Charlie Brown
Voodoo Glow Skulls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fe-fe, fi-fi, fo-fo, fum
I smell smoke in the auditorium
Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown
He's a clown, that Charlie Brown
He's gonna get caught
(Why's everybody always pickin' on me)
That's him on his knees
I know that's him
Yeah, from 7 come 11
Down in the boys' gym
Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown
He's a clown, that Charlie Brown
He's gonna get caught
Just you wait and see
(Why's everybody always pickin' on me)
Who's always writing on the wall
Who's always goofing in the hall
Who's always throwing spit balls
Guess who (who, me) yeah, you
Who walks in the classroom, cool and slow
Who calls the English teacher, Daddy-O
Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown
He's a clown, that Charlie Brown
He's gonna get caught
Just you wait and see
(Why's everybody always pickin' on me)
[Instrumental Interlude]
Who walks in the classroom, cool and slow
Who calls the English teacher, Daddy-O
Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown
He's a clown, that Charlie Brown
He's gonna get caught
Just you wait and see
(Why's everybody always pickin' on me)
The song "Charlie Brown" by The Coasters, later covered by Voodoo Glow Skulls, laments the misfortunes of the titular character Charlie Brown. The lyrics begin with "Fe-fe, fi-fi, fo-fo, fum, I smell smoke in the auditorium," which sets the tone for the rest of the song as a taunting chant. The song questions why everyone seems to pick on Charlie Brown, accusing him of being a clown who will inevitably get caught for something.
The lyrics continue to list all the ways Charlie Brown seems to attract trouble, from being caught on his knees in the boys' gym, to writing on walls and goofing in the halls, to throwing spit balls. Despite this, Charlie Brown still manages to exude a certain confidence, walking cool and slow and even addressing the English teacher as "Daddy-O." The song ends with a final refrain of "Why's everybody always pickin' on me," expressing Charlie Brown's understandable frustration with his situation.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of being singled out and picked on, despite just trying to go about one's business. The catchy lyrics set to upbeat, sing-songy music create a contrast to the underlying sadness of the message.
Line by Line Meaning
Fe-fe, fi-fi, fo-fo, fum
I think there is smoke in the auditorium
Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown, He's a clown, that Charlie Brown
People are always bullying Charlie Brown
He's gonna get caught, Just you wait and see
Those bullies will face consequences eventually
(Why's everybody always pickin' on me)
Charlie Brown wonders why he is always the victim of bullying
That's him on his knees, I know that's him, Yeah, from 7 come 11, Down in the boys' gym
Charlie Brown is mocked and humiliated while playing games with his peers and he knows it's due to him being an easy target
Who's always writing on the wall, Who's always goofing in the hall, Who's always throwing spit balls, Guess who (who, me) yeah, you
A group of bullies always look for ways to make fun of Charlie Brown, and then they blame him for their actions
Who walks in the classroom, cool and slow, Who calls the English teacher, Daddy-O
Charlie Brown tries to act cool in class but doesn't succeed, and he probably doesn't have a good relationship with his English teacher
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.