Though his popularity has fluctuated through the years, many of Pop's songs have become well-known, including "Lust for Life", "The Passenger", "Real Wild Child", "Candy" (a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52's), "China Girl", "Nightclubbing", "Search and Destroy" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog".
In 2010, The Stooges were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Pop was the lead singer of The Stooges, a late 1960s/early 1970s band that featured brothers Ron and Scott Asheton and Dave Alexander and was highly influential in the development of hard rock. The debut album was produced by the Velvet Underground's John Cale. The band's "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is a garage punk standard.
Raw Power was first released in1973, perhaps the first record that could truly be called punk. It was the confluence of The Stooges ages, hormones, creativity, ability, experience, tastes, lack of supervision, contempt for authority and ambition that has made Raw Power one of the most influential albums of all time.
The Stooges were infamous for performances in which Pop leapt off the stage (hence, the "stage dive"), smeared raw meat or peanut butter over his chest and cut himself with broken bottles. A glimpse of the vibrating intensity of Iggy live can be seen in the Ramones movie "End of the Century." Guitarist James Williamson became a key collaborator, a partnership documented on the 1978 album Kill City.
In 25 years as a solo artist, Pop's best-known songs have included the thumping Lust for Life, to be heard on the soundtrack of the find-a-vein, shoot-it-up movie Trainspotting, I'm Bored and The Passenger (the latter based on a poem written by Jim Morrison). David Bowie played a key role in reinvigorating Pop's post-Stooges career and was a collaborator on the albums Lust for Life and The Idiot. Iggy may be under-rated as a songwriter. Bowie and Tina Turner covered his "Tonight". Bowie also put out his own version of "China Girl," while Grace Jones covered the icey "Nightclubbing".
Eggs On Plate
Iggy Pop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got em Damn right
I got four walls I live here
Hey I live here
Now this big Jew-man uptown
He told me one day
He said, boy
That cost a hundred thousand dollars
You could be up there
You know what?
I'll put you on the hit parade
Everybody will know your name
Iggy
But man Solomon
Who does my name belong to then?
What have I got? Four walls
What have I got? Four walls
I thank you Lord
I thank you Lord above this orange carpet
And the ceiling above it
Who left Murph the Surf On my ceiling?
Iggy
Now here we go boys
Four walls Four walls
Here I go
I'm looking for love again
I'm looking for love
I'm running from friend to friend
I'm looking for love in the wine
I'm looking for love
In anybody I can find
Thank you God
For these four walls I love
But are they secure?
Heh God! Are you above?
Then tell me who let that fucking door half open?
Oh Lord I got something
I'll tell you what I got, boys, I got this
Four walls, Three walls,
Two walls, Four walls
But they can't talk Four walls
But they can't talk Four walls
But they can't talk Four walls
But if they could talk What would they say?
They'd say Nash the slash
Why did you leave your sticker on my
Forty-two dollar and fifty cent suite
In James Dean's head bed?
The lyrics to Iggy Pop's song "Eggs on Plate" refer to the singer's humble living conditions and his gratitude for having a roof over his head. The opening lines, "Oh Lord I got eggs on my plate, I got 'em damn right," suggest a sense of contentment despite having a simple meal. Iggy then acknowledges that he lives in a home with four walls, and that this is something to be grateful for, as he repeats the phrase "Hey I live here."
The lyrics take a turn when a "big Jew-man uptown" offers Iggy success and fame if he were to move into a house on the hill. Iggy questions the value of fame when he asks, "Who does my name belong to then?" He then returns to express gratitude for his four walls and the "orange carpet" and "ceiling above it." A sense of vulnerability is woven through the lyrics when Iggy asks if these four walls are secure and wonders who left the door half-open.
The final lines of the song shift again, as Iggy contemplates the possibility of his four walls speaking. He ends the song with a reference to Nash the Slash, a Canadian musician and performance artist who often performed in a surgical mask and top hat. The lyrics, "But if they could talk, what would they say? They'd say Nash the slash, why did you leave your sticker on my forty-two dollar and fifty-cent suite in James Dean's head bed?" suggest that some kind of performance art or inscrutable events may have taken place within these four walls, and that they hold stories and secrets that will always remain hidden.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Lord I got eggs on my plate
I have food on my plate, thank you, Lord.
I got em Damn right
Yes, I do have eggs on my plate.
I got four walls I live here
I have a home, four walls, and I live here.
Hey I live here
This is my home, and I reside here.
