The band was lead by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ian Bruce-Douglas and released three albums over the course of its career: "Ultimate Spinach" (1968), "Behold & See" (1968) and "Ultimate Spinach III" (1969).
Their debut album was the most successful of all the "Bosstown Sound" LPs released by MGM, reaching #35 on the Billboard 200 and selling over 100,000 copies. Myers and Lahteinen had left the group by the time of their second album, and Russell Levine (drums) and Carol Lee Britt (vocals) were added to the lineup. Winthrop departed shortly thereafter and was replaced by guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, later a member of Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers. Bruce-Douglas quit the band in late 1968, and leadership of the group passed onto Hudson and Baxter, who re-formed Ultimate Spinach with a completely different lineup aside from the two of them. The new lineup released the third Ultimate Spinach album in 1969, and disbanded shortly after its release.
Fragmentary March of Green
Ultimate Spinach Lyrics
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Playing on a pebble horn
And waiting for a horse drawn trolley car I have a very fine job I count all the frying fish And make them pat amusements chance And send their children off to school
You must do good
You must do well
You must do good
You must do well
You must do good
Because because
You are the emperor's new cloths
And no one knows that you are full of holes And so is he for keeping you around I guess we better take him back to the lost and found I don't care they'll never catch me
I don't care they'll never catch me
Let me be let me be let me be I don't play with balloons
Because they always explode
And get gum stuck in my hair
His wife hangs him all the time
And tells her bridge book friends he's weak His children kick him in the shins
This is his reward for cutting throats
So he'd succeed and have his own desk
So he'd succeed and have his desk
So he'd succeed and have his desk
He was he was
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The lyrics to “Fragmentary March of Green” by Ultimate Spinach are cryptic and surreal, presenting a series of disjointed and seemingly unrelated images and ideas. The opening lines evoke a childlike sense of playfulness and whimsy, with the singer imagining themselves inside a cookie jar and playing a “pebble horn” while waiting for a horse-drawn trolley car. However, things quickly take a darker turn when the singer references the exploitation of workers (“I count all the frying fish / And make them pat amusements chance / And send their children off to school”) and the parable of the emperor’s new clothes, suggesting that the powerful and privileged are often hiding their own flaws and vulnerabilities.
The rest of the song continues in this vein of mixing seemingly innocuous or absurd images with more serious or disturbing themes. The singer claims not to care if “they” catch them, but it’s not clear who “they” are or what the consequences would be. They also mention a fear of balloons and the petty cruelties inflicted by a man’s family because he cut throats in order to succeed in life. The repetition of the words “insanity” and “reality” suggest a blurring of the line between these two states of being, perhaps reflecting the confusion and disillusionment of the era in which the song was created.
Line by Line Meaning
I am in a cookie jar
I feel confined and trapped
Playing on a pebble horn
Trying to make music from something insignificant, unable to express oneself fully
And waiting for a horse drawn trolley car
Awaiting something that may never come or unrealistic expectations
I have a very fine job
Occupation that may seem good on surface level but lacks personal fulfillment, possibly due to societal pressure
I count all the frying fish
Performing mundane tasks without any greater purpose or direction
And make them pat amusements chance
Turning something ordinary into amusement to escape reality momentarily
And send their children off to school
Playing a part in society's cycle of expectation and conformity
You must do good
Societal pressure to conform and achieve status quo
You must do well
Societal pressure to succeed and meet others' expectations
Because because
Repetition that highlights the influence of societal pressure
You are the emperor's new cloths
Living a lie to maintain status and avoid criticism
And no one knows that you are full of holes
Feeling hollow, unable to live up to expectations
And so is he for keeping you around
Blaming those who enable and reinforce facade lifestyle
I guess we better take him back to the lost and found
Desire to escape societal pressure and unrealistic expectations
I don't care they'll never catch me
Resignation towards societal norms, feeling insignificant and seeking individuality
Let me be let me be let me be
Desire to break free and experience freedom from oppressive norms
I don't play with balloons
Avoiding things that seem fun or worthwhile due to fear of negative consequences
Because they always explode
Exaggerating negative consequences
And get gum stuck in my hair
Fearing unexpected and undesired consequences
His wife hangs him all the time
Feeling trapped and suffocated by expectations of a relationship
And tells her bridge book friends he's weak
Feeling emasculated and demeaned by others perception of oneself
His children kick him in the shins
Feeling powerless and disrespected within the family structure
This is his reward for cutting throats
The price of achieving status and success through immoral methods
So he'd succeed and have his own desk
Sacrificing personal values and integrity for material gain and power
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Cycling back and forth between being ostracized by societal standards and the desire to conform
Contributed by Layla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.