The Chicago-born singer-songwriter, was discovered by Kris Kristofferson. He collaborated with close friend John Prine throughout his career. His superb guitar ability (honed at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music) and creative songwriting ability led him to success in the 1970s folk scene. Often funny, sometimes heartbreaking, always unpredictable, Steve Goodman was the consummate performer whether in a small Chicago venue, Austin City Limits, or opening for Steve Martin (and often stealing the show!). Steve is probably best known for his song "City of New Orleans", which was later covered by Arlo Guthrie among others. He has also been covered by Jimmy Buffett and many others. Steve was the ultimate suffering Chicago Cub fan, writing the songs "Go, Cubs, Go" and the unfortunately very true "A Dying Cub Fans Last Request".
Steve's life was cut short in 1984 by leukemia, but fortunately an extensive catalog remains, including the recently released, "Live at the Earl" as well as the DVD "Steve Goodman Live at Austin City Limits and More."
Vegematic
Steve Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, what a dream I had.
I dreamed I went and answered every single one
Of those late night mail order ads.
And four to six weeks later, much to my surprise,
The mailman came to my front door,
And I couldn't believe my eyes
When he brought the Vegematic,
Illuminated illustrated history of life,
Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,
A bamboo steamer, and a Garden Weasel too,
And a tie-dyed, dayglo souvenir shirt from Six Flags Over Burbank.
Well the doorbell rang all morning and all through the afternoon.
I shook with fright as it rang all night
To the light of the Master Card moon.
There was Parcel Post in the pantry,
UPS in the hall,
COD to the ceiling, and I just couldn't pay for it all.
I got the egg scrambler, with a Seal-a-Meal carrying case,
A set of presidential commemorative plates
So I could eat my eggs off the President's face,
A Minute Mender, and a needle that'll knit or crochet,
And an autographed photograph of Rin Tin Tin
At Six Flags Over Burbank.
I remembered I was dreaming, so I gave a mighty cheer.
When I awoke, it was no joke, 'cause all that shit was here.
So if you fall asleep with the TV on, let me tell you what to do:
Rip the telephone out of the wall unless you want it to happen to you.
You get the Vegematic, and the Pocket Fisherman too,
Illuminated illustrated history of life,
And Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,
A bamboo steamer, and a smokeless ashtray too
And an all expenses paid weekend for three at Six Flags Over Burbank
The lyrics of "Vegematic" by Steve Goodman tell the story of a man who fell asleep with the TV on, only to have a strange dream where he answers all of the late-night mail order ads he sees. When the mailman comes with his orders four to six weeks later, he's shocked to find that all of the ridiculous products he ordered, including a Vegematic, Pocket Fisherman, and an illuminated illustrated history of life are actually delivered to his front door. The deluge of packages doesn't stop there though, as deliveries pour in, CODs to the ceiling, including a tie-dyed, dayglo souvenir shirt from Six Flags Over Burbank, all of which he can't afford to pay for. The song ends with the singer warning listeners to avoid the same fate and to rip the telephone out of the wall before falling asleep with the TV on, lest they end up with a similar mountain of goods.
Overall, the humorous song satirizes the allure of late-night television advertisements and the absurdity of their products. The singer's dreams are a reflection of the bombardment of these ads on viewers and the sometimes questionable quality of the products advertised. The humorous nature of the song is further enhanced by the exaggerated fear and panic of the singer as he is overwhelmed by the deliveries, suggesting that there may be something to be wary of in these advertisements after all.
Line by Line Meaning
Fell asleep last night with the TV on.
The singer fell asleep while the TV was on.
Oh, what a dream I had.
The singer is describing a dream they had.
I dreamed I went and answered every single one
In the dream, the singer went and answered all the late night mail order ads.
Of those late night mail order ads.
The artist is referring to mail order ads that air late at night on TV.
And four to six weeks later, much to my surprise,
The artist was surprised when they received the items they ordered in the mail 4-6 weeks later.
The mailman came to my front door,
The mailman delivered the items the singer ordered to their front door.
And I couldn't believe my eyes
The singer was amazed at what they saw.
When he brought the Vegematic,
One of the items the mailman brought was a Vegematic.
And the Pocket Fisherman too,
Another item the mailman brought was a Pocket Fisherman.
Illuminated illustrated history of life,
The artist received a book called 'Illuminated Illustrated History of Life'.
Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,
The singer also received a Boxcar Willie album and a Ginzu knife.
A bamboo steamer, and a Garden Weasel too,
The artist received a bamboo steamer and a Garden Weasel.
And a tie-dyed, dayglo souvenir shirt from Six Flags Over Burbank.
The singer received a tie-dyed, dayglo souvenir shirt from Six Flags Over Burbank.
Well the doorbell rang all morning and all through the afternoon.
The singer's doorbell kept ringing all day long.
I shook with fright as it rang all night
The doorbell kept ringing even at night, causing the singer to be afraid.
To the light of the Master Card moon.
This line is describing the light from the moon shining through a Master Card advertisement in the window.
There was Parcel Post in the pantry,
The artist received many items in the mail, including some that were in the pantry.
UPS in the hall,
The singer received packages from UPS and stored them in the hall.
COD to the ceiling, and I just couldn't pay for it all.
The singer received so many items that they could not afford to pay for them all, resulting in a large COD (cash on delivery) charge.
I got the egg scrambler, with a Seal-a-Meal carrying case,
One of the items the artist received was an egg scrambler with a carrying case for a Seal-a-Meal vacuum sealer.
A set of presidential commemorative plates
The artist received a set of plates commemorating past US presidents.
So I could eat my eggs off the President's face,
The artist finds it humorous that they can eat their eggs off of a president's face.
