King Kong VI
The Mothers of Invention Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ayyy! Yee-hah!

Here's one with your father's moustache,
your old cookie jar, rubbers,
sneakers, galoshes, belt buckles,
and book covers with the name of your high school neatly
imprinted in crimson and gold on the front with a picture
of the goal post and last year's queen.




Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song Prelude to King Kong indicate a tone of excitement and anticipation. This unconventional composition by The Mothers of Invention begins with a playful chant that sets the stage for the following verses. The lyrics take on a satirical tone, and in this verse, they are poking fun at the idea of nostalgia, and how we like to hold on to things from our past. Frank Zappa, the composer, examines the seemingly insignificant objects that we accumulate over time, such as rubbers, sneakers, and belt buckles, and juxtaposes them with sentimental items such as our high school book covers with the school colors and queen of the previous year's photo. The nostalgic items and the school's representation establish an impression of one's youth, but it can easily become a mere collection of objects that signify nothing, and neither do they evoke any particular emotion.


The lyrics of this song can be perceived as an attempt by Zappa to deconstruct the cultural institutions of America. He uses satirical elements such as nostalgic items described in the verse, to create a satirical effect. Zappa's intention is to take apart the meaningless aspects of American culture and create something new, something that challenges the expectations of an audience. The lyrics describe a society that is focused on consumerism and how it has created a culture of nostalgia, which is unproductive and inauthentic. The song Prelude to King Kong aims to deconstruct this system by showing the audience the absurdity of their collective thinking, making them think critically about their choices and desires.


Line by Line Meaning

Ayyy! Yee-hah!
Excited proclamation introducing the following lines.


Here's one with your father's moustache,
Presenting an object that may stir up feelings of nostalgia or family ties, in the form of a moustache that belonged to the listener's father.


your old cookie jar, rubbers,
Listing off a series of objects that are likely to be found in a typical household, including a cookie jar and rubber items, potentially evoking memories or emotions associated with these everyday items.


sneakers, galoshes, belt buckles,
Naming various articles of clothing or accessories, possibly associated with particular times or places in the listener's life.


and book covers with the name of your high school neatly imprinted in crimson and gold on the front with a picture of the goal post and last year's queen.
Suggesting a specific object that could have strong sentimental meaning by describing a book cover from the listener's high school, complete with vivid imagery that would help to conjure memories of that time period.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Ron Weekes

Had this great album back in high school. Classic then, classic now.

Luis Fernando

Classic!!!!

More Versions