Working closely with Ed Roth, who assumed the nom du disc "Mr. Gasser," Fred Rice carefully selected vocalists and musicians for the recording session. Gary Usher assembled and led the vocal talent, which included Jackie "Robyn" Ward, Chuck Girard, Richard Burns and Darlene Love. And how's this for a guitar line-up: Glen Campbell, Jerry Cole and Howard Roberts! On drums you've the great Hal Blaine. Meanwhile, Cliff Hils anchored the bass position and Leon Russell played piano while Steve Douglas wailed on sax. What a fabulous group of "Weirdos"! The combination of A-list players and a top-notch studio produced a superior-sounding LP, every bit the sonic equal of contemporary recordings from stars like the Super Stocks and the Beach Boys.
Big Bad Surfink
Mr. Gasser & The Weirdos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was so damn ugly his folks took it hard
They left him nine times on the railroad track
But that ugly little thing just kept coming back
Big Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Big Surfink
Now Fink was growing at a frightening pace
The hairy ground shook when he took a hop
And when he exhaled he whipped up a chop
Big Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Big Surfink
Now life was rough for old Surfink
He was so darn lonely it drove him to drink
He went to the ocean and started to drink
But he spit out the surfers who were turning pink
Big Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Big Surfink
Now when Fink started drinking he got real mean
Then he started getting hungry so he split the scene
He was making fink burgers at a meatpacking yard
But that's when the called out the national guard
On Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Big Surfink
Now they dug his grave as wide as a valley
When old Fink got snuffed in that old back alley
And at the bottom of this pit Big Fink is stacked
In a modified giant sized Ratfink trap
Big Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Big Surfink
The lyrics to Mr. Gasser & The Weirdos' Surfink tell the story of a monstrous and grotesque creature known as Fink, who was born in a crate in an old junkyard. Despite his appearance and the fact that his parents abandoned him multiple times on a railroad track, Fink continued to survive. As he grew in size, reaching a height of 20 feet, Fink's loneliness drove him to drink and go to the ocean, where he spat out surfers who turned pink. The song takes a dark turn as Fink's drinking and hunger led him to start making "fink burgers" at a meatpacking yard, ultimately leading to his demise and the need for a giant-sized Ratfink trap to contain him.
The lyrics to Surfink are a classic example of the storytelling traditions of 1960s surf rock songs, which often used humor and exaggerated lyrics to create an entertaining and memorable song. While the lyrics are fictional, they take inspiration from the Rat Fink character, created by artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Despite the strange and macabre subject matter, the song's up-tempo beat and catchy melody continue to make it a fan favorite among surf rock enthusiasts.
Line by Line Meaning
Well he was born in a crate in an old junkyard
Fink was born in a crate in a junkyard.
He was so damn ugly his folks took it hard
Fink was so ugly that his parents were sad about his looks.
They left him nine times on the railroad track
His parents abandoned him on a railroad track nine times.
But that ugly little thing just kept coming back
Despite his parents' attempts to abandon him, Fink always returned.
Big Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Fink was growing to be very big.
Big Surfink
Fink was growing to be big enough to surf on.
Now Fink was growing at a frightening pace
Fink was growing very fast and it scared people.
It was 20 feet from his toes to his face
Fink was so big that there was 20 feet of him from toes to face.
The hairy ground shook when he took a hop
The ground shook when Fink jumped due to his size and weight.
And when he exhaled he whipped up a chop
When Fink exhaled, he created a gust of wind that was like a chop.
Now life was rough for old Surfink
Life was difficult for Fink due to his size and ugliness.
He was so darn lonely it drove him to drink
Fink was extremely lonely, which led him to start drinking.
He went to the ocean and started to drink
Fink went to the ocean to drink.
But he spit out the surfers who were turning pink
Fink drank the ocean water but then spat out surfers who were sunburned and turning pink.
Now when Fink started drinking he got real mean
Fink became aggressive when he started drinking.
Then he started getting hungry so he split the scene
Fink became hungry so he left.
He was making fink burgers at a meatpacking yard
Fink was killing people and making burgers out of them at a meatpacking yard.
But that's when the called out the national guard
The national guard was called to deal with Fink's behavior.
On Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Fink was still growing and getting bigger.
Big Surfink
Fink was growing bigger and bigger, big enough to surf on.
Now they dug his grave as wide as a valley
When Fink died, his grave was very large.
When old Fink got snuffed in that old back alley
Fink was killed in an old back alley.
And at the bottom of this pit Big Fink is stacked
Fink's body was placed at the bottom of a large pit.
In a modified giant sized Ratfink trap
Fink's body was put in a trap made for giant rodents, like Ratfink.
Big Fink Big Fink Big Fink
Fink was still growing even though he was dead.
Big Surfink
Fink's corpse was still big enough to surf on.
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