Ashtray Heart

Beefhearts real name is Don Van Vilet, and according to Don 'Ashtray Heart' is about his muse, his art. its how his art (his baby as Don calls it) makes him feel. He feels delicate like a 'glass shrimp'. Its so powerful it makes invalids out of supermen. Alsa his muse not being there when he needs it,'hid behind the curtain' 'waited for him to go out'. One of the best lines and a great demonstration of Dons ability to re-phrase common sayings is, instead of saying 'hit me in the balls' he says 'hit me where the lover hangs out' Also a lot of punk and new wave bands ie, the clash, P.I.L, B52's Sex Pistols all cite Captain Beefheart as a major influence, hence the 'open up a case of the punks' Then again I could be wrong about of all of it, maybe somebodys had too much to think!!

Wow, Beefheart must've been through a lot of pain as he wrote this song.

He knew his time was coming eventually, so he wrote a song entirely built on doubt. He's confused that despite all of the influence that his music has outright created (case of the punks), he's still regarded a joke amongst music buyers. He's pissed off at his own lack of success, at his association with Frank Zappa, and how he feels old amongst a sea of continually progressing musicians. He's jaded. I mean, he's depressed.

Love the lyrics.

I agree with Malkmusianon. Considering the time when this song was written, in which Don's music quality was decreasing immensely for years and he felt obligated to write more conventional music because of his crushing commercial failure in the past, obviously he was feeling very angry and frustrated with his art, his public and himself. In my opinion this album is the best of his later phase, this song in particular is amazing.

'Ashtray Heart' is about the end of a relationship, humiliation, emasculation and infidelity