MudLark: Music

• MP3 short clip, hi-fi play (broadband)
• MP3 short clip, lo-fi play (modem)

A true story of thwarted vegetarianism.

(chorus)
Chicago is a meat-eating town.
You'd better eat up, or it will gobble you down.
Have some flesh, the red kind is best.
It’s plentiful, it’s easy to be found.
It’s time to leave your old ways behind.
Trade in your lentil stew for barbecue and pork rind.
Those days are done, no more vegetarian.
You’ll find you fit in just fine.

Meat forms a force field that protects you when you’re out on the street,
And your neighbor pulls a gun. Don’t turn around and run,
Just call out, “Hey, I eat meat!”
It’s the white flag of the Midwest. Mr. Potato Head has Spam on his breath.
Invite your assailant up for a round of ground chuck.
Hell, eating meat is better than death!

chorus

Oh, where did they go, the organic fruits and the garden-fresh vegetables?
The whole grain muffins, the soymilk and tofu balls and tempeh casseroles?
And all the lightly steamed yams have been replaced by smoked hams.
Daily kale and yellow squash traded for beef stroganoff
Here in meat and potato land

chorus

And when the meat eating’s done a thin, fatty scum covers the pots and the pans,
The forks and the knives, the sink and the pie plate, your lips and your hands,
And it will never come off. It seeps into the dishcloth. And every sponge that you own
Becomes an elemental part of your sweet Chicago home!

chorus
And you won’t find a meatless dish unless you’re willing to eat fish.
Try any menu any time.
Meat’s the heart of every meal from Polish sausage to breaded veal.
And that’s the real, surreal McDeal.