In 2005, Moranis released an album entitled The Agoraphobic Cowboy, featuring country songs with lyrics which Moranis says follow in the comic tradition of songwriters/singers such as Roger Miller and Jim Stafford. The album was produced by Tony Scherr, and is distributed through ArtistShare, as well as Moranis' official Web site. In the Sound & Vision interview done before he decided to release the album, he commented on the origins of some of the songs:
“ About a year ago (in 2003), out of the blue, I just wrote a bunch of songs. For lack of a better explanation, they’re more country than anything. And I actually demoed four or five of them, and I’m not sure at this point what I’m going to do with them—whether I’m going to fold them into a full-length video or a movie. But, boy, I had a good time doing that. ”
On December 8, 2005, The Agoraphobic Cowboy was announced as a nominee for the 2006 Grammy for Best Comedy Album.
(A previous album by Moranis was entitled You, Me, The Music, and Me (1989).
On February 3, 2006, Moranis performed "Press Pound" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and discussed the development of his music career.
Mean Old Man
Rick Moranis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No right to sing them southern blues.
I'm from Toronto, snowy city,
From a neighbourhood of Jews.
Don't get no high from Blue Ridge Mountains.
I get no buzz from Bowling Green.
After a long day on the golf course,
That mean old man, who gives the plaitzas
Hot, foamy eucalyptus leaves.
He hits so hard, my skin is burning.
Well you should see the welts he leaves.
That mean old man.
They want to play a little poker.
Promise me I won't lose my shirt.
Every mensch, a Cuban smoker.
I can't sit down, my butt still hurts.
That mean old man, who gives the plaitzas
Hot, foamy eucalyptus leaves.
He hits so hard, my skin is burning.
Well you should see the welts he leaves.
That mean old man.
That mean old man, he's here on Sundays.
And that's when all the regulars show.
Turn up the heat, these are the fun days.
Hey, it's my turn. I gotta go!
That mean old man, who gives the plaitzas
Hot, foamy eucalyptus leaves.
He hits so hard, my skin is burning.
Well you should see the welts he leaves.
That mean old man.
In Rick Moranis's song "Mean Old Man", he is discussing his personal experiences with an older man who gives him plaitzas, which are a traditional Jewish form of a back massage using hot, foamy eucalyptus leaves. Moranis introduces himself as someone who is not from the southern United States and does not have the right to sing southern blues. He explains that he is from Toronto, a snowy city, and specifically from a neighborhood of Jews.
He then goes on to describe how he does not find excitement in activities such as golf or visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains or Bowling Green. Instead, he likes to take a little steam after a long day. The chorus continually references the mean old man who gives him plaitzas and hits him so hard that his skin is burning and he is left with welts.
Towards the end of the song, Moranis mentions poker games where everyone is a Cuban smoker, but he is unable to sit down due to the welts from the mean old man. The song closes with Moranis stating that the mean old man is there on Sundays when all the regulars show up and that it is now his turn to receive a plaitza.
Overall, "Mean Old Man" is a humorous ode to a traditional Jewish practice of receiving a plaitza, with Moranis poking fun at the intensity of the experience and the mean old man who administers them.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't from nowhere near Kentucky.
I am not from the southern US state of Kentucky.
No right to sing them southern blues.
I have no cultural connection to the musical style of southern blues.
I'm from Toronto, snowy city,
I come from the snowy city of Toronto.
From a neighbourhood of Jews.
I grew up in a Jewish community.
Don't get no high from Blue Ridge Mountains.
I don't experience any thrill or excitement from the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I get no buzz from Bowling Green.
I don't get any excitement from Bowling Green.
After a long day on the golf course,
After spending a lot of time playing golf,
I like to take a little steam.
I enjoy taking a steam (sauna or bath) to relax.
That mean old man, who gives the plaitzas
Referring to a person who gives plaitzas, a therapeutic treatment involving steam and eucalyptus leaves.
Hot, foamy eucalyptus leaves.
The plaitzas treatment involves using steam and eucalyptus leaves to create a hot and foamy sauna-like experience.
He hits so hard, my skin is burning.
The person administering the plaitzas treatment hits the skin hard enough to cause burning sensations.
Well you should see the welts he leaves.
The impact of the plaitzas treatment leaves welts on the skin.
They want to play a little poker.
Other people want to play a game of poker.
Promise me I won't lose my shirt.
Others assure me that I won't lose much money in the game.
Every mensch, a Cuban smoker.
Every person (mensch) involved in the game smokes cigars from Cuba.
I can't sit down, my butt still hurts.
I am still in pain from the impact of the plaitzas treatment, and it's difficult to sit down.
He's here on Sundays.
The person administering plaitzas is there on Sundays.
And that's when all the regulars show.
Sundays are when everyone else who comes regularly is present.
Turn up the heat, these are the fun days.
On Sundays, the heat is turned up and it becomes more enjoyable.
Hey, it's my turn. I gotta go!
It's now my turn to get the plaitzas treatment, so I have to leave now.
Contributed by Violet S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.