Now this big Jew-man uptown
There is a wealthy Jewish man in my town.
He told me one day
This man once spoke to me.
He said, boy
He addressed me as 'boy'.
You look at that house On the hill
He told me to look at a house on the hill.
That cost a hundred thousand dollars
The house he pointed out cost $100,000.
You could be up there
He said I could live there if I had the money.
You know what?
He asked me a question.
I'll put you on the hit parade
The man promised to put me on the hit parade.
Everybody will know your name
If he put me on the hit parade, everyone would know my name.
Iggy
My name is Iggy Pop, and he was talking to me.
But man Solomon
But what about King Solomon?
Who does my name belong to then?
Who do I belong to if not King Solomon?
What have I got? Four walls
I have nothing but four walls.
What have I got? Four walls
All I have are four walls.
I thank you Lord
I'm grateful to you, Lord.
I thank you Lord above this orange carpet
I'm grateful for this orange carpet and thank the Lord for it.
And the ceiling above it
I'm thankful for the ceiling above me as well.
Who left Murph the Surf On my ceiling?
I'm wondering who left a sticker of Murph the Surf on my ceiling.
Iggy
Once again, I'm Iggy Pop and I'm talking.
Now here we go boys
Now, let's get to it, boys.
Four walls Four walls
I'm repeating that I have four walls.
Here I go
I'm about to take action.
I'm looking for love again
I'm searching for love once more.
I'm looking for love
I'm seeking love.
I'm running from friend to friend
I'm going from one friend to another.
I'm looking for love in the wine
I'm hoping to find love in a bottle of wine.
I'm looking for love
Once again, I'm searching for love.
In anybody I can find
I'll take love from anyone who will give it to me.
Thank you God
Thank you, God.
For these four walls I love
I'm grateful for these four walls that I call home, and I love them.
But are they secure?
However, I'm worried if these four walls are safe and secure.
Heh God! Are you above?
Hey God! Are you there, watching over me?
Then tell me who let that fucking door half open?
If you are, tell me who left the door half open.
Oh Lord I got something
Oh Lord, I have an issue to bring up.
I'll tell you what I got, boys, I got this
I'm about to tell you what my problem is, guys.
Four walls, Three walls, Two walls, Four walls
I'm repeating the number of walls I have for emphasis.
But they can't talk Four walls
However, these four walls can't talk.
But they can't talk Four walls
Once again, I'm saying that these walls are not capable of talking.
But they can't talk Four walls
For the third time, I'm stating that these walls can't speak.
But if they could talk What would they say?
I'm wondering what these walls would say if they were able to talk.
They'd say Nash the slash
If they could talk, the walls would say 'Nash the Slash'.
Why did you leave your sticker on my Forty-two dollar and fifty cent suite
They would ask Nash the Slash why he left his sticker on my $42.50 suite.
In James Dean's head bed?
This suite is located in James Dean's head bed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IGGY POP, IVAN KRAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
stephen fein
This was the first Iggy song I ever heard, as a very potent mind-altering substance was just kicking in. It did blow my mind at the time, in a very positive way. I still love it now.
Mark Rago
stephen fein Great way to be introduced to Iggy, stoned. Seriously I love his music. Zombie Birdhouse was an underrated masterpiece.
Anthony Durben
This is an obnoxiously wonderful punk song! It's been one of my faves for decades.
Dagger Deep
Underrated album
THX1138
Dagger Deep Oh, yeah! Read somewhere how this was supposed to de Iggy Pop trying to make a commercial album. Fuck did I laugh.
Mark Rago
ken jarecki Yeah Iggy never did a commercial album. He was so ahead of his time, only over the past 10-15 years has pop culture really started to embrace The Stooges and Iggy. Yeah he had the connections and notoriety during his earlier career, but it only recently has been deemed truly important and instrumental in the shaping of punk, garage rock, alt rock, Indy rock, and other major genres of modern music.
Peter Daigle
Not the greatest album, but then again how do you measure an Iggy Pop release? Amazing memories of this song.
Mark Rago
You can't measure one. I agree though, this was inferior to it's predecessor Soldier and both of those were inferior to Zombie Birdhouse ( a masterpiece imo)
Johnny BushHogg
@Mark Rago I feel like with time that this album has gotten better and better. Lots of good songs on it. I think I like it better than Soldier, definitely better than Instinct
ivan pinilla
This is a great song!! And the album is pure fun...