `n rolls that clacked
`n whispered in their confinement
Three little burnt scotch taped windows
Several yards away
Mouths open t` tongues that vibrated
`n lost saliva
Pena exclaimed, "That`s the raspberries."
Pena
The song Pena by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band is known for its obscure and disjointed lyrics that defy interpretation. The opening dialogue between Don Van Vliet, The Mascara Snake, and Frank Zappa sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the repeated phrase "Fast and bulbous" serving as a kind of nonsensical chorus. The rest of the lyrics are equally bizarre, describing a woman named Pena who has a head like "uh barrel of red velvet balls" and turns her eyes yellow. She sits on a "turned on waffle iron" and emits smoke from between her legs, prompting the singer to vomit and crush a chandelier. Pena seems to take pleasure in causing pain, saying "I'm tired of playing baby" and stubbing her toe to view the "white pulps horribly large in their red pockets."
Line by Line Meaning
Her litle head clinking
Her small head made a clinking sound
Like uh barrel of red velvet balls
Her head's sound was like a barrel full of red velvet balls
Full past noise
Full of loud and unpleasant noise
Treats filled `er eyes
Something pleasing or delightful filled her eyes
Turning them yellow like enamel coated tacks
The pleasing sight made her eyes turn yellow, similar to enamel-coated tacks
Soft like butter hard not t` pour
The sight was amazing yet overwhelming
Out enjoying the sun while sitting on
She was enjoying the sun while sitting on
Uh turned on waffle iron
A waffle iron that was turned on
Smoke billowing up from between her legs
Smoke was coming out from between her legs
Made me vomit beautifully
Such a sight made the artist vomit beautifully
`n crush uh chandelier
The singer crushed a chandelier
Fall on my stomach `n view her
The artist fell on his stomach to view her
From uh thousand happened facets
Through a thousand different angles
Liquid red salt ran over crystals
Red salt-like liquid flowed over crystals
I later band-aided the area
The singer later bandaged the area
Sighed
The artist let out a sigh
Oh well it was worth it
The experience was worth it despite the discomfort and unpleasantness
Pena pleased but sore from sitting
Pena was pleased yet sore from sitting
Choose t` stub `er toe
She decided to stub her toe
`n view the white pulps horribly large
The artist saw the white pulps that were big and terrible
in their red pockets
The pulps were in their red pockets
"I`m tired of playing baby," she explained
Pena was tired of playing the role of a baby
`n out of uh blue felt box let escape
She took out a blue felt box
One yellow butterfly the same size
She let go of a yellow butterfly of the same size
Its dropping were tiny green phosphorous wor
The butterfly's dropping were tiny green phosphorus worms
ms That moved in tuck `n rolls that clacked
The worms moved in tuck and rolls and made clacking sounds
`n whispered in their confinement
The worms whispered while they were in confinement
Three little burnt scotch taped windows
There were three little burnt windows taped with scotch tape
Several yards away
The windows were a few yards away
Mouths open t` tongues that vibrated
The mouths were open, and the tongues were vibrating
`n lost saliva
The mouths were losing saliva
Pena exclaimed, "That`s the raspberries."
Pena exclaimed in excitement that she enjoyed the experience
Contributed by Brayden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@adammorvant
Pena
Her little head clinking
Like uh barrel of red velvet balls
Full past noise
Treats filled 'er eyes
Turning them yellow like enamel coated tacks
Soft like butter hard not t' pour
Out enjoying the sun while sitting on
Uh turned on waffle iron
Smoke billowing up from between her legs
Made me vomit beautifully
'N crush uh chandelier
Fall on my stomach 'n view her
From uh thousand happened facets
Liquid red salt ran over crystals
I later band-aided the area
Sighed
Oh well it was worth it
Pena pleased but sore from sitting
Choose t' stub 'er toe
'N view the white pulps horribly large
In their red pockets
"I'm tired of playing baby, " she explained
'N out of uh blue felt box let escape
One yellow butterfly the same size
Its droppings were tiny green phosphorous worms
That moved in tuck 'n rolls that clacked
'N whispered in their confinement
Three little burnt scotch taped windows
Several yards away
Mouths open t' tongues that vibrated
'N lost saliva
Pena exclaimed, "That's the raspberries."
@twalsh06
"Yeah, wait until I say 'also a tin teardrop' before you say 'bulbous also tapered.' Otherwise it won't make any sense."
@domenicraye2204
A teardrop fits the criteria for a bulbous object, as well as the criteria for a tapered shape. He's right, how could saying Bulbous also tapered" make sense when you don't know WHAT is bulbous also tapered. ahahahah.
@hallamhal
Haha... christ!
@thomascarlyle6117
@Burr Anderson tapered bulbous
@mate6252
Thumb up for the quoting
@briancrawford8751
@@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943 Where do you get acid? It seems that shit has made a comeback since the DEA cracked down on it in the '60's and '70's.
@someonedifferent6374
It's hard to believe this was made in 69. It sounds like something someone would make today. Humor and music ahead of it's time
@sharonbodea7677
Who could do this today?
@alcoholya
The Residents were just around the corner a couple of years after this...
@buu4045
It sounds like old cartoon network.