The whales whistled as the Eskimo tribe danced on and on to the lively beat of the ceremonial band. For twenty days they danced. And sang. And prayed. And still the ice floe hugged the shore line preventing the Eskimos from being able to kill their most valuable prey, the large migrating whale. Anger had been building in the people towards the Angakok who allegedly had the power to remove the ice that was blocking their passage. Finally a hunter challenged the magic of the Angakok with hostile words, and others soon joined him in the traditional taunt of "necki, necki, necki", until the Angakok rose up before them and silenced them with a single cry. A spell escaped from his lips and the sky darkened. A curse slipped from his finger and the seas swelled. The ice was cracking at last. But that dull roar?? The Eskimos looked at one another with fear in their weathered faces. Then it appeared. A "giant snake which stands on the water" wiggled before them with its head in the clouds. They briefly watched it eat a path through the ice floe, then hysterically ran for safety. But the water spout had one more job to do. The hunter who challenged the Angakok's magic was never seen again.
IF AN ANGAKOK IS MURDERED, IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM ITS SPIRIT, THE MURDERER CUTS OFF THE ANGAKOK'S TOES AND FINGERS AND PUTS THEM IN THE DEAD MAN'S MOUTH.
DEAD CHILDREN ARE BURIED WITH A DOG'S HEAD TO PROTECT THE CHILDIN THE AFTERLIFE.
IF CATASTROPHE IS IMMINENT, ALL IN THE SETTLEMENT EXCHANGE WIVES IN ORDER TO CONFUSE THE EVIL SPIRITS.
ESKIMOS HAVE WORDS FOR 40 VARIETIES OF SNOW.
The Angry Angakok
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The whales whistled as the Eskimo tribe danced on and on to the lively beatof the ceremonial band. For twenty days they danced. And sang. And prayed. And still the ice floe hugged the shore line preventing the Eskimos from being able to kill their most valuable prey, the large migrating whale. Anger had been building in the people towards the Angakok who allegedly had the power to remove the ice that was blocking their passage. Finally a hunter challenged the magic of the Angakok with hostile words, and others soon joined him in the traditional taunt of "necki, necki, necki", until the Angakok rose up before them and silenced them with a single cry. A spell escaped from his lips and the sky darkened. A curse slipped from his finger and the seas swelled. The ice was cracking at last. But that dull roar?? The Eskimos looked at one another with fear in their weathered faces. Then it appeared. A "giant snake which stands on the water" wiggled before them with its head in the clouds. They briefly watched it eat a path through the ice floe, then hysterically ran for safety. But the water spout had one more job to do. The hunter who challenged the Angakok's magic was never seen again.
IF AN ANGAKOK IS MURDERED, IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM ITSSPIRIT, THE MURDERER CUTS OFF THE ANGAKOK'S TOES AND FINGERS AND PUTS THEM IN THE DEAD MAN'S MOUTH.
DEAD CHILDREN ARE BURIED WITH A DOG'S HEAD TO PROTECT THE CHILDIN THE AFTERLIFE.
IF CATASTROPHE IS IMMINENT, ALL IN THE SETTLEMENT EXCHANGE WIVESIN ORDER TO CONFUSE THE EVIL SPIRITS.
ESKIMOS HAVE WORDS FOR 40 VARIETIES OF SNOW.
"The Angry Angakok" by The Residents is a song inspired by the Eskimo mythology surrounding the Angakoks, the men of magic in Eskimo communities. The lyrics speak of an Eskimo tribe that was unable to hunt for their most valuable prey, the large migrating whale, due to an ice floe blocking their passage. The Angakok, who the tribe believed had the power to remove the ice, was challenged by a hunter who accused him of not using his magic to help the tribe. The Angakok responded by using his magic to break the ice and allow the tribe to hunt the whale. However, in doing so, he also summoned a giant snake which stood on the water and killed the hunter who had challenged his magic.
The song captures the fear and awe that Eskimo communities felt towards their Angakoks, who were believed to have the power to control the elements and spirits. The lyrics also highlight the tradition of challenging the Angakok's power and the consequences that could follow.
