Alligator Wine
Screamin' Jay Hawkins Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ah ah

Take the blood out of an alligator
Take the left eye of a fish, yeah
Take the skin off of a frog, yeah
And mix it up in a dish
Add a cup of green swamp water
And then count from one to nine
Spit over your left shoulder
And you got alligator wine

Alligator wine
You ol' porcupine
It's gonna make you mine, oh yeah
It's gonna make you mine

It'll make your head bald, baby
It'll make your toes freeze
It'll turn your blood into steam, shh
It'll make you cough and sneeze
You're gonna scream like an eagle
You're gonna roar like a mountain lion
When you get finished drinking
Good ol' alligator wine

Alligator wine
You ol' porcupine
Is gonna make you mine

Meet me at the stroke of midnight
By the swamp down in the wood
I'm gonna make you love me baby
Like you never thought you could
You gonna drink my magic potion
And your blood shut eye is gonna shine
You'd be a slave forever
To my alligator wine

Alligator wine
Oh, alligator wine
Hey, hey, is gon' make you mine





Alligator, alligator wine

Overall Meaning

The song "Alligator Wine" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins is a classic example of voodoo-inspired rock and roll. The lyrics are not meant to be taken literally but allude to the idea of a magical recipe that will make the listener fall in love with the singer. The first verse describes the ingredients needed to make this potion: blood from an alligator, the left eye of a fish, and the skin of a frog mixed with swamp water. The singer instructs the listener to spit over their left shoulder while counting to nine. This is a common practice in some African and African-American cultures believed to ward off evil spirits.


The second verse describes the effects that the alligator wine will have on the listener. It will make them scream like an eagle and roar like a mountain lion, turning their blood into steam. The singer also claims that it will make their head bald and their toes freeze, which again is not to be taken literally but represents the idea of being under the spell of the potion. The third verse is an invitation for the listener to meet the singer by the swamp at the stroke of midnight. The singer promises to make the listener fall in love with them, forever becoming a slave to the alligator wine.


Overall, the song's lyrics are bizarre and fantastical, but they capture the spirit of voodoo and conjure up images of magic and power. It's a perfect example of Screamin' Jay Hawkins' unique style and his ability to create a mood and atmosphere through music.


Line by Line Meaning

Take the blood out of an alligator
Extract the blood from an alligator, implying the use of exotic, dangerous ingredients in the potion


Take the left eye of a fish, yeah
Remove the left eye of a fish, another bizarre ingredient in the recipe


Take the skin off of a frog, yeah
Separate the skin from a frog, yet another strange ingredient used in the concoction


And mix it up in a dish
Combine the various ingredients in a dish, indicating a recipe or potion making process


Add a cup of green swamp water
Include a cup of stagnant, murky swamp water in the mixture


And then count from one to nine
Perform a seemingly arbitrary counting ritual as part of the potion making process


Spit over your left shoulder
Perform a superstitious act of spitting over the left shoulder for good luck or warding off evil


And you got alligator wine
After completing the recipe and ritual, the potion is complete and referred to as alligator wine


It'll make your head bald, baby
The effects of drinking alligator wine are described as causing hair loss or baldness


It'll make your toes freeze
The potion also causes a chilling sensation in the toes, suggesting its power over the body


It'll turn your blood into steam, shh
The most bizarre effect of alligator wine is causing the blood to turn into steam, perhaps implying that it has supernatural qualities


It'll make you cough and sneeze
Further negative effects of the potion include coughing and sneezing


You're gonna scream like an eagle
The potion is so powerful that it causes the drinker to scream like an eagle, an animal known for its loud and intense cries


You're gonna roar like a mountain lion
The potion also makes the drinker roar like a mountain lion, another powerfully vocal animal


When you get finished drinking
After the drinker finishes consuming the potion


Good ol' alligator wine
Referring to the potion as 'good ol' alligator wine' again underscores its strange and powerful nature


Meet me at the stroke of midnight
A call to action for another person to meet the artist at midnight in a specific location


By the swamp down in the wood
The meeting place is in the swampy woods, further emphasizing the potion's association with nature and the supernatural


I'm gonna make you love me baby
The singer intends to use the potion to make the other person fall in love with them, adding an element of sinister manipulation to the song


Like you never thought you could
The potion promises to make the other person love the artist in a way they never imagined possible


You gonna drink my magic potion
The artist offering the potion to the other person


And your blood shut eye is gonna shine
The potion's effects include causing the drinker's 'blood shut eye' to shine, perhaps meaning a third eye or another mystical sight


