About Me

My photo
! Cant impart too much information as I would have to kill you with my bare hands

Monday, July 9, 2007

Looney Lyrics

In a blog about nowt *asterisk's latest post was his 666th and was discussing the connections of the Devils number, Satanisim and dark lyrics - which gave me food for thought (devils food if you will- such is diabolical word play). The first thing that came to my mind was Nick Caves Murder Ballads album, dark stories infused with music to an era belonging to Lizzie Borden and the backdrop of modern America in its infancy. Quite an album it is. However I simply love this track which is the narrative of a 15 year old girl who is of course a murderer but is well aware that she is 'psychotic' and is happy to be in such a disposition. Its upbeat tempo carries the craziness of Lorretta, our anti hero of the 'story'. Since it was never released (all this pun??!) as a single some people have put up their own vids on youtube so to give you an idea of the song Ive also put up the lyrics too just incase the video prooved too distracting to the story.

Again the memory was in overdrive with strange/ memorable / funny lyrics thinking about this subject, when a faint familiar ethereal voice lurked in the back of my mind, so I started to listen hard, the voice became stronger and clearer until I found myself singing the line 'shes got skin thats like prarie dog leather' - yes it was porky pig from the cartoon 'Drip along Daffy'. Two things , if I can, I will always look for a reason to geek out about warner brothers cartoons, and can sit happily all day watching these cartoons and feel like I havent wasted the day at all. Michael Maltese wrote some damned funny lyrics for the warner brother cartoons and this is one of his examples - a cowpunchers sweetheart?!!! As you can see Ive yeilded to temptation and posted up the cartoon itself. Nasty Canasta is one of my favorite charaters, amongst his string of crimes he is wanted for, aside for cattle rustling, is for square dancing in a round house. Ahh the rapier witt of those writers, cant get enough of them. Enjoy the show.

The Flower of Gower Gulch - Michael Maltese
She's the flower of Gower gulch
A cowpuncher's sweetheart true
And her looks don't amount to much
'Cause one of her eyes is blue
She's got skin just like prarie dog leather
She cooks nothing but chuckwagon stew
Her name is Minurva Ulch
She's the flower of Gower gulch


