Their early sound was seen as very Do-It-Yourself take on Folk/Rock and had been retrospectively compared to punk music by some, subsequently however over the next few years the bands sound would become more refined and psychedelic.
The band was named by Kupferberg who borrowed it from the euphemistic substitute for the word "fuck" famously used in Norman Mailer's novel, The Naked and the Dead. Incidentally, the band is featured in a chapter of Mailer's book, Armies of the Night as they play at the 1967 march on the Pentagon in protest of the Vietnam War (with Scott Rashap on upright bass).
The Fugs were a satirical and self-satirizing rock band that performed at protests against the Vietnam War nationwide.
Their 1968 Transatlantic Records album "It crawled into my hand, honest" (TRA 181) also helped to make them more widely known on the European side of the Atlantic. (This album {minus LP artwork, of course,} is now also available as tracks 11 to 30 of "Electromagnetic Steamboat")
The band's frank lyrics about sex, drugs, and politics aroused a hostile reaction in some quarters, and enthusiastic interest in others. One of their better known songs was an adaptation of Matthew Arnold's poem, Dover Beach. Another was a William Blake poem.
The Fugs played their "final" concert of the 1960s in 1969 at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania with the Grateful Dead.
The Fugs, minus Weaver (plus Rashap), reunited in 1984 with several performances at the Bottom Line in New York.
A reunited Fugs toured in the fall of 2004, with Josh Lieberman on glass armonica in several Chicago performances.
Carpe Diem
The Fugs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Carpe diem
Carpe diem
Carpe diem
Sing cuckoo sing
Death is a comin in
Sing cuckoo sing
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Carpe diem
Carpe diem
Carpe diem
Carpe diem
Sing children sing
Death is a comin in
Sing children sing
Death is a comin in
You can't outthink the angel of death
Sing cuckoo sing
You can't outdrink the angel of death
Sing cuckoo sing
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Sing children sing
Sing children sing
Sing children sing
Sing children sing
Sing lover sing
Death is a comin in
Sing lover sing
Death is a comin in
You can't outwalk the angel of death
Sing cuckoo sing
You can't outtalk the angel of death
Sing cuckoo sing
It's an old clich?? that it's an old clich??
But you better make your love today
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
Death is a comin in
The Fugs's song Carpe Diem is an ode to the importance of seizing the day and living life to the fullest, as death is always looming around the corner. The repeated refrain of "Carpe diem" and "Sing children sing" serve as a call to action for the listener to embrace life's fleeting moments and not take them for granted. The use of "cuckoo" throughout the song can be interpreted as a reference to the fleeting nature of time, much like the bird's ephemeral call.
The verses that address death and the angel of death are a reminder that no one can escape their ultimate fate. The lines "You can't outthink the angel of death" and "You can't outdrink the angel of death" suggest that no matter what one does, death will come for them eventually. The final verse, which addresses lovers, emphasizes the urgency of living in the moment and making the most of the time one has with their significant other. The lyrics, "But you better make your love today" urge the listener to not wait until it's too late to express their love and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Sing cuckoo sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Sing cuckoo sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Carpe diem
Seize the day
Sing children sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Sing children sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
You can't outthink the angel of death
You can't outsmart death
Sing cuckoo sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
You can't outdrink the angel of death
You can't drink your way out of death
Sing cuckoo sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Sing children sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Sing children sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Sing children sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Sing children sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Sing lover sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Sing lover sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
You can't outwalk the angel of death
You can't run away from death
Sing cuckoo sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
You can't outtalk the angel of death
You can't sweet-talk your way out of death
Sing cuckoo sing
Acknowledge the inevitable passage of time and the approach of death
It's an old cliché that it's an old cliché
The idea of "seize the day" has been around for a long time
But you better make your love today
Don't wait to express your love
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Death is a comin in
Everyone will die someday
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: TULI KUPFERBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bob
on I Shit My Pants
The song "I Shit My Pants" is not The Fugs, someone uploaded it with a Fugs album cover but it was a Canadian band named "Salty Seamen", it's available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vjOmICY2vg