In addition to recording his albums, Yankovic has written and starred in his own film, UHF, and his own television show, The Weird Al Show, and directed music videos for himself and other artists including Ben Folds, Hanson, the Black Crowes and The Presidents of the United States of America. He has also made guest appearances on many television shows, in addition to starring in his own Al TV specials.
Though parodies earned him his fame, Yankovic has recorded a greater number of humorous songs with original tunes. Some of these pieces are pastiches (or style parodies), where he chooses a band's entire body of work to emulate rather than any single hit, although Yankovic has many completely original pieces. Most of his albums include a medley which juxtaposes the choruses of various songs in a polka style to accordion music.
Due to his popularity, he has been credited with several songs that are not actually his. A full list of every song he has ever actually done, including the live-only songs, can be found at the Al Songs website. Similarly, a comprehensive list of songs incorrectly credited to him can be found at The Not Al Page.
In 2006, Al recorded the song "You're Pitiful". However, while James Blunt gave his blessing for the parody of his song, "You're Beautiful", Blunt's label Atlantic Records was opposed to it. Though parodies are protected legally, the issue had become "more of a political matter than a legal matter", according to Al, so he decided to not put the song on his next album. Instead, he offered it as a free download from his site.
His latest album, "Straight Outta Lynwood", was released September 26th, 2006. Its first released single, "Don't Download This Song", was made available as a free download on August 21, 2006. The animated video for the track and a link to downloadable MP3 is available at dontdownloadthissong.com. Among other tracks, the album includes parodies of Green Day, Usher, R. Kelly, and Chamillionaire. Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" is parodied as "White and Nerdy", the second released single from the new album. This single has thus far climbed as far as #9 on the Billboard Singles chart, eclipsing "Eat It" as Al's highest charting single (which went as high as #12).
Official Website: http://www.weirdal.com
FactBox Info
Members
Al Yankovic
Jon ''Bermuda'' Schwartz
Steve Jay
Jim West
Rubén Valtierra
Former Members
Rick Derringer
Ross Noble
Joe Earley
My Own Eyes
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw a junkie eat a tuba
I saw a stripper kiss a duck
Behind a dumpster in Aruba
I saw this fat, psychotic guy
His underwear was made of crickets
He pawned a skeleton to buy
I saw a naked vagrant giving
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to his cat
I probably could have gone my whole life
Without seeing that
With my own eyes
I see things that'd drive a normal man insane
Wish I could disconnect my brain
From my own eyes
I saw a mime get hacked to death
With an imaginary cleaver
I saw an old man's final breath
I watched him die from Bieber Fever
I saw these diabetic chicks
In an abandoned 7-Eleven
I watched them snorting pixie sticks
While they were belching Stairway To Heaven
I saw two drag queens trying to see how many crackers
They could shove up each other's nose
I'd like to erase my mind completely but I suppose
That's just the way it goes
With my own eyes
I see things that'd drive a normal man insane
Wish I could disconnect my brain
From my own eyes (my own eyes)
Those visions haunt my memory
Oh, there's so much I wish I could unsee
With my own eyes
Some priest got drunk and stole a circus zebra
And he trained it to massage his back
My guinea pig committed hara-kiri
So we used him to play hacky-sack
My neighbor's kids sold weapons grade plutonium
And frosty ice-cold lemonade
They took MasterCard and sometimes
Human organs in trade, that's how we paid
I have to say that it was really darn good lemonade
With my own eyes
I've seen thing that'd drive a normal man insane
Wish I could disconnect my brain
From my own eyes (my own eyes)
Those visions haunt my memory
Oh, there's so much I wish I could unsee
With my own eyes
With my own eyes
With my own eyes
With my own eyes
"Weird Al" Yankovic's song, "My Own Eyes," is a humorous take on the bizarre and outlandish things one might encounter in the world. The lyrics paint a picture of a world filled with absurdity and surrealism, where a baby can drive a truck, a junkie can eat a tuba, and a stripper can kiss a duck behind a dumpster in Aruba. The song lists a hilarious array of strange occurrences, from a naked vagrant giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to his cat to two drag queens trying to see how many crackers they could shove up each other's nose. The chorus laments the singer's inability to "disconnect [his] brain from [his] own eyes" and erase the memories of the bizarre things he has seen.