Nick Cave - The Curse Of Millhaven Lyrics



I live in a town called Millhaven
And it's small and it's mean and it's cold
But if you come around just as the sun goes down
You can watch the whole town turn to gold
It's around about then that I used to go a-roaming
Singing La la la la La la la lie
All God's children they all gotta die
My name is Loretta but I prefer Lottie
I'm closing in on my fifteenth year
And if you think you have seen a pair of eyes more green
Then you sure didn't see them around here
My hair is yellow and I'm always a-combing
La la la la La la la lie
Mama often told me we all got to die
You must have heard about The Curse Of Millhaven
How last Christmas Bill Blake's little boy didn't come home
They found him next week in One Mile Creek
His head bashed in and his pockets full of stones
Well, just imagine all the wailing and moaning
La la la la La la la lie
Even little Billy Blake's boy, he had to die
Then Professor O'Rye from Millhaven High
Found nailed to his door his prize-winning terrier
Then next day the old fool brought little Biko to school
And we all had to watch as he buried her
His eulogy to Biko had all the tears a-flowing
La la la la La la la lie
Even God's little creatures, they have to die
Our little town fell into a state of shock
A lot of people were saying things that made little sense
Then the next thing you know the head of Handyman Joe
Was found in the fountain of the Mayor's residence
Foul play can really get a small town going
La la la la La la la lie
Even God's children all have to die
Then, in a cruel twist of fate, old Mrs Colgate
Was stabbed but the job was not complete
The last thing she said before the cops pronounced her dead
Was, "My killer is Loretta and she lives across the street!"
Twenty cops burst through my door without even phoning
La la la la La la la lie
The young ones, the old ones, they all gotta die
Yes, it is I, Lottie. The Curse Of Millhaven
I've struck horror in the heart of this town
Like my eyes ain't green and my hair ain't yellow
It's more like the other way around
I gotta pretty little mouth underneath all the foaming
La la la la La la la lie
Sooner or later we all gotta die
Since I was no bigger than a weavil they've been saying I was evil
That if "bad" was a boot that I'd fit it
That I'm a wicked young lady, but I've been trying hard lately
O fuck it! I'm a monster! I admit it!
It makes me so mad my blood really starts a-going
La la la la La la la lie
Mama always told me that we all gotta die
Yeah, I drowned the Blakey kid, stabbed Mrs. Colgate, I admit
Did the handyman with his circular saw in his garden shed
But I never crucified little Biko, that was two junior high school psychos
Stinky Bohoon and his friend with the pumpkin-sized head
I'll sing to the lot, now you got me going
La la la la La la la lie
All God's children have all gotta die
There were all the others, all our sisters and brothers
You assumed were accidents, best forgotten
Recall the children who broke through the ice on Lake Tahoo?
Everyone assumed the "Warning" signs had followed them to the bottom
Well, they're underneath the house where I do quite a bit of stowing
La la la la La la la lie
Even twenty little children, they had to die
And the fire of '91 that razed the Bella Vista slum
There was the biggest shit-fight this country's ever seen
Insurance companies ruined, land lords getting sued
All cause of wee girl with a can of gasoline
Those flames really roared when the wind started blowing
La la la la La la la lie
Rich man, poor man, all got to die
Well I confessed to all these crimes and they put me on trial
I was laughing when they took me away
Off to the asylum in an old black Mariah
It ain't home, but you know, it's fucking better than jail
It ain't such bad old place to have a home in
La la la la La la la lie
All God's children they all gotta die
Now I got shrinks that will not rest with their endless Rorschach tests
I keep telling them they're out to get me
They ask me if I feel remorse and I answer, "Why of course!
There is so much more I could have done if they'd let me!"
So it's Rorschach and Prozac and everything is groovy
Singing La la la la La la la lie
All God's children they all have to die
La la la la La la la lie
I'm happy as a lark and everything is fine
Singing La la la la La la la lie
Yeah, everything is groovy and everything is fine
Singing La la la la La la la lie
All God's children they gotta die

8 comments:

General Catz said...

Christ, Cave's got some active imagination. But i've been listening to him since '84 so i shouldn't be surprised. Release the Bats is one of my favorite songs. Well, Birthday Party were tops, weren't they? Seen the Bad Seeds twice, in '85 and at the '90 Reading Festival.

I sorta knew him back in the day and it surprised me he wasn't all gloom and doom. He was actually pretty funny and real easy to talk to. But i find most Aussies to be that way.

none said...

The warner cartoons were and still are my favorites. I've had to buy some of the banned ones on DVD and video tape.

Ted turner is an asshole for censoring all those classics.

* (asterisk) said...

I do like the Murder Ballads album. And I've even got the T-shirt somewhere!

Anonymous said...

Ya know what? I've never heard this before. What cave have I been living in?

Glamourpuss said...

'Old girdle saloon; come in and get tight'

Hilarious.

Puss

Judith said...

Catz
About 10 years ago in a club in islington I sang Sweet Jane by lou reed/ cowboy junkies - mr Cave was in the audience and complimented me afterwards leaving me utterly speachless- in hindsight I should have asked him for a duet.
Hammer
Ted Turners gonna get whats coming to him one of these days
A*
Did you get the free book that came with the album?
Pool
it was about 10 years ago you where most likely sidelined with pregnancy
Puss
Trust you to remember that quote *grin*

* (asterisk) said...

The CD cover of mine has a little lyric booklet stuck inside it. Is that the one you mean?

Judith said...

*asterisk
I got an LP sized lyric book with illustrations for each song (it was on the back of the inlay card to send off for it - a freebie if you will. tis no longer in my possesion Im afraid to tell you more about it..)