Their best known songs include "Summer In The City", "Do You Believe In Magic?", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "Daydream". The band reunited in 1991 and continue to perform without Sebastian, who has declined to participate, and Yanovsky, who died in 2002.
The band's name was inspired by lyrics from Mississippi John Hurt's "Coffee Blues" and drew influence from contemporary folk and psychedelic music while also inspiring later rock bands.
A more complete history of this seminal New York band can be found on their official site: lovinspoonful.com
My Gal
The Lovin' Spoonful Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The poor gal do quite the same
My gal she rides an old hay wagon
But oh she's getting round just the same
Well I'll be there in the morning if I live
I'll be there in the morning if I don't get killed
If I never no more see you again
Well a rich gal, she'll fight you and she'll bop you with a stick
A poor gal do quite the same
My gal get a rusty razor and run you all over town
You know she's raising hell just the same
Well I'll be there in the morning if I live
I will be there in the morning if I don't get killed
If I never no more see you again
Be sure to remember me, yeah
Well a rich gal she'll kiss you nice, she'll kiss you awful sweet
A poor gal kiss quite the same
But my gal, spit back at you, she'll stomp all on your lips
You know she's loving you just the same
Well I'll be there in the morning if I live (if I live)
I will be there in the morning if I don't get killed (if I don't get killed)
If I never see you again
Be sure to remember me
Well a rich gal, she drinks good ol' whiskey
And a poor gal will drink quite the same
But my gal she drinks shoe polish
You know she's gettin' drunk just the same
Yes I'll be there in the morning if I live (if I live)
I will be there in the morning if I don't get killed (if I don't get killed)
Oh if I never see you again
Be sure to remember me
The Lovin' Spoonful's song "My Gal" is a fun and quirky tune that portrays the singer's love for his unconventional and unique girlfriend. The song highlights the differences between rich and poor women without judgment, but rather as a playful exploration of the various ways in which different women express themselves.
The first verse of the song describes how the rich and poor women ride in automobiles while the singer's girlfriend rides in an old hay wagon. However, he notes that his girlfriend still manages to get around just the same, indicating that her lack of wealth does not hinder her in any way. The second verse mentions how rich and poor women will fight and defend themselves with physical force, while his girlfriend will use a rusty razor to run all over town and raise hell, yet equally capable of protecting herself. The third verse shows how rich and poor women may express affection through kissing, but the singer's girlfriend is not like the others, as she will spit and stomp on his lips, yet still loving him just the same. Finally, the last verse mentions how rich and poor women will drink whiskey, but the singer's girlfriend drinks shoe polish, yet still getting drunk all the same. This last verse is particularly humorous, as it shows just how unique and unconventional the singer's girlfriend truly is.
The intention behind the song seems to be to show that love is not necessarily dependent on social status, money or conventional beauty standards, but rather on unique and individual qualities. The song also subtly questions the social norms accepted by society, bringing to light the amusing and harmless idiosyncrasies of different women.
Line by Line Meaning
The rich gal she ride in an automobile
A woman who is wealthy drives around in a fancy car
The poor gal do quite the same
A woman who is poor may also drive a car, but not as luxurious as the wealthy woman's car
My gal she rides an old hay wagon
My girlfriend rides in a simple and rustic wagon made of hay
But oh she's getting round just the same
But despite the simplicity of her transportation, she still gets around just like everyone else
Well I'll be there in the morning if I live
I will be there in the morning if I'm still alive
I'll be there in the morning if I don't get killed
I'll be there in the morning if I don't die before then
If I never no more see you again
If we never see each other again
Be sure to remember me
Remember me even if we never see each other again
Well a rich gal, she'll fight you and she'll bop you with a stick
A wealthy woman may use physical violence to express her anger
A poor gal do quite the same
A poor woman may also resort to violence
My gal get a rusty razor and run you all over town
My girlfriend will attack you with a dangerous weapon and chase you around town
You know she's raising hell just the same
Despite her aggressive behavior, she is still raising havoc just like the other women
Well a rich gal she'll kiss you nice, she'll kiss you awful sweet
A wealthy woman may give you a pleasant and tender kiss
A poor gal kiss quite the same
A poor woman may also give a nice kiss
But my gal, spit back at you, she'll stomp all on your lips
However, my girlfriend will spit on you and step on your lips in anger
You know she's loving you just the same
Despite her angry outburst, she still loves you just like the other women
Well a rich gal, she drinks good ol' whiskey
A wealthy woman may drink expensive, high-quality whiskey
And a poor gal will drink quite the same
A poor woman may drink the same whiskey, but not as fancy
But my gal she drinks shoe polish
My girlfriend drinks a dangerous and toxic substance like shoe polish
You know she's gettin' drunk just the same
Despite the danger, she still gets intoxicated just like the other women
Yes I'll be there in the morning if I live
I will still be there in the morning if I'm alive
I will be there in the morning if I don't get killed
I will be there in the morning as long as I don't die before then
Oh if I never see you again
If we never see each other again
Be sure to remember me
Remember me even if we never see each other again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Erik M. Jacobsen, James (Jim) Kweskin, Joe Butler, John Benson Sebastian, John Stephen Boone, Zal Yanovsky, G. Muldauer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rorick Sellers
on 4 Eyes
4 Eyes: After "Mister up in middle classes" is the line: LET YOUR BABY CHOOSE HIS GLASSES ... [for some reason, this line in all caps is omitted ON EVERY WEBSITE that has the lyrics to this song. Weird.]