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Fig with a Bellyache Lyrics

the camel in the desert took a ship across the lake
while the fish in search of water found a fig with a bellyache
who overheard the waves as they headed for the shore
"we're not so sure of separations anymore."

at the caterpillar picnic, brother butterfly stole
a rhubarb stem, licked and dipped it in the sugar bowl

caught up for Massachusetts in a double-stacked train
through the adirondacks spinning like a weathervane
gathering and cutting and splitting and stacking the wood
our fuel is neatly piled and we all feel good

we pretend to care and like we understand, our eyes go soft but know it now -
what we're thinking about is your mammary glands and how to sail your birth canal
we found the pot that fit the lid no less now then when we were smarter did
our thoughts are like a tea bag on the saucer, all the flavor gone

that dog below our waist aroused, when arms embraced the pretty gals
it came much more as a surprise, it happening when i hugged the guys
we planted for the final frost, we once were found and now we're lost
we got a heck of a lot to learn about remaining taciturn.
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Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

About the "fig with a bellyache line"

Fig are a common homepathic remedy for stomach troubles and indegstion. Therefore, a fig with a bellyache is very ironic. It would be like saying "a tylenol with a headache" Like someone who can help other people with a problem or sin but they can't help themselves with it.

Song Meaning
Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

Aaron Weiss is an absolute lyrical genius. His music is so inspiring and I'm becoming more and more addicted to this album! I love how he describes such commonly discussed things in music like sexual desires so uniquely. "what we're thinking about is your mammary glands and how to sail your birth canal" Not only does this show his talent, but that it most certainly isn't the main point of the song, like so many others on the radio every day.

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

Sorry, the actual lyrics are:

"The dog below our waists aroused, as arms embraced the pretty gals. It came much more as a surprise, it happening while I hugged the guys."

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

thank you shadowami!

i was curious about those lines, too... didn't really seem like aaron, but i suppose it fits in with the general mwY themes of fallen humanity and the imperfections that Christians may struggle with.

crude, yes. unexpected, yes.

you should read the reply's to the original post by shadowami. benrogers87 does a great job describing what is going on within the lyrics.

i see this as neither crude nor unexpected. i think it's necessary to point out to people how crude their sexuality is. aaron used humor to do so.

aaron's vocalization of his thoughts has encouraged me but never surprised me.

Not Valid
Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

A few corrections:

we found the pot, that fit the lid no less now then when we were smarter did our thoughts are like a tea bag on the saucer, all the flavor gone [...] we planted for the final frost, we once were found and now we're lost

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

I think the "dog" line is definitely a bit unexpected. However, this song reminds me so much of the Danielson Famile, and thus that line kind of makes me think of "Flesh Thang" and songs like that.

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

sounds more like this:

"we've got a heck of a lot to learn, without remaining taciturn."

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

I thinks its "we've got a heck of a lot to learn, about remaining taciturn"

Taciturn is remaining quiet. A lot of the album deals with being silent and quiet. See Goodbye, I.

I don't get the camel/fish/fig/separation stuff.

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou

So, the same book where the Beetle King story comes from, M R Bawa Muhaiyaddeen's "Divine Luminous Wisdom That Dispels the Darkness" talks about how our breaking through sexual temptation is like a camel going through the desert, full of troubles and difficulties. It then says that once we break through the rough waves at the shore, the middle of the lake is calmer and easier (like overcoming addiction to sexual temptation).

I'm not sure if the "separation" line means that Weiss thinks that it actually doesn't get easier. The waves in middle are the same as at the shore. Men will always lust after women, look at them with lust. Our sexual urges will persist, unconfusing as they are.

Oh, and Bawa Muhaiyaddeen also says that a "fish in search of water" while in the ocean, is like a man in search of his Creator, not realizing that he is completely surrounded by God.

Still not sure about the fig with a bellyache.

Cover art for Fig with a Bellyache lyrics by mewithoutYou