Black Beetle Pies
Bellowhead Lyrics

Come all you fine ladies
Addressing a group of respectable women and inviting them to listen to a curious story about a particular woman.

Listen to my tale
Asking the women to pay attention to the story being told, suggesting it will be of interest.

A curious story
The singer acknowledges that the story being told is unusual and perhaps even surprising.

To you I will tell
The artist promises to share this unusual tale with the women listening.

Such a strange little tale
The artist repeats that the story is strange, emphasizing its peculiarity.

Such a nasty surprise
The singer suggests that the events in the story soon turn unpleasant for some involved.

There's a lady who feeds the poor on her
Introducing the character at the center of the story, who has a reputation for generosity towards the destitute.

Black beetle pies
The type of food this lady serves the needy is described, suggesting it is made of unsavory ingredients.

All you that are hungry
Addressing anyone listening who may be in need of a meal or who may empathize with those who are hungry.

Do not despair
Despite the conditions of potential hunger or scarcity, the artist assures the audience that help is available.

At Raglan House Brixton
Giving the name of the place to which the hungry are invited to go for food.

Quickly repair
Encouraging those in need of sustenance to go to Raglan House quickly for help with their hunger.

She is so benevolent
The singer reinstates the charitable nature of the lady in question.

To all who go there
Reiterating that the woman extends aid to all who come seeking it.

And you'll get a nice supper
Assuring the audience again that the hungry will be provided with a decent meal.

I vow and declare
The artist strongly promises that the needs of those who go to Raglan House will be met.

You can fill your hungry bellies
Encouraging those in need to take advantage of the opportunity to eat their fill.

Before you depart
Clarifying that guests of Raglan House are to eat before leaving the establishment.

She'll hand out to Tom, Dick and Nellie
The singer evokes the idea of indiscriminate distribution of pies to any and all guests.

A stinking slice of her black beetle tart
The artist characterizes the woman's signature dish as being particularly unpleasant to taste or smell.

The gardener next door
Introducing another character who lives nearby.

Was a very nice man
The artist describes the gardener as a kind and likable person.

She gave him such a pie
The lady in question gives a pie to the gardener, highlighting her generosity extended to others besides the poor.

As nobody can
The artist emphasizes that this particular pie was crafted with great skill or care.

When he took off the crust of it
Describing the moment the gardener begins to eat the pie.

He found after a pause
Suggesting that the gardener was initially unsure of what he was seeing in the pie.

That the inside was stuffed with this fine lady's drawers
Revealing an unexpected and disturbing twist in the story - what the gardener found inside the pie was a personal item belonging to the woman who baked it.

Well she laughed in his face then
Describing the woman's reaction to the gardener's discovery.

Her breath made him close both his eyes
Further depicting the woman in question as unpleasant or disconcerting in some way.

She said, "I'm longing to feed you up on my
The woman's words convey a sense of dangerous obsession or desire.

Nice hearty black beetle pies"
Repeating the name of the woman's questionable culinary specialty.

And this is the treatment
The artist shifts into a tone of criticism or judgement.

She gives to the poor
Highlighting the fact that the most vulnerable members of society are receiving something other than genuine aid.

Who happen to find their way to her
Emphasizing the element of chance or desperation that leads people to the woman's door.

Lodging house door
Clarifying the nature of the establishment being described as a place to stay.

And if I had my way
The artist takes a starkly different approach to the woman's misconduct than she herself does.

She'd get a surprise
Imagining a form of punishment for the woman's wrong-doing.

I'd stuff her cram full of those
Continuing the thought from the previous line of 'if I had my way.'

Nasty, stinking black beetle pies
Specifying the particular unpleasantness of the form of punishment the singer is imagining.

Black beetle pies, black beetle pies
Repeating the title and main subject of the song.

Black beetle pies, black beetle pies
Continuing the repetition of the song's main subject.

Black beetle pies, black beetle pies
Repeating the name of the dish one final time.

Black beetle pies, black beetle pies
Concluding the song with a final repetition of its title.