The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
So the saying says
An elephant never forgets
Standing in the concrete cave
Swaying side and sing
They walked over the ocean
And their dreams they dreamed awake
Until the lights grew dim
Until the cop cars came
Everybody tells me this is crazy, yes I know
But I'm a man man man man man man man eater
But still you're surprised when I eat ya
You know they call them killer whales
But you seem surprised
When it pinned you down to the bottom of the tank
Where you can't turn around
It took half your leg and both your lungs
And I craved I ate hearts of sharks, I know you know it
I'm a man, man, man, man, man, man, man eater
But still you're surprised when I eat ya
It will end again in moonlit song
It will end again in moonlit song
An elephant never forgets
Standing in the concrete cave
Swaying side and sing
They walked over the ocean
And their dreams they dreamed awake
Until the lights grew dim
Until the cop cars came
Everybody tells me this is crazy, yes I know
But I'm a man man man man man man man eater
But still you're surprised when I eat ya
You know they call them killer whales
But you seem surprised
When it pinned you down to the bottom of the tank
Where you can't turn around
It took half your leg and both your lungs
And I craved I ate hearts of sharks, I know you know it
I'm a man, man, man, man, man, man, man eater
But still you're surprised when I eat ya
It will end again in moonlit song
It will end again in moonlit song
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From Neko's website:
AS THE SAYING SAYS "AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS" STANDING IN THE CONCRETE CAVE SWAYING SAD AND INSANE
THEY WALKED OVER THE OCEAN IN THEIR DREAMS THEY DREAM AWAKE UNTIL THE LIGHT GREW DIM UNTIL THE COP CARS CAME EVERYBODY TELLS ME THIS IS CRAZY YES, I KNOW IT
I'M A MAN-MAN-MAN, MAN-MAN-MAN-EATER AND STILL YOU'RE SURPRISED WHEN I EAT YOU
YOU KNOW THEY CALL THEM "KILLER" WHALES?! BUT YOU SEEM SURPRISED WHEN IT PINNED YOU DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK WHERE YOU CAN'T TURN AROUND IT TOOK HALF YOUR LEG AND BOTH YOUR LUNGS "WHEN I CRAVED I ATE HEARTS OF SHARKS, I KNOW YOU KNOW IT"
I'M A MAN-MAN-MAN, MAN-MAN,MAN-EATER AND STILL YOU'RE SURPRISED WHEN I EAT YOU
IT WILL END AGAIN IN BULLETS, FRIEND
"I know you know, that I'm a man, man, man Man, man, man eater But still you're surprised-prised-prised when I eat ya"
--I think this song is about (wild) animals that attack humans and how surprised we (humans) are that such an attack took place, as if we think we're immune to such attacks.
"It will end again in bullets from.... It will end again in bullets from...."
--I interpret this to mean the killing of the animal once it attacked a human. Some animals are too strong to fight off (elephant, whale) so you have to shoot/kill them in order to save the person it's attacking.
cnn.com/2009/US/02/17/chimpanzee.attack/index.html
I would prefer to think that this song is less directly about animals than it is about people. Basically, why is anyone surprised when people (using animals as a metaphor here) act in ways entirely expected by their very nature? It's almost a "buyer beware" type of mentality.<br /> <br /> My first assumption about this song is that when she sings "I'm a man-eater..." she's speaking from a human female perspective and not a Lioness, but I suppose the metaphor works both ways...
I don't necessarily think the song is about this but the following lines make me think of it:
We know They call them killer whales But you seem surprised When it pinned you down to the bottom of the tank Where you can't turn around It took half your leg, and both your lungs And I craved I ate hearts of sharks I know you know, that I'm a man, man, man Man, man, man eater But still you're surprised-prised-prised when I eat ya
Those lines make me think of how people do things they know are bad for them, but they crave it, and do it anyway. Things like smoking or heavy drugs, or even just things like obesity. I know smoking a pack of cigs a day is probably going to end up with negitive effects for me, but i crave them and keep buying them. Well should I be suprised then when that happens?
i think the song's a little more abstract than actually being about wild animals... a maneater is basically "an irresistable woman who chews and spits out men after using them for some sort of gain -- be it sexual, financial or psychological." neko warned this guy that she's no good for him and yet he didn't listen and fell for her anyway. she has no apologies and points him to her previous warning. the "ending in bullets" is basically the harsh ending of the friendship/relationship.
I thought this song was about relationships, but it's not. This song was skillfully crafted by a clever artist to carry the double meaning, but make no mistake... this song is about animal cruelty.
Also, this song means (at least to me) that people sometimes mess around with wild animals, & forget what wild animals are actually capable of doing, so they are surpised when a wild animal attacks them.
& the title "People Got a Lotta Nerve" is saying how dare people have the audacity to be surpised when they knew that the animals are wild.
I have know clue if what I typed makes sense....
Call me crass, but I wish I'd thought of this song when that animal trainer was killed by the Sea World orca whale the other day.
We know they call them killer whales But you seem surprised when it pinned you down to the bottom of the tank.
People continually forget what animate objects can do, people included.
I thought the same thing!
People anthropomorphize wild animals, or give them human characteristics. We like to think they think and feel like us. We exploit them for our gain. They are neglected and abused, and their natural instincts are ignored, leaving them frustrated and desperate. Then they act like wild animals and harm or kill people, and they are disposed of ie. the bullets. This goes for the elephants and orcas that we keep in small spaces and make do tricks for our entertainment, or the squirrels and opossums that we find as orphans and raise, the wolf-dog hybrids that people take so much pride in. What if you once had the world and now were kept in a tiny cage? The animals are wild and we can enslave them, but we shouldn't be surprised by their wild behaviors.
Paul Morstad and Julie Morstad animated and directed an amazing video to accompany this song.
This song is definitely both of the above two explanations.