Evelyn a Modified Dog
Frank Zappa Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Evelyn, a modified dog
Viewed the quivering fringe of a special doily
Draped across the piano, with some surprise

In the darkened room
Where the chairs dismayed
And the horrible curtains
Muffled the rain
She could hardly believe her eyes

A curious breeze
A garlic breath
Which sounded like a snore
Somewhere near the Steinway (or even from within)
Had caused the doily fringe to waft & tremble in the gloom

Evelyn, a dog, having undergone
Further modification
Pondered the significance of short-person behavior
In pedal-depressed panchromatic resonance
And other highly ambient domains...





Arf she said

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frank Zappa's song "Evelyn A Modified Dog" are quite abstract and open to interpretation, but they seem to depict a surreal scene where Evelyn, a dog that has undergone some kind of modification, is observing a fringed doily draped over a piano in a darkened room. She is surprised by the movement of the fringes, which are trembling and wafting in the breeze, possibly from a snore emanating from the Steinway piano or even from within it. Evelyn seems to be contemplating the strange behavior of short persons, likely referring to the pianist who may be playing the piano, or perhaps it's a commentary on human behavior in general.


The lyrics may be seen as a commentary on the absurdity of human behavior and the meaningless of life. The surreal imagery of a modified dog and a quivering doily over a piano suggests a dreamlike state, where reality is distorted and ambiguous. The use of anthropomorphic animals and inanimate objects also adds to the absurdity and surrealism of the scene. The lyrics may be interpreted in many different ways, but they ultimately showcase Zappa's unique sense of humor and his ability to subvert expectations with his lyrical and musical creativity.


Line by Line Meaning

Evelyn, a modified dog
Evelyn is a dog that has been genetically modified


Viewed the quivering fringe of a special doily
Evelyn saw the fringes of a unique doily shaking


Draped across the piano, with some surprise
The doily was placed on the piano and Evelyn was surprised by it


In the darkened room
The room was dimly lit


Where the chairs dismayed
The chairs looked sad and in disrepair


And the horrible curtains
The curtains were terrible and unpleasant


Muffled the rain
The curtains stopped the sound of the rain from coming in


She could hardly believe her eyes
Evelyn was amazed by what she was seeing


A curious breeze
There was an unusual draft


A garlic breath
It sounded like someone was breathing garlic-scented air


Which sounded like a snore
The breathing sounded like snoring


Somewhere near the Steinway (or even from within)
The sound seemed to come from the Steinway piano or from somewhere inside the room


Had caused the doily fringe to waft & tremble in the gloom
The breathing caused the doily to shake and move in the dim light


Evelyn, a dog, having undergone
Evelyn is a dog that has undergone


Further modification
More changes have been made to Evelyn


Pondered the significance of short-person behavior
Evelyn thought about why short people act the way they do


In pedal-depressed panchromatic resonance
Thinking about the sound made when pressing pedals on the piano


And other highly ambient domains...
And other things in the room that affect the sound


Arf she said
Evelyn barked




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@bodhisattva71

1:01 Arf she said 🤣

@MrMusicbyMartin

If I only had one minute of tape, this would be the music that filled it.

@brianrankin4550

Cool album cover, would like to see that done with more album covers

@stuartberke5845

Only one Frank Zappa. 😊

@kb4446

Frank was the only frank i ever met.

@patriciapolitakis7818

I grew up Zappa !!!! Awesome that’s all I can guess !!

@MeissnerEffect

Yeah (sighs). I do believe it’s the best we can hope for….

@PonderousEclectica4383

"arf she said" has become an in-joke for me and my friends whenever someone says a load of overcomplicated bullshit

@kb4446

Yeah !!!! Me n .y brother especially!🎸

@kb4446

Hahahaaaa! Arf she said is so fuckin dynamic!!!@

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