Line by Line Meaning
Angakoks, the Eskimo men of magic. are widely held as symbols of mortal power among the tribe, Stories of their feats are very popular at tribal gatherings.
The Eskimo people hold the Angakoks in very high regard, as they are seen as men with great power and ability. They are often talked about and celebrated during gatherings.
The whales whistled as the Eskimo tribe danced on and on to the lively beat of the ceremonial band. For twenty days they danced. And sang. And prayed. And still the ice floe hugged the shore line preventing the Eskimos from being able to kill their most valuable prey, the large migrating whale.
The Eskimos were dancing and celebrating to the music of their ceremonial band, but despite their efforts, they were unable to catch the whales they needed to survive, as the ice prevented them from doing so.
Anger had been building in the people towards the Angakok who allegedly had the power to remove the ice that was blocking their passage. Finally a hunter challenged the magic of the Angakok with hostile words, and others soon joined him in the traditional taunt of 'necki, necki, necki', until the Angakok rose up before them and silenced them with a single cry.
The Eskimos were angry with the Angakok for not being able to remove the ice, and a hunter even challenged his supposed magical powers. The people taunted him until the Angakok rose up and silenced them with his power.
A spell escaped from his lips and the sky darkened. A curse slipped from his finger and the seas swelled. The ice was cracking at last. But that dull roar?? The Eskimos looked at one another with fear in their weathered faces.
The Angakok used his magic to cast spells and curses that caused the sky to darken and the seas to swell, and the ice began to crack. The Eskimos were frightened by his power.
Then it appeared. A 'giant snake which stands on the water' wiggled before them with its head in the clouds. They briefly watched it eat a path through the ice floe, then hysterically ran for safety. But the water spout had one more job to do. The hunter who challenged the Angakok's magic was never seen again.
A giant sea creature appeared before them, and they watched as it ate a path through the ice, but then they ran away in fear. The hunter who challenged the Angakok's magic disappeared, possibly as a result of the sea creature's actions.
IF AN ANGAKOK IS MURDERED, IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM ITS SPIRIT, THE MURDERER CUTS OFF THE ANGAKOK'S TOES AND FINGERS AND PUTS THEM IN THE DEAD MAN'S MOUTH.
If an Angakok is murdered, the murderer cuts off their toes and fingers and puts them in their mouth in order to protect themselves from the Angakok's spirit.
DEAD CHILDREN ARE BURIED WITH A DOG'S HEAD TO PROTECT THE CHILD IN THE AFTERLIFE.
In Eskimo culture, dead children are buried with a dog's head in order to protect them in the afterlife.
IF CATASTROPHE IS IMMINENT, ALL IN THE SETTLEMENT EXCHANGE WIVES IN ORDER TO CONFUSE THE EVIL SPIRITS.
If a catastrophe is imminent, everyone in the settlement exchanges wives in order to confuse the evil spirits, as they believe this will help protect them.
ESKIMOS HAVE WORDS FOR 40 VARIETIES OF SNOW.
The Eskimos have 40 different words for different types of snow, indicating their deep understanding and familiarity with their environment.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARDY WINFRED FOX, HOMER FLYNN, HOMER III FLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@toyaquiyvoyaya
This album is reaaaally hard. Getting into Meet The Residents and Not Available was much easier for me, I fell in love with them since the first time I listened to one of their albums. This is one of the few pieces in this album that I can actually understand and enjoy, it is absolutely brilliant.
@DerDrache707071
A timeless masterpiece!
@VamboRoolz
A soothing cacophony for the wee sma' hours.
@LeVezz
That chorus tho !
@bananartista
the best song ever
@Soft_Machine
I was playing this once and it generally scared the crap out of my brother
@BrianWisti
I played the Eskimo album for the future Mrs. Geek on one of our early dates. Yeah, it surprises me that there were any dates after that as well.
@DaveBennett
She didn't like the music, she liked you! 😃
@BrianWisti
Apparently, Dave Bennett. That bit still occasionally confuses me ^_^
@DaveBennett
Same over here. 😃