Mother Earth
EricBurdon & The Animals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She is big and she’s round
And it’s cold way down in the ground
You may not be happy all the time
You may never be that way
Mother Earth is waitin’ for you
For that debt you’ve got to pay
Don’t care how big you are
I don’t care what you were
When it all is up
You’ve got to go back to Mother Earth
You could be blasé with life
Only make love to foreign girls
You may have a little jet, baby
And fly all around the world
Don’t care how big you are
I don’t care what you were
When it all is up
You’ve got to go back to Mother Earth
She is waitin’ for you
Yea
When it all is up
You got to go back
Way back to Mother Earth, yes
I feel so bad, oh, all I can do is sing these blues, yea
When it all is up
You’ve got to go back to Mother Earth
Oh baby you hear what I say?
The lyrics of Eric Burdon & The Animals' "Mother Earth" are a reminder to mankind that no matter what we achieve or attain in life, ultimately, we will all end up returning to the earth from which we came. The opening lines "Mother Earth is waitin' for you, yes she is" serve as a call to action for the listener to acknowledge and respect the power and vastness of nature. The subsequent lyrics, "She is big and she's round, and it's cold way down in the ground" indicate that even though we exist on the surface of the earth, there is a vast world beneath us that we must also respect, and ultimately, return to.
The following lines acknowledge that life is not always happy or easy; "You may not be happy all the time, you may never be that way", but regardless of our emotional states, we all owe a debt to Mother Earth that we will eventually have to pay. The repetition of "Don't care how big you are, I don't care what you were" emphasizes that there is no escaping this inevitable fate that we all share. The final lines "I feel so bad, oh, all I can do is sing these blues" express a sense of remorse and sadness about the human condition but ultimately reaffirm that we will always be part of the greater cycle of life and death on this earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother Earth is waitin’ for you, yes she is
The natural world is patiently waiting for humanity to acknowledge its importance.
She is big and she’s round
The planet is vast and spherical.
And it’s cold way down in the ground
The planet's interior is frigid and uninviting.
You may not be happy all the time
Living beings don't experience perpetual joy.
You may never be that way
Permanent happiness is unattainable.
Mother Earth is waitin’ for you
The natural world is always present, even if we ignore it.
For that debt you’ve got to pay
Humanity carries a burden of responsibility for the impact it has on the planet.
Don’t care how big you are
Size is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
I don’t care what you were
Past actions don't negate present responsibilities.
When it all is up
In the end, when all is considered.
You’ve got to go back to Mother Earth
We all eventually return to the natural world.
You could be blasé with life
One can live an apathetic, unenthusiastic existence.
Only make love to foreign girls
One could have a narrow, exclusive perspective and experience.
You may have a little jet, baby
One could have access to great wealth and privilege.
And fly all around the world
One could travel great distances and experience new cultures.
She is waitin’ for you
The natural world is always present, even if we ignore it.
When it all is up
In the end, when all is considered.
You got to go back
We all eventually return to the natural world.
Way back to Mother Earth, yes
Our origin and final resting place is the planet.
I feel so bad, oh, all I can do is sing these blues, yea
The artist laments the state of humanity's relationships with the natural world.
Oh baby you hear what I say?
Are you listening to this message?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEWIS SIMPKINS, PETER CHATMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind