1. WAR were a popul… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least nine artists with this name:
1. WAR were a popular funk group of the '70s. They mixed soul, jazz, blues, reggae, Latin and rock influences in their music. They had a very recognizable sound, due to their mix of harmonica, horns, guitar, bass, percussion, and vocals. WAR was initially formed in 1969 from a band called Nightshift to jam while Eric Burdon free-associated lyrics. They released two albums under Burdon's name, the first of which contained the hit Spill the Wine. Burdon left the group in 1971, and WAR had several major hits through the early to mid 1970s.
2. A Swedish black metal band that was formed by members of few bands including Dark Funeral, Hypocrisy and Ophthalamia. They released two albums and then changed their name to Total War. The compilation "We Are... Total War" (2001) consists of their two releases on one disc. (Check more on WAR (Swe))
3. A Polish black metal band, formed in 1993 and since split up. The band has released 4 albums and refuses to publish photographs of the members since their demo days. Lyrical themes include War, Misanthropy, Hatred and Anti-christianity.
4. Rumbling lo-fi synth/post-punk from Posh Isolation. Features Elias Rønnenfelt from Iceage and Loke Rahbek from Sexdrome.
5. An Italian thrash metal band.
6. A dark ambient/electronic band who released one album, Obedience, in 2002.
7. An unsigned American MC.
8. Jeremy
9. War is an alias of French drum and bass producer Samy Ponsar.
Spill The Wine
War Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One very hot summer's day
When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest
In a big field of tall grass
I lay there in the sun
And felt it caressing my face
As I fell asleep and dreamed
And that I was the star of the movie
This really blew my mind
The fact that me, an overfed long-haired, leaping gnome
Should be the star of a Hollywood movie
But there I was
I was taken to a place
The Hall of the Mountain King
I stood high up on a mountaintop
Naked to the world
In front of
Every kind of girl
There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones
Black ones, round ones, big ones
Crazy ones
Out of the middle
Came a lady
She whispered in my ear
Something crazy
She said
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, dig that girl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
As she disappeared
But soon she returned
In her hand was a bottle of wine
In the other, a glass
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
And raised it to her lips
And just before she drunk it
She said
Take the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Take the wine, take that pearl
Spill the wine, take that pearl
Take that pearl, yeah!
It's all good
Oh, you got to do it
Spill that wine, spill that wine
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine
Take that pearl
The opening lines of War's "Spill the Wine" describe a daydream of an absurd, unachievable journey. The singer imagines himself as the star of a Hollywood movie, a notion blown by his own mind. The song is a psychedelic trip that follows him to The Hall of the Mountain King, where he stands naked, surrounded by various women. A lady approaches him and whispers in his ear something insane, and then hands him a bottle of wine with a glass. As she takes a sip, she commands him to "spill the wine, take that pearl."
In the hallucination, the wine represents a key that unlocks the door to the free-flowing, sensual experience promised by the woman. The song's lyrics are mystical even though they are delivered in a spoken-word kind of format. The narrative describes the singer on a spiritual journey where he is about to be inducted with a secretive knowledge that would unlock his third eye chakra. He is required to release his soul and allow it to be healed and led by something higher, changing his ordinary reality into a spiritual sense of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
I was once out strolling
I was walking leisurely
One very hot summer's day
It was extremely hot outside
When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest
I wanted to take a nap
In a big field of tall grass
I found a large area covered with tall grass
I lay there in the sun
I laid under the sun
And felt it caressing my face
I felt the warmth of the sun on my face
As I fell asleep and dreamed
While sleeping, I had a dream
I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie
In my dream, I was acting in a movie set in Hollywood
And that I was the star of the movie
I played the lead role in the movie
This really blew my mind
I found it hard to believe
The fact that me, an overfed long-haired, leaping gnome
I was surprised that someone like me was chosen as the star
Should be the star of a Hollywood movie
I had never imagined myself as a Hollywood movie star
But there I was
Nevertheless, I was there
I was taken to a place
Somebody took me to a location
The Hall of the Mountain King
I arrived at a place called the Hall of the Mountain King
I stood high up on a mountaintop
I was standing on top of a mountain
Naked to the world
I was completely exposed and vulnerable
In front of
Facing
Every kind of girl
All types of women were present
There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones
Women of different heights, skin colors, and sizes were present
Black ones, round ones, big ones
Women of different ethnicities with various body shapes and sizes were present
Crazy ones
Some of them were behaving oddly
Out of the middle
One of the women I noticed earlier approached me
Came a lady
A woman arrived
She whispered in my ear
She spoke to me in a low tone
Something crazy
She said something unexpected or unbelievable
She said
Her exact words were
Spill the wine, dig that girl
She wanted me to enjoy both the wine and the company of the women
Spill the wine, take that pearl
She urged me to take advantage of the opportunity
I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back
I was feeling intense heat behind me
As she disappeared
She left suddenly
But soon she returned
She came back soon after she left
In her hand was a bottle of wine
She had a bottle of wine in her hand
In the other, a glass
She was holding a glass in her other hand
She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
She transferred some of the wine from the bottle into the glass
And raised it to her lips
She lifted the glass and placed it to her mouth
And just before she drunk it
Right before drinking the wine
Take the wine, take that pearl
She offered me the wine and the opportunity once again
Spill the wine, take that pearl
She repeated her earlier suggestion for me to enjoy myself
Take the wine, take that pearl
She offered me the same choices again
Spill the wine, take that pearl
She repeated her suggestion for me to enjoy myself
Take that pearl, yeah!
She excitedly repeated her urging
It's all good
Everything is alright, no need to worry
Oh, you got to do it
You must take advantage of the opportunity
Spill that wine, spill that wine
Enjoy the wine and let go of your inhibitions
Spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine, spill the wine
Repeating the same suggestion of enjoying oneself
Take that pearl
Take advantage of the opportunity presented to you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Charles Miller, Harold Brown, Howard Scott, LeRoy Jordan, Morris Dickerson, Thomas Allen, Lee Levitin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@billhartegan6288
Sadly the younger people under fifty or so may never know how great the music was , I’m 68 and man I’ll tell you from the mid 60 to early 80 music had meaning and soul , just the best of times !!!!
@allamericananti-christ666
Some do. & some always will.
@thecoldglassofwatershow
I’m 40, and I know
@harrymills2770
... and then liberals BECAME the establishment and it's been a death spiral ever since. They were much cooler on the outside looking in. Now most erstwhile hippies are insufferable conformists.
@ervina02
The early 60's and late 80's wasn't bad either!
@c.eso9045
im 32!! my uncle would play many songs i still love.. still visit him to dig in his collection and vibe out. I have alot of respect for him.. my dad wasnt around alot and he guided me!
@robinboyle5667
Man, did we grow up in the perfect storm of rock and roll? Yes, we did.Not all of us made it out alive, but it changed us in a way that changed rock forever. Peace.
@stevegarland1526
So right! every style, every sense of taste, all there.
@karldesforges277
Man.! Perfect line..Thanks...! Stay Cool ..
@sinister2846
Yes we did. It was crazy and it was real. The music gave us a voice and we were heard. Blessings to all who are still standing. Peace my brothers and sisters.