The Fox The Crow And The Cookie
mewithoutYou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A baker from the outskirts of his town
Earned his living peddling sweets
From a ragged cart he dragged around
The clever fox crept close behind
Kept an ever watchful eye
For a chance to steal a ginger spice cake
Or a boysenberry pie
Looking down was the hungry crow:
"When the time is right, I'll strike
And condescend to the earth below
And take whichever treat I'd like"
The moment the baker turned around
To shoo the fox off from his cart
The crow swooped down and snatched a shortbread cookie
And a German chocolate tart
Using most unfriendly words
That the village children had not yet heard
The baker shouted threats by canzonette
To curse the crafty bird
"You rotten wooden mixing spoon
Why, you midnight-winged raccoon
You better bring those pastries back
You no-good burned-black macaroon"
The fox approached the tree
Where the bird was perched delighted in his nest
"Brother Crow, don't you remember me?
It's your old friend Fox with a humble request
If you could share just a modest piece
Seeing as I distracted that awful man"
This failed to persuade the crow in the least
So the fox rethought his plan
"Then if your lovely song would grace my ears
Or to even to hear you speak
Would ease my pains and fears!"
The crow looked down with the candy in his beak
"Your poems of wisdom, my good crow
What a paradise they bring!"
This flattery pleased the proud bird
So he opened his mouth and began to sing:
"Your subtle acclamation's true
Best to give praise where praise is due
Every rook and jay and corvidae's
Been raving about me too
They admire me, one and all
Must be the passion in my caw
My slender bill known throughout the escadrille
My fierce commanding claw!"
I got a walnut brownie brain
And molasses in my veins
Crushed graham cracker crust
My powdered sugared funnel cake cocaine
Let the crescent cookie rise
These carob-colored almond eyes
Would rest to see my cashewed princess
In the swirling marble sky
Would rest upon the knee
Where all of the visions cease to be
A root-beer float in our banana boat
Across the tapioca sea
When letting all attachments go
Is the only prayer we know
May it be so
May it be so
May it be so
Oh
The song "The Fox, The Crow And The Cookie" by mewithoutYou uses animal characters and a parable-like structure to explore themes of desire, deception, and self-importance. The lyrics describe a fox and a crow who both want the baker's sweets and employ different tactics to get them. The fox tries to distract the baker while the crow waits for an opportunity to swoop in and steal. The baker is angry and curses at the crow, who responds with flattery and boasts about his own talents. The final verse of the song presents a surreal and dreamlike image of sweet treats and a fantasy of release from earthly attachments.
The animal characters in the song represent different aspects of human nature. The fox is sly and cunning, representing the part of us that is willing to deceive and manipulate others to get what we want. The crow is proud and vain, representing the part of us that seeks attention and affirmation from others. The baker represents authority and order, but also the vulnerability of those who have something others want. The song suggests that these different parts of ourselves are constantly in conflict, and that they can lead us down a path of moral ambiguity and self-deception.
The final verse of the song presents a surreal and almost psychedelic scene, where the singer's thoughts drift into a fantasy of sugary treats and release from attachment. The use of vivid imagery and unexpected rhymes creates a sense of disorientation and dreamlike fantasy. The repetition of the phrase "May it be so" suggests a desire for a kind of transcendent experience, where the self is dissolved and reality is transformed.
Line by Line Meaning
Through mostly vacant streets
Walking down deserted roads
A baker from the outskirts of his town
A baker from outside the busy areas
Earned his living peddling sweets
Making a living by selling baked goods
From a ragged cart he dragged around
Transporting his goods on a worn-out cart
The clever fox crept close behind
The sneaky fox followed closely
Kept an ever watchful eye
Constantly vigilant
For a chance to steal a ginger spice cake
Hoping to snatch a specific pastry
Or a boysenberry pie
Alternatively hoping to steal another pastry
Looking down was the hungry crow:
The hungry crow looked down from a higher vantage point
"When the time is right, I'll strike
The crow was biding its time
And condescend to the earth below
To swoop down towards the ground
And take whichever treat I'd like"
And take whatever pastry it wanted
The moment the baker turned around
As soon as the baker was not looking
To shoo the fox off from his cart
To make the fox flee from the cart
The crow swooped down and snatched a shortbread cookie
The crow dove and took a pastry
And a German chocolate tart
Another item it took
Using most unfriendly words
Speaking very rudely
That the village children had not yet heard
Swearing words not fit for children's ears
The baker shouted threats by canzonette
The baker was so angry that he shouted obscenities in song
To curse the crafty bird
To put a spell on the bird
"You rotten wooden mixing spoon
Insulting the bird
Why, you midnight-winged raccoon
Using more insults
You better bring those pastries back
Demanding the stolen pastries back
You no-good burned-black macaroon"
Insulting the bird one last time
The fox approached the tree
The fox went to where the crow was
Where the bird was perched delighted in his nest
Where the bird was happily sitting in its nest
"Brother Crow, don't you remember me?
The fox greeted the crow as an old friend
It's your old friend Fox with a humble request
Asking humbly for a pastry
If you could share just a modest piece
Requesting a small portion
Seeing as I distracted that awful man"
Mentioning the baker as a reason to share
This failed to persuade the crow in the least
The request was unsuccessful
So the fox rethought his plan
Choosing a different strategy
"Then if your lovely song would grace my ears
Asking for something else
Or to even to hear you speak
Even hearing the bird talk would be great
Would ease my pains and fears!"
This would make the fox feel better
The crow looked down with the candy in his beak
The crow held the pastry in its mouth
"Your poems of wisdom, my good crow
Complimenting the bird
What a paradise they bring!"
Praising the bird's songs
This flattery pleased the proud bird
The crow was happy with the praise
So he opened his mouth and began to sing:
Starting to sing a self-praising song
"Your subtle acclamation's true
More self-praise
Best to give praise where praise is due
Acknowledging that he deserves the praise
Every rook and jay and corvidae's
Even other birds praise him
Been raving about me too
Even more praise
They admire me, one and all
Others like and respect him
Must be the passion in my caw
The crow attributes the praise to his voice
My slender bill known throughout the escadrille
Another feature the bird values about himself
My fierce commanding claw!"
The last thing the bird praises about himself
I got a walnut brownie brain
Using metaphors to describe oneself
And molasses in my veins
Continuing the metaphor
Crushed graham cracker crust
Still using metaphors
My powdered sugared funnel cake cocaine
The crow describes itself using sweet baked goods
Let the crescent cookie rise
Another pastry metaphor
These carob-colored almond eyes
Describing its eyes with food metaphor
Would rest to see my cashewed princess
Describing someone it admires with food metaphor
In the swirling marble sky
Using nature and color to describe a setting
Would rest upon the knee
Desiring to be close to its loved one
Where all of the visions cease to be
Desiring to be in a peaceful and harmonious setting
A root-beer float in our banana boat
Using food and drink to describe a happy situation
Across the tapioca sea
Using a dessert to describe a body of water
When letting all attachments go
Describing a state of mind
Is the only prayer we know
Desiring a state of mind
May it be so
Asking for the desired state of mind
May it be so
Repeating the desired state of mind
May it be so
One last repetition of the desired state of mind
Oh
An exclamation to end the song
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind