If i leave my front door open
would u come and visit me?
Just 2 slander my name hopin'
that i would pack my bags and leave...
If i did would rembember
2 feed the dove aad clean the cage?
And never count in front of the children
lest they die of old age

I dont really know y we have 2 go r separate ways
Whether or not we grow after the seeds r sown
Only time ca say...

Can i offer ubaklava
or a bagel with cream cheese?
Will we say grace 2 r father
holding hands down on our knees?
R we better off just fighting?

U on ur side, me on mine
R the words that i keep writing...
only pearls b4 the swine?
What makes a man claim that ur a friend
when u're not at all?
They knock u down and then,
they lift u up again, just 2 c u fall...
But like a bird i'll keep on singing...
a song that never leaves ur mind
If nothing else u've taught me one thing...
"Never cast the pearls b4 the swine"



Well?

I do have to say this is one of the best songs that came out of the NPGMC sessions


correcting the lyrics edit.....
[Edited 10/11/05 13:52pm]

Interesting that you presume that's about the fans.

Could be about a portion of his "fanbase". It always seemed to be broader than that to me.

.
[Edited 10/11/05 12:57pm]

i'm not saying it isn't, but what makes you think it's a song about fans? i've never really read any analyses of the songs from ONA. heck, i've never really tried to figure 'em out myself.

He seemed relatively happy on the relationship front at the time so I always thought this was in reaction to the fan critiques of his religiosity

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Interesting. I took it as more of a music industry critique.

Universaluv said:

Really??? Any other interpretations of this beautiful song out there?

Considering the time frame that this song was written, it seems fairly obvious that it is in response to the very vocal folks who complained about TRC upon hearing it at the Celebration that year. It isn't directed at all of his fans, just those complainers.

The title actually comes from a Biblical verse.

JediMaster said:

I think many fans were more concerned with the tactics employed by the question and answer part of the listening sessions. It was more like a conversion attempt than previewing and sharing music. Funny Prince would gloss over that part of it and call his fans pigs.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I kind of assumed it might be about fans too, inspired probably by something
at the Celebration since he begins with

"if I leave my front door open, would you come and visit me"

what's with the baklava and bagel line?

Anxiety said:

I have a friend who keeps telling me about this

"i'm listening to the Baklava song a lot lately"



He's not a Prince fan but he likes the song for
that line.

Yes, I do pitty him

Anxiety said:

the last time I listened to this song I kinda laughed at the bagel part because of the cream cheese and I was wondering....is that cream cheese made of soy milk like the character in Joint 2 Joint drinks??? If not, I thought what a damn bozo criticizing his fans like this and offering them milk products when he so clearly objects to them.

"Oh great, now U think U're my soulmate
U don't even know what kind of cereal I like
Wrong! Cap'n Crunch with soy milk
Cuz cows are 4 calves"

Universaluv said:

That's what I always thought too. The only place where I ever hear (ok see) that it's an insult aimed at his fans is around here.

At any rate, I'm not swine so the line doesn't bother me at all.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Makes sense, given the Biblical verse it is referencing. Basicaly, Jesus says in the verse that if you tell someone about God and they treat you poorly, just walk on and don't get upset about it. It is the equivilant of giving pearls to swine, in that some folks cannot appreciate something good or beautiful when they see it.

Personally, I think Prince is taking it a little bit too hard, since the tactics he employed at those listening sessions were a tad too pushy. Still, the song itself is quite good.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Neither am I but I thought it very pompous for him to be lobbing this kind of critique at a time when he was employing cultlike strongarm tactics during his listening sessions that were supposed to be about enlightening people.

.
[Edited 10/11/05 13:49pm]

JediMaster said:

The song is excellent. By far one of the best songs to come out of that time period I Used it on one of my most sacred mixes too

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I think there is a vegan substitute for cream cheese but don't quote me on that. Someone who is a little more in the know should answer that.

JediMaster said:

Then don't you think the lyrics should have read like this:

"Can i offer u baklava
or a bagel with soy based vegan friendly cream cheese?"

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I agree. I think the song works on a whole different level, outside of the whole TRC debate, in that almost anyone can relate to sharing something good with someone, only to have them reject it in a rather nasty way. I love it when Prince writes songs like that, where you can still relate to the feeling he's conveying, even if the event that inspired him isn't something that ever happened to you.

I much prefer this kind of song to his stuff where he is specifically bitching about some recording industry pratice or what-not.

JediMaster said:

Me too. I really detested those listening party tactics but I absolutely love everything about this song. That's why I used it on my mix because you can leave all that shite behind and just focus on the song itself. It's pretty perfect.....even for this

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I think its also possible that he isn't quite so militant about that now. Word was that some members of the NPG were eating fish and what-not at after-parties on the most recent tour. Maybe he's chilling out on that a bit. I know that Larry Graham ISN'T a vegan at all, so maybe that friendship has made him a tad bit more accepting of carnivoures.

Anxiety said:

i dunno, but it makes me hungry.

baklava

Anxiety said:

I'm still trying to figure out what "purple rain" means.

question should be ...is Prince the only artist whose swines dont like his music and still buy it?

origmnd said:

In this case, the pigs love the song!

The bit about baklava and bagels with cream cheese always makes me hungry.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I believe the " baklava or bagel with cream cheese " adresses the Middle East conflict or conflict between different groups in general, like religons or ethnic groups etc. because baklava is a popular sort of dessert in the Muslim world whereas bagels are traditionally Jewish, to put it very simply.

With this in mind the line could be intepreted as Prince acting as a negotiator or better yet peacebringer or messenger of peace who manages to bring different or even opposed groups together, but people aren´t listening and rather keep fighting.

It is a very hidden yet strong and contemporary political message in a song that is not really a directly political song like, for instance,Dear Mr. Man, Family Name or We March.

And his vision or notion of Oneness and coming together as one could be seen during the celebrations, which didn´t always go down smoothly with a lot of fans, and some of the lyrics at that time, for example Last December.

Ýour point about his vegan lifestyle and his lyrical contradiction or hypocrisy is very interesting and I thought about it as well, but I think he´s just using cream cheese as a metaphor. The song Everywhere mentions the "..place where milk and honey flow", so these could just be metaphors.


The song is lyrically quite multidimensional and could be directed at several parties, like fans, an ex, the music industry, radio stations who don´t play his music or just people who don´t get his message.
[Edited 10/11/05 16:13pm]

KoolEaze said:

His fans were already united. He's the one who tore them apart, especially with his stupid fan lawsuits. He just couldn't handle the fact that he didn't have rooms full of puppets, nor should he have expected them. I think TRC is brilliant, as much as I disagree with some of the content. He was truly inspired and he should have just left it at that and let the meetings flow instead of trying to baptize the crowd against their will.

Sure, I also see it like you and felt the same way during the celly.

"His fans were already united. He's the one who tore them apart, especially with his stupid fan lawsuits. He just couldn't handle the fact that he didn't have rooms full of puppets, nor should he have expected them."

I don't agree with this. Prince's fans have always been very independent and diverse. Shit, I could get beat up here saying I love "new power soul" bu one person, and the next will say it's their favorite album.

Point being, Prince has always acknowledged that his fans are smart and push him. I think the lawsuits happened at a time when Prince was finally on his own with no label, so he was afraid that he'd be harmed by bootlegs, etc.