The song is a satirical commentary on our culture's fascination with the strange and unusual. It highlights our obsession with the weird and our tendency to gawk at oddities without really understanding them. It speaks to the idea that bizarre things exist in the world, but we often can't make sense of them, and sometimes we're better off not trying.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a baby drive a truck
I witnessed a baby driving a truck, which is quite unusual and unbelievable.
I saw a junkie eat a tuba
I witnessed a drug addict eating a musical instrument, which is strange and unheard of.
I saw a stripper kiss a duck
I saw a female performer who takes off her clothes for money kiss a bird, which is weird and unexpected.
Behind a dumpster in Aruba
This strange occurrence happened in the Caribbean island country of Aruba at a location behind a garbage container.
I saw this fat, psychotic guy
I saw a man who was both overweight and mentally deranged.
His underwear was made of crickets
The man's undergarment was made of insects, which is bizarre and impossible.
He pawned a skeleton to buy
The man traded a human skeleton for something he wanted, which is disturbing and unethical.
Some old expired lotto tickets
He acquired tickets to a lottery game that had already ended, and thus they were worthless.
I saw a naked vagrant giving
I witnessed a homeless person who was completely unclothed performing an act of reviving another creature.
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to his cat
He was trying to revive his feline pet through performing CPR.
I probably could have gone my whole life
Had I not seen this scene, I would have been content to never have witnessed it.
Without seeing that
This was an event I wish I had not seen since it is unsettling and unpleasant to recall.
With my own eyes
From my personal experience without any external influence, I saw unusual events that defy logic and explanation.
I see things that'd drive a normal man insane
The events I witnessed are so absurd that they would cause a regular person to lose their sanity.
Wish I could disconnect my brain
I desire to dissociate my brain from the visuals I had witnessed to not be haunted by them.
From my own eyes
These things were witnessed by me alone, and they are memories that remain in my mind.
I saw a mime get hacked to death
I saw a street performer who was using gestures and facial expressions to entertain kill by someone using an imaginary knife.
With an imaginary cleaver
The weapon used to attack the mime was not real, but it still resulted in their death.
I saw an old man's final breath
I was present when an elderly person expired and took their last breath.
I watched him die from Bieber Fever
The elderly person passed away as they were fanatically obsessed with a young music artist named Justin Bieber.
I saw these diabetic chicks
I saw girls with diabetes, a blood sugar disorder that affects insulin production.
In an abandoned 7-Eleven
This event occurred at a convenience store that was empty and deserted.
I watched them snorting pixie sticks
The girls were inhaling a sweet powder called pixie sticks, which is an unusual way of consuming it.
While they were belching Stairway To Heaven
The girls were burping out lyrics to a song called Stairway To Heaven, which is a humorous and absurd scene.
I saw two drag queens trying to see how many crackers
I saw two men dressed up in women's clothing attempting to put crackers up their nostrils and see how many they can fit.
They could shove up each other's nose
The duo was also trying to one-up each other by fitting more crackers up their noses.
I'd like to erase my mind completely but I suppose
I wish I could forget this incident entirely, but unfortunately, it is an indelible memory.
That's just the way it goes
Such bizarre and absurd occurrences happen, and I have to accept this fact.
Those visions haunt my memory
These unusual events left a lasting impact on my mind and keep resurfacing.
Oh, there's so much I wish I could unsee
There are many haunting visuals that I want to forget and never remember again.
Some priest got drunk and stole a circus zebra
An ordained religious leader became intoxicated and took away an animal, which is an inappropriate and unbecoming act.
And he trained it to massage his back
The priest taught the circus animal to rub his back and provide therapy, which is an unusual thing to teach a zebra.
My guinea pig committed hara-kiri
My pet rodent deliberately ended its own life as a form of ritual suicide practiced in Japan called hara-kiri.
So we used him to play hacky-sack
To make use of the dead animal, we played a game called hacky-sack that involves kicking a small bean-filled bag around.
My neighbor's kids sold weapons grade plutonium
The children of my neighbor sold a radioactive material called weapons grade plutonium, which is dangerous and illegal to possess.
And frosty ice-cold lemonade
They also sold a cold and refreshing drink called lemonade alongside the illegal substance.
They took MasterCard and sometimes
The children accepted payments through a credit card company called MasterCard, and sometimes used a strange form of trade.
Human organs in trade, that's how we paid
People would pay for their products both in money and human organs, keeping the illegal transactions under wraps.
I have to say that it was really darn good lemonade
Despite the illicit nature of their business, they made and sold excellent lemonade, and it was good to drink.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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