Zappa's earliest influences were 1950s pop and rock (such as doo-wop and rhythm and blues), and 20th-century classical composers including Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. His output was divided between adventurous instrumental compositions and succinct, catchy rock songs with ribald, satirical, or comically absurd lyrics. On stage he demanded virtuosity and spontaneity from his musicians, and employed many performers who would later go on to achieve fame in their own rights. He directed and released a number of films featuring himself, his musicians and entourage, including 200 Motels and Baby Snakes.
His career started in 1955. His earliest recordings date from the mid-1960s, and include collaborations with his school friend Captain Beefheart. In 1965 he joined a bar-band called The Soul Giants, quickly dominating its musical direction and rechristening it The Mothers. Their first release (as The Mothers of Invention; the name alteration requested by their record company) was the 1966 double album Freak Out!. The line-up of the Mothers gradually expanded to accommodate Zappa's increasingly ambitious and avant-garde music, but by 1969 he decided to work outside the band structure, focusing on his solo career, and effectively disbanding the Mothers in 1971.
The beginnings of his solo career in the late sixties and early seventies was characterised by a strong free jazz influence, with albums containing little, if any, lyrical content, such as Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Towards the mid-seventies his albums became more rock-orientated, with a combination of Jazz Fusion instrumentation and Rock song structures. This more accessible sound bore reasonable mainstream appeal, especially with the release of the well-advertised albums Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (') (which both went Gold), but Zappa's unpredictably eclectic output never led to solid mainstream recognition. He received uniformly lukewarm reviews from popular music publications such as Rolling Stone throughout his career. In his late seventies' output, the gulf between his humorous songs and more lengthy, complex instrumental music widened, and albums, such as Zappa in New York, Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, and Sleep Dirt displayed, by track, both sides firmly segregated.
Zappa saw a second run of success in the early eighties with the release of many albums with predominantly comedic rock songs, but later continued to experiment with virtually every style of music through the eighties, and was productive as ever until his death. His output in this later-career period included two albums of strikingly original classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra, an electronic take on 18th-century chamber music (written by the obscure Italian composer 'Francesco Zappa', no relation), an album of Synclavier compositions (misleadingly titled Jazz From Hell which garnered a Grammy award), a double-CD release of electric guitar instrumental music (the laconically titled Guitar) and a plenitude of official live releases, revisiting fan-favourites as well as showcasing Zappa's talent for reinventing the music of others; his version of Stairway to Heaven becoming a word-of-mouth favourite.
Zappa produced almost all of his own albums, spending many hours in the studio recording and manipulating tracks, and was always at the forefront of emerging technologies; from tape editing, collage, multitrack and overdubbing in the sixties to digital recording, electronic instruments and sampling in the eighties. Conversely, Zappa was also a obsessive self-archivist, recording virtually every one of his live performances, and often using live recordings of new material without needing to enter the studio. The archive of tapes at his family home in Los Angeles continues to be a source of posthumous releases for the Zappa Family Trust. He was also noted as a spotter of talent and his shifting line-up of musicians included Lowell George, Jean-Luc Ponty, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, George Duke, Mike Keneally, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, as well as giving Alice Cooper his first break in music and working again with his old collaborator Captain Beefheart when his career was in decline.
In the late 1980s he became active in politics, campaigning against the PMRC's music censorship scheme and acting as culture and trade representative for Czechoslovakia in 1989; and considered running as an independent candidate for president of the US.
His death in Los Angeles, California, on 4th December 1993 came three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Jumbo Go Away
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ike willis (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Ray white (rhythm guitar, vocals)
Bob harris (boy soprano, trumpet)
Steve vai (guitar)
Tommy mars (keyboards)
Arthur barrow (bass)
Ed mann (percussion)
Motorhead sherwood (tenor saxophone, vocals)
Denny walley (slide guitar, vocals)
David logeman (drums)
Craig steward (harmonica)
Jimmy carl black (vocals)
Ahmet zappa (vocals)
Moon zappa (vocals)
Jumbo, go away
Jumbo, go away
Jumbo leave me alone
Get your head off my bone
I wanna go home
("I'm hungry")
Jumbo lighten up
Jumbo lighten up
Jumbo give me a break
Lighten up on my snake
That's all I can take
(robbie take me to greek town!)
