Selected discography:
Millions of Dead Cops (1982)
Smoke Signals (1986)
This Blood's for You (1987)
Metal Devil Cokes (1989)
Hey Cop! If I Had A Face Like Yours... (1991)
Shades of Brown (1993)
Magnus Dominus Corpus (2004)
Mein Trumpf (2017)
Current lineup
Dave Dictor - vocals (1979-present)
Russ Kalita - guitar (2008–present)
Barry Ward - guitar (2017-present)
Mike Smith - bass (2007–present)
Chicken Squawk
MDC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They sell the chickens by the score
But eating dead birds just ain't for me
I don't eat roast beef or fish
Just go ahead and let your chickens be
In chicken circles it's Adolph Perdue
Wants to feed featherless chicken to you
I don't take orders from Colonel Sanders
Do you?
I don't wanna eat no hens
Not even every now or then
Wanna let all the chickens be
[Chorus:]
Bawk, bawk, bawk...
Swing to the east and swing to the west
Swing with the chickens you love best
Come on down and do the chicken squawk with me
Wishing Daffy lots of luck
Cause Elmer Fudd's a hunting duck
They're dreaming about their little fricassee
And Bugs Bunny is a friend of mine
Eating him I'd feel like Frankenstein
Eating flesh seems pretty foul to me
So on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve
Give them turkeys a reprieve
Ain't no turkey got to die for me
Foghorn, Leghorn wrote to me
Say's MDC's alright by me
Cause we all learned to let our chickens free
[Chorus]
Lordy Jesus this must be the end
They got us eating our cartoon friends
Emancipate those little chickadees
Swing to the east and swing to the west
Swing to the chicken you love best
Come and do the chicken squawk with me
The lyrics of MDC's "Chicken Squawk" are strongly anti-meat and anti-animal cruelty. The song starts with the singer walking into a store where they sell chickens, but they refuse to buy any because they do not eat meat. The singer mentions that they do not eat any kind of meat, including roast beef, fish, or pork. They also refuse to eat hens or any other type of chicken since they do not want any animals to die for their sake. The reference to Adolph Perdue is about Frank Perdue, the CEO of Perdue Farms, a large poultry company in the US. The "featherless chicken" mentioned in the song is a breed of chicken specifically bred to reduce the need for plucking feathers.
Towards the end of the song, the singer encourages listeners to join them in refusing to eat meat, singing that "we all learned to let our chickens free". The chorus urges people to swing "to the east and swing to the west" and "do the chicken squawk", a line possibly meant to suggest that singing and dancing with alive chickens is preferable to eating them. The song closes with the singer lamenting that people are now eating cartoon characters, and calling for the liberation of all the animals.
Line by Line Meaning
When I walk into the store
As soon as I enter the store
They sell the chickens by the score
There are numerous chickens sold there
But eating dead birds just ain't for me
I am not comfortable eating dead birds
I don't eat roast beef or fish
I refrain from consuming fish or beef
Porky Pig is not my dish
I do not prefer to consume porky pig
Just go ahead and let your chickens be
Let the chickens live freely without any harm
In chicken circles it's Adolph Perdue
Adolph Perdue is a prominent figure in the world of chickens
Wants to feed featherless chicken to you
He intends to provide chicken without its feathers to the consumers
I don't take orders from Colonel Sanders
I refuse to follow orders of Colonel Sanders
Do you?
Will you follow Colonel Sanders' orders?
I don't wanna eat no hens
I do not desire to eat hens
Not even every now or then
Not even occasionally
Wanna let all the chickens be
I wish to let all the chickens live freely
Bawk, bawk, bawk...
The chickens are making noises
Swing to the east and swing to the west
Swing in every direction
Swing with the chickens you love best
Swing with the chickens that you like the most
Come on down and do the chicken squawk with me
Join me and make the sound of a chicken
Wishing Daffy lots of luck
Wishing Daffy success
Cause Elmer Fudd's a hunting duck
As Elmer Fudd is hunting ducks
They're dreaming about their little fricassee
As they are imagining to cook a dish of small pieces of meat
And Bugs Bunny is a friend of mine
As Bugs Bunny is my friend
Eating him, I'd feel like Frankenstein
Consuming him would make me feel monstrous like Frankenstein
Eating flesh seems pretty foul to me
Consuming non-vegetarian food appears unappetizing to me
So on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve
On important holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas
Give them turkeys a reprieve
Spare the turkeys from getting killed
Ain't no turkey got to die for me
I won't cause the death of any turkey for myself
Foghorn, Leghorn wrote to me
Foghorn Leghorn contacted me
Say's MDC's alright by me
MDC is appreciated by Foghorn Leghorn
Cause we all learned to let our chickens free
We all have learned to allow the chickens live freely without restrictions
[Chorus]
The chorus of the song
Lordy Jesus this must be the end
An expression when the end seems near
They got us eating our cartoon friends
We are consuming food of cartoon characters
Emancipate those little chickadees
Set free the small chicken
Swing to the east and swing to the west
Swing in every direction
Swing to the chicken you love best
Swing with your favorite chicken
Come and do the chicken squawk with me
Join me in making the sound of a chicken
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fletchergrizwald1723
30 years later my nephew loves MDC too!
@YPO6
This was big hit in the 80s.
@arijanvanwijngaarden1917
And still playing live these dudes!! Wunderfull!!
@guillermorodriguez9839
Love from Colombia South America... Love MDC
@PunisherFan04
Come on down I say come on down and do the chicken squawk with us
@karenskinner9044
Come on, do the chicken dance with me!!! Blast from the past!
@andrewl4625
heard this on jackass loop of death.
@lucasroche8639
Ive still got my copy of this singlek on Crass records and I still listen to it because its such a great record.
@DURecords
MDC record covers did resemble Crass record covers, but I was not aware that Crass ever released this. I thought it was R Radical Records.
@jesusgarcia-cc7od
sweet memories!!!!Thank you!!!!!!!!!