The Duke Of Prunes (1966 - Los Angeles)
For other versions of this song, see: The Duke Of Prunes.
Lyrics
A moonbeam through the prune
In June
Reveals your chest,
I see your lovely beans
And in that magic go-kart
I bite your neck,
The cheese I have for you,
My dear,
Is real and very new!
A moonbeam through the prune
In June
Reveals your chest,
I see your lovely beans
And in that magic go-kart
I bite your neck,
The love I have for you
My dear,
Is real and very new!
La-la-la la-la
Prune! (Pah-da-dahhh!)
If it is a real prune (Pah-da-dahhh!)
Knows no cheese! (Chunka-chunk chunka chunka chunka chunka chunk ...)
And stands (Oh no!)
Taller and stronger
Than any tree or bush!
And I know
The love I have for you
Will grow and grow and grow
I think
And so my love
I offer you
A love that is strong
A prune that is true!
Players On This Song
- Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals
- Ray Collins - vocals, tambourine
- Jim Fielder - guitar, piano
- Don Preston - keyboards
- Bunk Gardner - woodwinds
- Roy Estrada - bass, vocals
- Jimmy Carl Black - drums, vocals
- Billy Mundi - drums, percussion
Records On Which This Song Has Appeared
Singles
-
Zappa Albums & Side Projects
Tribute & Cover Albums
- LeBocal: Oh No ! ... Just Another Frank Zappa Memorial Barbecue
- Nasal Retentive Orchestra: Tales Of Brave Flegmar in Tales Of Brave Flegmar part 2
Notes About This Song
- Recorded at TTG, Los Angeles in November 1966.
- The song was originally called "Garbage Eaters".
- This version of the song is a suite with three parts: "The Duke Of Prunes", "Amnesia Vivace" and "The Duke Regains His Chops". On Mothermania, the whole suite is combined to one single track under the title "The Duke Of Prunes".
- FZ about this song (from FZ's note-to-note comments to the album):
"The Duke of Prunes" is a surrealistic love song. Euphemistic sexual imagery popular in country blues tunes, with which many of you might already be familiar, is transmuted in this particular piece from the basic "fuck me, suck me, till my eyes roll back, baby" to "prune me, cheese me, go-kart..." or something like that. This song is very strange."
- Ray Collins about this song (from Necessity Is... The Early Years Of Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention):
"Frank had this beautiful tune called 'And Very True', and when we went in to record it, being a little crazy at the time, I just ad-libbed on the spot. The original lyrics I think were something like "Moobeam through the night', something very loving, although Frank didn't like love songs. And I changed it to, 'Moonbeam through the prune, in June, I can see your tits.' I just made it up on the spot. So later, after we recorded it - you can hear Frank cracking up on record - it was fun. In fact, that's my favorite Mothers album, the Absolutely Free album. So later, after we recorded it, I told Frank 'Well, you know, I just made up those lyrics as we went along, so if not money, I should at least get album credit for it.' I didn't say, 'Don't pay me'. So he says, 'Well, just tell me what you want to put on the album.' And so a couple of days later, I said, 'Well, just put Prune: Ray Collins'. And he added the 'Side 3' part. That was out of his own mind." [There is a credit in the Absolutely Free album that says 'side 3 PRUNE: Ray Collins'.]