You'd be a slave forever
Although the drinker will love the singer after consuming the potion, they will in effect be enslaved to them forever


To my alligator wine
Repeating the name of the potion as a way to emphasize its importance and mysterious nature


Alligator wine
Repeating the name of the song and potion, potentially as a chorus or refrain


You ol' porcupine
A playful or endearing nickname for the other person, calling them a 'porcupine'


It's gonna make you mine, oh yeah
The potion will cause the other person to fall in love with the singer, making them theirs




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Franz Narf

Alligator Wine (by Leiber & Stoller)

Ah ah ah ah!
Take the blood out of an alligator
Take the left eye of a fish, yeah
Take the skin off of a frog, yeah
And mix it up in a dish
Add a cup of grease swamp water
And then countin' one to nine
Spit over your left shoulder
And you got alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
It'll make your head bald, babe
I say it make your toes freeze
It'll turn your blood into steam shh
It'll make you cough and sneeze
You gotta scream like an eagle
You gonna roar like a mountain lion
When you finished drinking
Good old alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Ah yeah wouh
Meet me at the stroke of midnight
By the swamp down in the wood
I'm gonna make you love me babe
Like you never thought you could
You gonna drink my magic potion
And your blood shut eye is gonna shine
You'd be scared forever
Oh my alligator wine
Alligator wine
Gonna make you mine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Waouh Uh uh uh



ChuckDeFuque

Ah ah ah ah!
Take the blood out of an alligator
Take the left eye of a fish, yeah
Take the skin off of a frog, yeah
And mix it up in a dish
Add a cup of grease swamp water
And then countin' one to nine
Spit over your left shoulder
And you got alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
It'll make your head bald, babe
I say it make your toes freeze
It'll turn your blood into steam shh
It'll make you cough and sneeze
You gotta scream like an eagle
You gonna roar like a mountain lion
When you finished drinking
Good old alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Ah yeah wouh
Meet me at the stroke of midnight
By the swamp down in the wood
I'm gonna make you love me babe
Like you never thought you could
You gonna drink my magic potion
And your blood shut eye is gonna shine
You'd be scared forever
Oh my alligator wine
Alligator wine
Gonna make you mine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Waouh Uh uh uh



All comments from YouTube:

mike tkalec

such a great song. besides the original version, Jeff Buckley does a great cover of the this song.

Wolfgang van Hagar

no he doesn't

bristlefist

@Wolfgang van Hagar HAHAHHH!

Franz Narf

Alligator Wine (by Leiber & Stoller)

Ah ah ah ah!
Take the blood out of an alligator
Take the left eye of a fish, yeah
Take the skin off of a frog, yeah
And mix it up in a dish
Add a cup of grease swamp water
And then countin' one to nine
Spit over your left shoulder
And you got alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
It'll make your head bald, babe
I say it make your toes freeze
It'll turn your blood into steam shh
It'll make you cough and sneeze
You gotta scream like an eagle
You gonna roar like a mountain lion
When you finished drinking
Good old alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Ah yeah wouh
Meet me at the stroke of midnight
By the swamp down in the wood
I'm gonna make you love me babe
Like you never thought you could
You gonna drink my magic potion
And your blood shut eye is gonna shine
You'd be scared forever
Oh my alligator wine
Alligator wine
Gonna make you mine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Waouh Uh uh uh

Giorgio Falsaperna

Masterpiece!!!

Валетина Якоб

Вот это голос!!!!

ChuckDeFuque

Ah ah ah ah!
Take the blood out of an alligator
Take the left eye of a fish, yeah
Take the skin off of a frog, yeah
And mix it up in a dish
Add a cup of grease swamp water
And then countin' one to nine
Spit over your left shoulder
And you got alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
It'll make your head bald, babe
I say it make your toes freeze
It'll turn your blood into steam shh
It'll make you cough and sneeze
You gotta scream like an eagle
You gonna roar like a mountain lion
When you finished drinking
Good old alligator wine
Alligator wine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Ah yeah wouh
Meet me at the stroke of midnight
By the swamp down in the wood
I'm gonna make you love me babe
Like you never thought you could
You gonna drink my magic potion
And your blood shut eye is gonna shine
You'd be scared forever
Oh my alligator wine
Alligator wine
Gonna make you mine
Your porcupine
Is gonna make you mine
Is gonna make you mine
Waouh Uh uh uh

Isaac Dyer

Anyone else think this'd work in a horror movie?

FaceofMatt

He is fantastic

WarBandit111

I'm not gonna lie...Alligator wine is something I'd try.

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