A Minute Mender, and a needle that'll knit or crochet,
The singer received a Minute Mender and a needle that can be used for knitting or crocheting.
And an autographed photograph of Rin Tin Tin
The artist received an autographed photograph of the famous Hollywood dog, Rin Tin Tin.
And the Pocket Fisherman too,
The singer mentions the Pocket Fisherman again, as it was one of the items they received.
I remembered I was dreaming, so I gave a mighty cheer.
The singer realizes that it was all a dream and is relieved.
When I awoke, it was no joke, 'cause all that shit was here.
The singer wakes up and realizes that all the items they received in the dream are actually there in real life.
So if you fall asleep with the TV on, let me tell you what to do:
Based on their experience, the artist offers advice for those who fall asleep with the TV on.
Rip the telephone out of the wall unless you want it to happen to you.
The artist suggests unplugging the phone to prevent late-night purchase regrets.
And a smokeless ashtray too
Another item the singer received was a smokeless ashtray.
And an all expenses paid weekend for three at Six Flags Over Burbank
The last item mentioned is an all-expenses-paid weekend for three people at Six Flags Over Burbank.
Contributed by Samuel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andy Shearer
Fell asleep last night with the TV on,
Oh, what a dream I had.
Dreamed I went and answered ev'ry single
One of those late night mail order ads.
Then four to six weeks later,
Much to my surprise,
The mailman came to my front door
And I couldn't believe my eyes.
He brought the Vegematic
And the Pocket Fisherman, too,
Illuminated, illustrated History of Life
And Box Car Willie with a ginsu knife,
A bamboo steamer and a garden weasel, too,
And a tie dyed day-glow souvenir shirt
From Six Flags Over Burbank.
Well, the doorbell rang all mornin',
All through the afternoon,
And I shook with fright as it rang all night
By the light of the Mastercard moon.
There was Federal Express in the pantry,
Parcel Post in the hall,
COD to the ceiling,
And I just couldn't pay for it all.
I got an egg scrambler
With a seal-a-meal carryin' case,
A set of Presidential Commemorative Plates
So I could eat my eggs off a President's face,
A minute mender
And a needle that'll knit or crochet
And an autographed photograph of Rin Tin Tin
At Six Flags Over Burbank.
Well I know that I was dreamin'
So I gave a mighty cheer
When I awoke, it was no joke
'Cause all that shit was here,
So if you fall asleep with the TV on
Let me tell you what to do.
Rip the telephone out of the wall
Unless you want this to happen to you.
You get Vegematic and the Pocket Fisherman, too,
Iluminated, illustrated History of Life
And Box Car Willie with a ginsu knife,
A bamboo steamer and a garden weasel, too,
And a tie dyed day-glow souvenir shirt
From Six Flags Over Burbank.
Jess Christiansen
'Fell asleep last night with the T-V on.
Oh, what a dream I had.
I dreamed I answered every single one of those
Late night mail order ads.
And four to six weeks later,
Much to my surprise,
The mailman came to my front door,
And I couldn't believe my eyes
When he brought the Vegematic,
And the Pocket Fisherman too,
Illuminated illustrated history of life,
And Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,
A bamboo steamer,
And a Garden Weasel too,
And a tie-dyed, dayglow souvenir shirt from
Six Flags Over Burbank.
The doorbell rang all morning
And into the afternoon.
I shook with fright as it rang all night
To the light of the Master Card moon.
There was Parcel Post in the pantry,
And UPS in the hall,
C O D's to the ceiling,
And I just couldn't pay for it all.
I got the egg scrambler,
With a Seal-a-Meal carrying case,
A set of presidential commemorative plates
So I could eat my eggs
Off the President's face,
A Minute Mender,
And a needle that'll knit or crochet,
And an autographed photograph of
Rin Tin Tin at
Six Flags Over Burbank.
I remembered I was dreaming,
So I gave a mighty cheer.
When I awoke, it was no joke,
'Cause all that shit was here.
So if you fall asleep with the TV on,
Let me tell you what to do:
Tear the telephone out of the wall
Unless you want it to happen to you.
You'll get the Vegematic,
And the Pocket Fisherman too,
Illuminated illustrated history of life,
And Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,
A bamboo steamer,
And a smokeless ashtray too
And an all expenses paid
Weekend for three at
Six Flags Over Burbank'
--Steve Goodman
sfperkins36
This man was a genius. Even though he knew he was dying, he still kept his sense of humor
Will Lo
Steve Goodman was a, or perhaps more appropriately, the wizard on the acoustic guitar of his era!
sneezepal
This guy was a genius!
ahoward
one of my favorite road trip songs as a kid! (and I'm 26)
Tom Force
Saw Steve at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Michigan. I believe it was the early 80's. He opened for Leon Redbone and there couldn't have been more than 150 people in that big old movie theater. Didn't bother Steve a bit. He played as if the house was full of everyone he ever knew who loved his music. Witnessing his warmth and professionalism was an honor and it stays with me today. One of the most touching moments of his set was his tribute to Motown's Mary Wells in "Two Lovers." I wish that was recorded somewhere.
James Dana
Jesus, he was a good guitarist!
Nidomhnail
True story - l love this song and requested a friend play the song when he was working his folk music program on a local public radio station. He did not have the edited version so one of the seven words that you cannot play on the radio passed Steve's lip and was heard by the listeners to his program. No one complained because, after all, it was Steve Goodman saying the word.
Stephen Vecchiotti
RIP Stevie....you were one of the best ! God Bless You.
Anne Dafchik
This is the first song I ever learned "all" the words to. I was three and my dad and I sang it together for a talent show. The only word I didn't learn was in the line "...when i awoke it was no joke 'cause all that STUFF was here".
Magnificent Failure
Your dad was a hero. :)