Hungy Freaks Daddy
Frank Zappa Lyrics


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Mr. America, walk on by your schools that do not teach
Mr. America, walk on by the minds that won't be reached
Mr. america try to hide the emptiness that's you inside
But once you find that the way you lied
And all the corny tricks you tried
Will not forestall the rising tide of hungry freaks daddy

They won't go on four no more
Great mid-western hardware store
Philosophy that turns away
From those who aren't afraid to say what's on their minds
The left behinds of the great society

Hungry freaks, daddy

Mr. America, walk on by your supermarket dream
Mr. America, walk on by the liquor store supreme
Mr. america try to hide the product of your savage pride
The useful minds that it denied
The day you shrugged and stepped aside
You saw their clothes, and then you cried
those hungry freaks, daddy

They won't go on four no more
Great mid-western hardware store
Philosophy that turns away




From those who aren't afraid to say what's on their minds
The left behinds of the great society

Overall Meaning

Hungry Freaks Daddy is a protest song by Frank Zappa that was released in 1966. Like most protest songs, it was written to address issues that were prevalent in society at the time. The song addresses the social and political conditions of America during the mid-1960s, specifically the inequality and unrest that some citizens faced. In this song, Zappa addresses the hypocrisy and the emptiness of the American society through metaphorical language.


The first verse talks about how the American education system fails to teach its students important life lessons, and how the minds of the people have become closed and difficult to reach. The singer calls out Mr. America, who is a symbolic representation of the typical American citizen who is indoctrinated to follow the mainstream values and refuse to embrace new ideas. Mr. America is described as empty inside, and his attempts to hide this emptiness with lies and tricks will not help stop the tide of hungry freaks daddy. The hungry freaks represent those who have been left behind in society and have no place to go.


The second verse is a critique of the consumer culture in America that promotes materialism and values the acquisition of luxurious goods over the intellectual growth of its citizens. Zappa places emphasis on the disparity between the rich and the poor and how the wealthy are indifferent to the plight of the less privileged ones. He talks about how the people who have been denied opportunity and education are left behind despite the false promises of the American Dream.


Overall, Hungry Freaks Daddy is a call to unmask the false promises of the American society and demand a more equitable world. It is a reminder that the symptoms of the oppressive system may take different forms, but the root of the problem remains the same.


Line by Line Meaning

Mr. America, walk on by your schools that do not teach
You, Mr. America, are walking past schools that fail to educate individuals.


Mr. America, walk on by the minds that won't be reached
You, Mr. America, are ignoring those who refuse to conform to the norm.


Mr. america try to hide the emptiness that's you inside
You, Mr. America, are trying to mask the emptiness that lies within you.


But once you find that the way you lied
However, once you come to realize the falsehoods you've been telling yourself


And all the corny tricks you tried
And all the lame methods you've used to cope


Will not forestall the rising tide of hungry freaks daddy
They will not stop the rejection of societal norms by the nonconformists.


They won't go on four no more
The nonconformists will no longer follow traditional lifestyles.


Great mid-western hardware store
The hardware store of the mid-west, a symbol of tradition.


Philosophy that turns away
Outlooks that reject the unconventional.


From those who aren't afraid to say what's on their minds
They reject those who have the courage to express themselves freely


The left behinds of the great society
Those who feel abandoned by the so-called 'great society.'


Mr. America, walk on by your supermarket dream
You, Mr. America, are blindly chasing the superficial and materialistic dreams of consumerism.


Mr. America, walk on by the liquor store supreme
You, Mr. America, are ignoring the damaging effects of alcohol consumption on society.


Mr. america try to hide the product of your savage pride
You, Mr. America, are attempting to conceal the devastating consequences of your barbaric and egotistical behavior.


The useful minds that it denied
The potential of those who were not given a fair chance.


The day you shrugged and stepped aside
The moment when you chose to turn a blind eye to the issues at hand.


You saw their clothes, and then you cried
You noticed their appearance and realized the depth of their struggles.


those hungry freaks, daddy
Those who refuse to succumb to societal standards.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: FRANK ZAPPA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Lilianna Kifflin

On December 4th of 2020 let us raise a toast to Frank, the artist who was not just ahead of his time, but also made history of telling Humans of their own stupidity through music. RIP Frank Zappa, we will miss your brilliant mind, and how you gave the music industry the middle finger. 🍷🤘😎

Ville Laitamavkkapajatsoon

Greatest american ever. Tesla was serbian.

raymondleemeadows

Zappa was a genius. His flippant attitude to culture mixed with his serious, studious high art compositions is a wonderful combination and seriously lacking in today's music and recent rock/alternative music.

frank ferro

One of the truly great albums from the 60's. Real musicians led by the great Frank Zappa.

Carlos Nells

I was drafted as this came out...I remember listening to it all alone on my room mates turntable... hearing it again brings back that feeling of dread. I lived thru it though...later in grad school I found pals to listen to Franks albums...then I went to work in a Federal job...lived thru that too. But this album is still very relevant to our way of life.

yes man

I bet you have a lot of stories to tell.

JohnAudioTech

Recorded in early 1966, Zappa was really pushing the envelope. Loved how he tore into modern culture. Oh yeah, the guitar break was really hot too.

Betsy Bednar

My best friend's cousin Elliot played the guitar on this album. I met Elliot once; he was a very good guy. One hell of a guitar player, too!

Kalehead

@Shayne O'Neill Oh shit send the video, Tiny Tim and The Pretty Things were the first to get extremely long hair, like pass their neck, Pretty Things had been doing it since late 1964, the newspapers went insane.

Shayne O'Neill

I was actually watching an old video from '64 complaining about long-hair kids in liverpool, and then it shows them kids with hair like an inch long. Oh what a delicious ambush lay in wait from Mr Zappa and his mad lads.

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