Beatle bones ‘n’ smokin’ Stones
The dry sands fall
The strawberry mouth; strawberry moth; strawberry caterpillar
Strawberry butterfly; strawberry fields
The winged eel slither on the heels of today’s children
Strawberry feels forever
Yeah, roosters, ol’ glass roosters, stick to your race
In a drag-queen, live-wood farmhouse
Tractors are clawin’; the folks are crawlin’
Trees in a row climbing a coach and I blow rich
Red, blue, yellow sunset
Where I set and you set; and I’ve loved and you’ve loved
And I’ve seen and you’ve seen
Salt Man has just made his mark – and crumbled
The dark – the light – the dark – the day
Porcelain children see through white lights
Soft-cracker bats, Cheshire cats named
The Dark – the Light – the Dark – the Day
Blue veins through gray-felt tomorrows
Cellular sail-boat – ye ole feathered kind
Blow it into a pond swayin’ in circles
Red, blue, yellow sunset.
Where I’ve set and you’ve set; and I’ve loved and you’ve loved
What I saw and you saw
Strawberry feels forever
(1968)
An unsubtle yet cool dig at the 60s British invasion from Mr Van Vliet.
Totally wrong lyric. “Strawberry FIELDS Forever” is just one.
Quite right. Amazing how long that’s been on here and no on has noticed!
Not so fast! John French stated that it was “Strawberry feels forever” rather than the more expected “fields” as a very DVV play on words – twisting the Beatles lyric into a bizarre aphorism along the lines of “an elephant never forgets”. I love this subtle twist.
“Strawberry feels forever” is almost certainly the correct lyric.
I knew the guy who wrote out this interpretation. John Ellis. I met him in NYC c1987 – we’d been in contact by mail – he was the only serious Beefheart collector I knew of. I asked him how he got the lyrics to certain songs. He said he figured them out himself by listening.
This lyric for Beatle Bones is pretty far off in places. It’s been circulating for years now and I think it needs to be updated. I suggest a better reading would be (I included Graham’s info above, re Strawberry FEELS):
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Beatle Bones ‘n Smokin Stones
the dry sands fall
the strawberry mouth strawberry moth
strawberry caterpillar strawberry butterfly
strawberry feels
‘n all the winged eels slither on the heels of today’s children
strawberry feels forever
Yeah roosters oh glass roosters tend to your eggs
in a (…) clean white wood farmhouse*
tractors are clawin, people are crawlin
Trees in a row, I’m in a coach and I approach
red blue yellow sunset
‘n I’ve set ‘n you’ve set ‘n I’ve loved ‘n you’ve loved
‘n I’ve seen ‘n you’ve seen
Chalk man has just made his mark and crumbled
the dark the light the dark the day
Porcelaine children see through white light
so cracker bats
cheshire cats named the dark the light the dark the day
Blue veins through grey felt tomorrows
sail your sailboat, yellow feathered kind
blowin in from palms swayin in circles
red blue yellow sunset
well I’ve set ‘n you’ve set ‘n I’ve loved ‘n you’ve loved
‘n I saw ‘n you saw
strawberry feels forever
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**early version said “white wood farmhouse” – LP version seems to say “bright red farmhouse”
the bracketed word sounds like “chillin” but it’s impossible to make out
white lights