Although the band Burdon formed in the late 1960s was sometimes called Eric Burdon and the New Animals, it wasn't until 1998 that the name Eric Burdon and the New Animals was officially adopted. The 1998 band had bassist Dave Meros, guitarist Dean Restum, drummer Aynsley Dunbar and keyboard guitarist Neal Morse. They recorded Live at the Coach House on 17 October 1998, released on video and DVD in December that year. In 1999 they released The Official Live Bootleg No. 2 and in August 2000 The Official Live Bootleg 2000, with Martin Gerschwitz on keyboards.
Read Eric Burdon's full bio here: Eric Burdon
Spill The Wine
Eric Burdon & The New Animals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One very hot summer's day
When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest
In a big field of tall grass
I lay there in the sun
And felt it caressing my face
As I fell asleep and dreamed
And that I was the star of the movie
This really blew my mind
The fact that me, an overfed long-haired, leaping gnome
Should be the star of a Hollywood movie
But there I was
I was taken to a place
The Hall of the Mountain King
I stood high up on a mountaintop
Naked to the world
In front of
Every kind of girl
There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones
Black ones, round ones, big ones
Crazy ones
Out of the middle
Came a lady
She whispered in my ear
Something crazy
She said
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
As she disappeared
But soon she returned
In her hand was a bottle of wine
In the other, a glass
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
And raised it to her lips
And just before she drunk it
She said
Take the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Take the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Take that pearl, yeah!
It's all good
Oh, you got to do it
Spill that wine, spill that wine
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine
Take that pearl
The lyrics of Eric Burdon's Spill the Wine describe the dream of the singer, who is sleeping in a field of tall grass on a hot summer day. In his dream, he finds himself as the star of a Hollywood movie, which he finds incredulous given his appearance as an "overfed long-haired, leaping gnome". He is then taken to the Hall of the Mountain King, where he stands naked in front of a group of women with different body types and characteristics. It is at this point that a lady appears and whispers into his ear, "Spill the wine, dig that girl. Spill the wine, take that pearl."
The dream sequence is evocative of the experience of the singer's senses as he lies in the sun and dreams. He is relaxed, and the caress of the sun on his face is comforting. The vivid imagery of the Hollywood movie and the bizarre Hall of the Mountain King sequence suggest the singer's sense of awe and wonder. The lyrics of the song are both psychedelic and erotic, with the lady's whispered entreaty encouraging the singer to embrace pleasure and indulge his desire for women.
Line by Line Meaning
I was once out strolling
I was walking casually
One very hot summer's day
On a day with high temperatures
When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest
When I decided to take a nap
In a big field of tall grass
In a large open space filled with tall vegetation
I lay there in the sun
I rested in the sunlight
And felt it caressing my face
And felt the warmth of the sun on my face
As I fell asleep and dreamed
As I drifted off into a dream
I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie
I had a dream that I was in a movie set in Hollywood
And that I was the star of the movie
And I was the lead actor in the movie
This really blew my mind
This was an overwhelming experience
The fact that me, an overfed long-haired, leaping gnome
It was surprising because I am an overindulgent and unkempt individual
Should be the star of a Hollywood movie
Should be the main character of a film set in Hollywood
But there I was
Regardless, I found myself there
I was taken to a place
I was transported to a location
The Hall of the Mountain King
A place in the mountains with mythical properties
I stood high up on a mountaintop
I stood at the peak of a mountain
Naked to the world
Without any clothes
In front of, every kind of girl
In front of many different types of women
There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones
There were women of various physical characteristics like height, skin color, or hair length
Black ones, round ones, big ones, crazy ones
There were women of different ethnicities, shapes, and personality types
Out of the middle came a lady
One woman came forward from the rest
She whispered in my ear, something crazy
She said something unusual to me quietly
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Let's enjoy the moment and seduce this girl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Take this opportunity and have fun
I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
I felt an intense sensation behind me
As she disappeared, but soon she returned
She left briefly but came back quickly
In her hand was a bottle of wine
She was holding a bottle of wine
In the other, a glass
In the other hand, she had a drinking glass
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
She transferred some of the wine from the bottle to the glass
And raised it to her lips
She lifted the glass to her mouth
And just before she drunk it
And right before she drank it
She said, take the wine, take that pearl
She told me to partake in the wine and the moment
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Indulge fully and enjoy yourself
Take that pearl, yeah! It's all good
Enjoy the experience to the fullest
Oh, you got to do it
You must do it
Spill that wine, spill that wine
Let the good times flow
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine
Continue to enjoy the wine and the moment
Take that pearl
Take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy it completely
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Charles Miller, Harold Brown, Howard Scott, LeRoy Jordan, Morris Dickerson, Thomas Allen, Lee Levitin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BonitaApplebum-br3pw
I was once out strolling one very hot summer's day
When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest
In a big field of tall grass
I laid there in the sun and felt it caressing my face
As I fell asleep and dreamed
I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie
And that I was the star of the movie
This really blew my mind
The fact that me, an overfed long haired leaping gnome
Should be the star behind a Hollywood movie, hmm
There I was
I was taken to a place
The hall of the mountain kings
I stood high by the mountain tops
Naked to the world
In front of
Every kind of girl
There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones
Black ones, round ones, big ones, crazy ones
Out of the middle, came a lady
She whispered in my ear
Something crazy
She said...
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
As she disappeared, but soon she returned
In her hand was a bottle of wine
In the other, a glass
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
And raised it to her lips
And just before she drank it, she said
Take the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
It's on girl, all you gotta do is spill that wine
Spill that wine, let me feel, let me feel hot, yeah! Yeah!
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine
Take that pearl!
@Jeruhmi
such a powerful voice. amazing!
@albertgonzalez6511
As a Cuban American, my Afro Cuban friend and I would listen to this to this song around 1974. We would turn off the lights in the room, put psychedelic lights on, play it full blast, and jump around the room like crazy fools. I am 60 years now and I still listen to it. Good songs and memories are hard to forget. Viva Cuba Libre.
@melissafraser1900
I remember my sister played this song
I was a child
Awesome song
RIP Bridig
@maryheim-hancock8625
This was my older brothers fav group as well. Good stuff. Me being huge Eric and Animals fan ( through sisters) this was no brainer. You can have any thing I own but my memories
@giovannicervantes9854
may you find more times to jump around
@cpgpeg
Amazing share Albert!!! My mom is Cuban and came to Miami in 71
@gm9984
If you still listen to this song, you have to still turn. The lights out and jump around too!
@BonitaApplebum-br3pw
He’s so underrated and when he sings it’s like he doesn’t have to put too much effort into it he has such natural talent
@peanutparker9501
I noticed that too.
@TheRedfrapp
I was going to post a comment until I read this one. This one sums it up perfectly.