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.
The Diet
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
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no butter no jelly no jam
Lunch just some lettuce two celery stalks no booze no potatoes no ham
Dinner one chicken wing broiled not fried no gravy no biscuits no pie
And this dietin' dietin' dietin' dietin' sure is a rough way to die
So pass me a carrot stick peel me a prune a glass of
skim milk and that's all
me straight up the wall
And I'm think' of french fries sausage and waffles
spaghetti and cookies and cake
And each night I'm dreamin' of chocolate ice cream and
I'm starvin' to death when I wake all for your sake
You're fixin' the kids all those creamed mashed potatoes
But it's bouillon and water for me and you got a lock on the refrigerator
Lord knows where you're hidin' the key
And while I am starvin' for food late at night I'm
starvin' for lovin' from you
But you say that when I can see my own dick you'll
be glad to look at it too
So supper two pieces of cauliflower raw some beefsteak the size of a nail
One sliced tomato a small dab of slaw I swear I ate better in jail
Stop eatin' that pizza right under my nose girl that's the least you can do
And put down that candy bar while I am singin' I'm
starvin' my ass off for you
And when I am dead with the insurance paid you'll look
down at me and you'll grin
You'll say well the boy tried and he suffered and died
But don't he look good when he's thin
The song "The Diet" by Shel Silverstein is a humorous take on the experiences of someone who goes on a strict diet to meet their partner's expectations of how they should look. The lyrics describe the calorie-restricted meals that the singer endures, from black coffee and a single slice of dry toast for breakfast, to raw cauliflower and beefsteak the size of a nail for supper. The song's use of exaggeration and absurdity highlights the ridiculousness of the diet, but also speaks to the pressure that people face to conform to societal standards of beauty and health.
The singer's diet causes them to fantasize about all the foods they can't eat, from sausage and waffles to chocolate ice cream. The irony is that they are sacrificing their own enjoyment of life for their partner's desire to be with someone thin. The line "I'm starvin' my ass off for you" underscores the absurdity and unfairness of the situation.
The song's final verse takes a darker turn, as the singer imagines their partner looking down on them after they have died from the strict diet. They may have achieved their goal of being thin, but is it worth sacrificing their own happiness and well-being? The song leaves it up to the listener to decide.
Line by Line Meaning
Well breakfast black coffee one slice of dry toast
I only get one slice of toast and black coffee for breakfast with no butter and jam.
no butter no jelly no jam
I can't have jam or butter with my dry toast.
Lunch just some lettuce two celery stalks no booze no potatoes no ham
For lunch, I get just lettuce and celery without any alcoholic beverages, potatoes, or ham.
Dinner one chicken wing broiled not fried no gravy no biscuits no pie
For dinner, I get one broiled chicken wing without gravy, biscuits, or pie.
And this dietin' dietin' dietin' dietin' sure is a rough way to die
This dieting lifestyle is hard and could easily lead to death.
So pass me a carrot stick peel me a prune a glass of skim milk and that's all
All I can have is a carrot stick, prune, and skim milk.
Turn off the TV for the Big Mac commercial it's drivin' me straight up the wall
The Big Mac commercial is making me think of all the foods I can't have, so please turn off the TV.
And I'm think' of french fries sausage and waffles spaghetti and cookies and cake
I'm constantly thinking about all the delicious things I can't eat like french fries, sausage, waffles, spaghetti, cookies, and cake.
And each night I'm dreamin' of chocolate ice cream and I'm starvin' to death when I wake all for your sake
I'm dreaming of chocolate ice cream at night, but I'm starving because of this dieting lifestyle for someone else's sake.
You're fixin' the kids all those creamed mashed potatoes
You're cooking the children creamed mashed potatoes.
But it's bouillon and water for me and you got a lock on the refrigerator Lord knows where you're hidin' the key
But all I can have is bouillon and water, and you have locked up the refrigerator.
And while I am starvin' for food late at night I'm starvin' for lovin' from you
I'm not only starving for food at night, but also starving for affection from you.
But you say that when I can see my own dick you'll be glad to look at it too
You're telling me that you'll give me attention when I lose weight.
So supper two pieces of cauliflower raw some beefsteak the size of a nail
For supper, I get two pieces of raw cauliflower and a very small piece of beefsteak.
One sliced tomato a small dab of slaw I swear I ate better in jail
All I can have is one sliced tomato and a small amount of slaw, and I swear I ate better in jail.
Stop eatin' that pizza right under my nose girl that's the least you can do
Please stop eating pizza in front of me; it's the least you can do considering my situation.
And put down that candy bar while I am singin' I'm starvin' my ass off for you
Please put down that candy bar while I sing. I am starving because of this dieting for you.
And when I am dead with the insurance paid you'll look down at me and you'll grin
If I die, and the insurance is paid, you will look down at me and smile.
You'll say well the boy tried and he suffered and died But don't he look good when he's thin
You'll say that I tried, suffered, and died, but I look good now that I'm thin.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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