Santana is a Latin music and rock band formed in San Francisco, California … Read Full Bio ↴Santana is a Latin music and rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966 by Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana. The band came to public attention with their performance of "Soul Sacrifice" at Woodstock in 1969. This exposure helped propel their first album, also named Santana, into a hit, followed in the next two years by Abraxas and Santana III. Lineup changes were common. Carlos Santana's increasing involvement with guru Sri Chinmoy took the band into more esoteric music, though it never lost its Latin influence.

In 1998, the band Santana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Carlos Santana, José "Chepito" Areas, David Brown, Gregg Rolie, Mike Carabello, and Michael Shrieve The band has earned nine Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, the latter all in 2000. Carlos Santana won a Grammy Award as a solo artist in 1988. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling groups of all time. In 2013, Santana announced a reunion of the classic line-up for a new album, Santana IV, which was released in April 2016. They are tied for having the most won Grammy Awards in one night.

Gumbo
Santana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a mouse starin' out of the window
His car is trapped in the snow
He's planning a family vacation
But he just can't go
Around the next corner's a red bird
His feathers are trapped in a sling
He's passed by some gunslinging parrot
Who's jealous he ain't got no grin

There ain't no time to stash the gumbo
Or rattle around in a cage
The sacrificed child's made bubbles
And spittle is everywhere enraged
In a hot sand or in a my feet
They're blistered and caked with debris
Chez Rolez is guarding the tote board
While angry piddles with glee

There's a fool writing notes out on sandpaper
He's sending them off to himself
He gets them a couple days later
Who put them along his top shelf
If you get tired of shavings
And carve up a good hunk of wood

Remembering to check on the sausage
He's got cooking somewhere look good

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Santana's song Gumbo are a series of surreal images and fragmented thoughts that seem to be strung together almost at random. The first verse describes a mouse staring out of the window, trapped in a car that's stuck in the snow, and planning a family vacation that he can't go on. In the next verse, we encounter a red bird with a feather in a sling, who has just been passed by a gunslinging parrot who is jealous because the bird he passed didn't have a smile.

The next section of the song is more frenzied, with the singer exclaiming that there's no time to "stash the gumbo" or "rattle around in a cage." He describes a "sacrificed child" making bubbles, and spittle flying everywhere in a scene that seems both angry and chaotic. The lyrics then turn to a more physical description of the singer's surroundings, with his feet blistered and caked with debris, and a character named Chez Rolez guarding a tote board.

The final verse contains some of the most opaque imagery in the song, with a fool writing notes on sandpaper and sending them to himself, and carving up a good hunk of wood while remembering to check on the sausage he's cooking somewhere that looks good.

Overall, the lyrics to Gumbo can be seen as a series of strange and disconnected images that don't really make sense on their own, but create a mood of confusion and disorientation. The song seems to be about a world that is chaotic and unpredictable, where even the most mundane activities can be disrupted by unexpected events.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a mouse starin' out of the window
A mouse is looking out of a window

His car is trapped in the snow
The mouse's car is stuck in the snow

He's planning a family vacation
The mouse wants to go on vacation with his family

But he just can't go
Unfortunately, the mouse cannot go on vacation

Around the next corner's a red bird
There is a red bird around the next corner

His feathers are trapped in a sling
The bird has injured its wing and cannot fly

He's passed by some gunslinging parrot
The bird sees a parrot with guns

Who's jealous he ain't got no grin
The parrot is envious because the red bird cannot smile due to its injury

There ain't no time to stash the gumbo
There is no time to hide the gumbo

Or rattle around in a cage
The artist cannot be trapped or constrained

The sacrificed child's made bubbles
A child has been sacrificed and bubbles are forming as a result

And spittle is everywhere enraged
There is anger and chaos everywhere, with saliva flying all around

In a hot sand or in a my feet
Either in the scorching sands or on my feet

They're blistered and caked with debris
The feet are covered in blisters and dirt

Chez Rolez is guarding the tote board
Chez Rolez is monitoring the scoreboard

While angry piddles with glee
Someone named 'angry' is urinating with joy

There's a fool writing notes out on sandpaper
A foolish person is jotting down notes on sandpaper

He's sending them off to himself
The person is sending these notes to themselves

He gets them a couple days later
The person receives the notes a few days later

Who put them along his top shelf
They place the notes on the highest shelf

If you get tired of shavings
If you are bored of cutting things into shavings

And carve up a good hunk of wood
And decide to carve a large piece of wood

Remembering to check on the sausage
Do not forget to check on the cooking sausage

He's got cooking somewhere look good
It appears that the sausage is being cooked and will be delicious

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CARLOS SANTANA, GREGG ROLIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Lawrence A

@eNeNe its written like an explanatory sentence. But you do have a question mark.
omg is correct. I take it u want, maybe to hear about it. It's a long story.
Short version. A friend dropped by my place on his Norton Commando, and said...hey man I'm heading down to Woodstock stock festival lovein, want to come, I'm in.

I was 19, left Montreal cross the border as we noticed the closer we got, the traffic was building fast. About 20 miles out from wood stock the traffic was bumper to bumper, then to a complete stop. We drove by road of the shoulder at walking speed. As there were hundreds then thousands walking. People ditched their motorized vehicles were it was possible, as we had to do the same. Nothing was moving except for feet, we walked maybe 5 to 7 miles.
The logistics were a disaster, not expecting the massive turn out.
When we reached the festival it was free, as all the fences were brought down by the people. But unfortunately there wasn't room inside we camped by the road and enjoyed the music, people, atmosphere, togetherness as young people. Needless to say it was an experience of a life time. As was the summer of love 1967.
The world exposition in Montreal 67, youth all over the world came. There were massive youth pavilions parties and top bands from every were, the lsd flowed and the pot filled the air and the girls/guys were beautiful.
Not sure what your age/genertion is. Here's a song that sums it up by.
Jefferson airplane, "Summer Of Love"