Outside Now

Lyrics by Frank Zappa

These executives have plook… Read Full Bio ↴Outside Now

Lyrics by Frank Zappa

These executives have plooked the fuck out of me
And there's still a long time to go before I've
Paid my debt to society.
And all I ever really wanted to do was
Play the guitar n bend the string
like: Reent-toont-teent-toont-teenooneenoonee

I've got it
I'll be sullen and withdrawn -
I'll dwindle off into the twilight realm
Of my own secret thoughts!
I'll lay on my back here til dawn
In a semi-catatonic state
And dream of guitar notes
That would irritate
An executive kinda guy . . .

Well, I guess that one did the trick
If they only coulda heard it,
Half-a-dozen of em woulda strangled
While they was suckin on each others dick!
Yeah but that was only a bunch of imaginary
Notes I played -
Just a little extra somethin'
To keep me goin' from day to day,
But thats okay -
I'm gettin' outta here pretty soon -
Then I wont have to live
In this ugly fuckin room

I can't wait to see what its like
On the outside now . . .
And I can't wait to see what its like
On the outside now . . .
Now listen here
I can't wait to see what its like
On the outside now . . .
I mean it
I can't wait to see what its like
On the outside now . . .
Outside now
Outside now, yeah
(etc., etc., etc.)

Outside Now
Frank Zappa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

These executives have plooked the fuck out of me
And there's still a long time to go before I've
Paid my debt to society
And all I ever really wanted to do was
Play the guitar 'n bend the string like
Reent-toont-teent-toont-teent-toont-teenooneenoonee

I've got it

I'll be sullen and withdrawn
I'll dwindle off into the twilight realm
Of my own secret thoughts
I'll lay on my back here 'til dawn
In a semi-catatonic state
And dream of guitar notes
That would irritate
An executive kinda guy...

Well, I guess that one did the trick
If they only coulda heard it
Half-a-dozen of 'em woulda strangled
While they was suckin' on each other's dick

But that was only a bunch of imaginary
Notes I played
Just a little extra somethin'
To keep me goin' from day to day

That's okay
I'll be gettin' outta here pretty soon
Then I won't have to live
In this ugly fuckin' room

Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like
On the outside now...
Can't wait to see

I can't wait to see what it's like
On the outside now...
Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like

On the outside now . . .
Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like
On the outside now...

Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like
On the outside now...
Can't wait to see

I can't wait to see what it's like
On the outside now...
Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like

On the outside now...
Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like
On the outside now...

Can't wait to see
I can't wait to see what it's like

On the outside now...
Outside now...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frank Zappa's "Outside Now" describe the frustration and despair of an artist who feels stifled and oppressed by the music industry executives who control his career. The first verse expresses the artist's sense of being "plooked," or screwed over, by these executives and feeling like he still has a long way to go before he can pay his debt to society. The artist's true passion is to play the guitar, but he feels like the executives have taken that away from him and reduced him to a shell of his former self. He dreams of being able to play the guitar freely, without restriction, and to irritate those executives who have controlled his career.

The second verse focuses on the artist's response to this situation. He decides to withdraw into his own thoughts, becoming sullen and catatonic, dreaming of playing the guitar. He knows that the executives would be irritated by the sounds he creates and revels in the power he has to annoy them. The final verses express the artist's eagerness to leave his current situation and find out what it is like on the outside, free from the constraints of the industry.

Overall, the song is a powerful statement about the struggle of artists to maintain their creative vision in the face of industry pressure and the importance of artistic freedom and expression.

Line by Line Meaning

These executives have plooked the fuck out of me
I feel like these executives have taken advantage of me and screwed me over.

And there's still a long time to go before I've Paid my debt to society
I still have a lot of punishment to endure before society deems me 'paid in full.'

And all I ever really wanted to do was Play the guitar 'n bend the string like Reent-toont-teent-toont-teent-toont-teenooneenoonee
All I ever wanted to do was play the guitar and create unique sounds with it.

I'll be sullen and withdrawn I'll dwindle off into the twilight realm Of my own secret thoughts I'll lay on my back here 'til dawn In a semi-catatonic state And dream of guitar notes That would irritate An executive kinda guy...
I will isolate myself and become lost in my own mind, lying here in a half-awake state and imagining guitar sounds that would annoy the very executives who have wronged me.

Well, I guess that one did the trick If they only coulda heard it Half-a-dozen of 'em woulda strangled While they was suckin' on each other's dick
One of my imagined guitar sounds seems to have been effective in hurting the executives, and I imagine that some of them would be so upset that they would react violently or pathetically.

But that was only a bunch of imaginary Notes I played Just a little extra somethin' To keep me goin' from day to day
These guitar sounds were only in my head, but they gave me a sense of hope and motivation to keep going in my current situation.

That's okay I'll be gettin' outta here pretty soon Then I won't have to live In this ugly fuckin' room
Luckily, I will eventually be released from this place and will no longer be forced to live in this terrible room.

Can't wait to see I can't wait to see what it's like On the outside now...
I am excited to finally experience life on the outside and be free from this confinement.

Outside now...
I am finally able to live outside of the confines of this place and am looking forward to what the future holds.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SHUGGIE OTIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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