The early TMBG songs always sound completely nonsensical, but that's because they were usually written in riddle. The meanings of most of them are fairly set though.
In an interview for Throttle, back in 1990 Flansburgh, himself, stated that it's about a man in Peru who is in love with a woman he's never actually met, in Vietnam.
Ng is a Vietnamese name... almost their version of our "Smith" because of how common it is. Peru is on the exact opposite side of the globe from Vietnam. This explains the meaning of the entire first verse. (Though Girog is correct in their reasoning for not liking the "water spirals the wrong way down the sink" part of the riddle.)
The line "I don't want the world, I just want your half" indicates that Ana is saying she doesn't need riches, fame, or power... she just wants to be closer to her love.
The early TMBG songs always sound completely nonsensical, but that's because they were usually written in riddle. The meanings of most of them are fairly set though.
In an interview for Throttle, back in 1990 Flansburgh, himself, stated that it's about a man in Peru who is in love with a woman he's never actually met, in Vietnam.
Ng is a Vietnamese name... almost their version of our "Smith" because of how common it is. Peru is on the exact opposite side of the globe from Vietnam. This explains the meaning of the entire first verse. (Though Girog is correct in their reasoning for not liking the "water spirals the wrong way down the sink" part of the riddle.)
The line "I don't want the world, I just want your half" indicates that Ana is saying she doesn't need riches, fame, or power... she just wants to be closer to her love.