It seems I can't explain
The way I feel about you
You just don't understand
You're from kalamazoo...
You got to realize
Our little romance deal
Will not materialize
Into a thing that you'd call real...
(I think I have worms...)
Jumbo gotta go
Jumbo gotta go
Jumbo better get back
Or your eye will get black
When I give you a smack
(boo-hoo-hoo...)
Jumbo don't you cry
Jumbo don't you cry
Jumbo this is good-bye
I ain't gonna lie
So wash up your pie
Wash up your pie
(there are three things that smell like
Fish!)
Wash up your pie
(one of them is fish...)
Wash up your pie
(the other two...)
Wash up your pie
(are growing on you...)
The song "Jumbo Go Away" by Frank Zappa is a humorous and satirical commentary on a relationship gone wrong. Zappa employs a call and response structure throughout the song that creates a dialogue between himself and the titular character, Jumbo. The lyrics depict Jumbo as an unwelcome suitor who is invading Zappa's personal space and refusing to leave him alone. Zappa expresses his frustration and annoyance with Jumbo's presence, and implores him to back off and leave him alone.
The song is laced with irony and sarcasm, as Zappa's attempts to rid himself of Jumbo become increasingly desperate and absurd. Zappa's use of humor serves to underscore the absurdity of the situation, as the song's protagonist finds himself in a situation that he cannot escape from. Ultimately, the song is a reflection on the complexities of human relationships and the difficulties we face when trying to extricate ourselves from situations that we no longer wish to be a part of.
Line by Line Meaning
Jumbo, go away
The singer wants Jumbo to leave.
Jumbo leave me alone
The singer wants Jumbo to stop bothering them.
Get your head off my bone
The singer feels like Jumbo is clinging to them too tightly.
I wanna go home
The artist is tired of dealing with Jumbo and wants to leave.
Jumbo lighten up
The artist wants Jumbo to be less intense and serious.
Jumbo give me a break
The singer wants Jumbo to stop being so demanding.
Lighten up on my snake
The singer wants Jumbo to stop harassing them or trying to control them.
That's all I can take
The artist has reached their limit and can't deal with Jumbo's behavior anymore.
It seems I can't explain
The artist is having difficulty expressing their feelings towards Jumbo.
The way I feel about you
The artist has strong emotions towards Jumbo.
You just don't understand
The singer believes that Jumbo is unable to comprehend their perspective.
You're from kalamazoo...
The artist implies that Jumbo is from an unfamiliar place and has a different background.
You got to realize
The singer is trying to get Jumbo to understand something.
Our little romance deal
The singer suggests that there is some type of relationship or arrangement between them and Jumbo.
Will not materialize
The singer believes that the relationship or arrangement they have with Jumbo will not become a lasting or meaningful thing.
Into a thing that you'd call real...
The artist implies that what Jumbo considers to be a real relationship is not what the artist wants.
Jumbo gotta go
The artist is telling Jumbo to leave.
Jumbo better get back
The singer is warning Jumbo that something bad will happen if they don't leave.
Or your eye will get black
The singer implies that violence may occur if Jumbo does not leave.
When I give you a smack
The artist suggests that they will use physical force to remove Jumbo.
Jumbo don't you cry
The artist is unsympathetic to Jumbo's emotions.
Jumbo this is good-bye
The artist is saying farewell to Jumbo.
I ain't gonna lie
The singer is telling the truth about their feelings.
So wash up your pie
The artist is using the phrase 'wash up your pie' to mean something similar to 'get lost' or 'leave me alone.'
There are three things that smell like
Fish!
The singer is making a joke about smelly things.
Wash up your pie
(One of them is fish...)
The singer is continuing their joke about smelly things.
Wash up your pie
(The other two...)
The singer is continuing their joke about smelly things.
Wash up your pie
(Are growing on you...)
The artist is continuing their joke about smelly things.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind