Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Spaghetti
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
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Up to my elbows--up to my face.
Over the carpet and under the chairs,
Into the hammock and wound round the stairs.
Filling the bathtub and covering the desk,
Making the sofa a mad mushy mess.
The party is ruined, I'm terribly worried,
I told them, "Bring presents!"
I said, "Throw confetti!"
I guess they heard wrong
'Cause they all threw spaghetti.
The lyrics to Shel Silverstein's "Spaghetti" describe a messy situation where the titular food has been spilled all over the place. The opening lines suggest that things are quite chaotic, with spaghetti covering the song's narrator from their elbows to their face. The following lines provide a laundry list of places where the spaghetti has ended up, including under chairs, in a hammock, and on the stairs. The lyrics further describe how the spaghetti has filled the bathtub and covered a desk, ultimately ruining a party that the song's narrator had planned. The final lines reveal that the singer had told their guests to bring presents and throw confetti but that they somehow ended up throwing spaghetti instead.
One reading of these lyrics is as a humorous commentary on the unexpected and messy nature of life. Despite the singer's plans and expectations for their party, things quickly spiral out of control, leaving a huge mess for them to clean up. The guests, too, seem to have followed their own whims and instincts rather than the instructions that were given to them. The song can thus be read as a playful reminder that life is full of surprises and that it's often best to just go with the flow.
Line by Line Meaning
Spaghetti, spaghetti, all over the place,
There's spaghetti everywhere!
Up to my elbows--up to my face.
It's even on me up to my elbows and face.
Over the carpet and under the chairs,
It's gone all over the carpet and moved under the chairs.
Into the hammock and wound round the stairs.
Even the hammock and stairs aren't safe, with spaghetti getting tangled in them.
Filling the bathtub and covering the desk,
It's filled up the bathtub and completely covered the desk.
Making the sofa a mad mushy mess.
The sofa is now ruined thanks to the spaghetti, and it's squishy and wet.
The party is ruined, I'm terribly worried,
The party is now a disaster and I am really concerned.
The guests have all left (unless they're all buried).
Everyone has left the ruined party, and I'm not sure if they're still alive.
I told them, "Bring presents!"
I had instructed the guests to bring me presents to the party.
I said, "Throw confetti!"
I asked for confetti to be thrown at the party.
I guess they heard wrong 'Cause they all threw spaghetti.
However, it appears that I wasn't clear enough in my instructions, as everyone brought and threw spaghetti instead.
Contributed by Jayce W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.