Let's Make The Water Turn Black
Encyclopedia
"Let's Make The Water Turn Black" is a song which first appeared on the 1968 Mothers of Invention album We're Only in It for the Money
and later on the 1995 compilation album Strictly Commercial
.
The style of the song as well as the album itself were parodies
of The Beatles
. "Let's Make The Water Turn Black" tells the true story of brothers Ronald and Kenneth Williams (referred to as "Ronnie" and "Kenny" respectively), neighbors of the song's composer Frank Zappa
during his youth in Palmdale, California
in 1962.
It claims that while their father was away at work "selling lamps and chairs to San Ber'dino
squares" and while their mother worked at a small café, the brothers occupied their afterschool time with such activities as igniting each other's flatulence
. In the original release, a reference to their mother "in her apron and her pad" was cut from the record; although the reference was about an order pad, a record executive thought it was a veiled reference to a sanitary napkin
.
Further references can be found in the opening line of the chorus: "Whizzing and pasting and pooting through the day." "Whizzing" referred to Kenny's need to urinate
in jars because he and Mothers of Invention saxophone
player Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood
were living in a garage on the Williams property, one which lacked plumbing. The results were "Kenny's little creatures on display," a reference to what Zappa described in a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone
as "mutant tadpole
s" which had appeared over time in the urine and could be seen swimming in it. "Pasting" is a reference to another part of the song which states that Ronnie saved his "numies"
on a bedroom window, described rather bluntly in the song as "dysentery
green." During the aforementioned Rolling Stone interview, Zappa related how the mess was soon discovered by the boys' mother. So thick was the dried mass that removal required "chisels and Ajax." "Pooting" refers to the act of flatulating.
The song's final verse includes references to the boys' adulthood, namely how Ronnie had joined the military, Kenny was "taking pills" and how they both yearned "to see a bomber
burn." This may have a double meaning both as a reference to the burgeoning movement against the Vietnam War
and as a reference to an African-American nickname for an exceptionally large marijuana cigarette
. The final line, "Wait 'til the fire turns green," may be a final reference to igniting each other's flatulence.
While the song itself is up to interpretation Frank Zappa discusses the song in detail in the book By Frank Zappa and Peter Occhiogrosso titled "The Real Zappa". The song title and lyric "Let's make the water turn black" are in reference to Ronnie and Kenny's procedure for producing alcohol from raisins. The lyric "Ronnie helping Kenny burn his boots away" is another reference to the production of alcohol. Ronnie would light Kenny's boots on fire "Wait till the fire turns green" then use the burning plastic as a heat source to heat the raisins prior to the fermenting process. The alcoholic mixtures were then sold by Kenny and Ronnie to students at Frank Zappa's school or used for their own consumption when Mother and Father Williams were away at work.
It ends when recording engineer Dick Kunc opens the talkback line to the recording studio to introduce "a little bit of vocal teenage heaven right here on earth." What follows are several seconds of distorted, guttural vocalizing by Ronald Williams himself.
The next song on the album "The Idiot Bastard Son" revisits the story of the Williams brothers in a more sedate style.
We're Only in It for the Money
We're Only in It For the Money is the third studio album by The Mothers of Invention, released in March 1968. The album peaked at number thirty on the Billboard 200...
and later on the 1995 compilation album Strictly Commercial
Strictly Commercial
Strictly Commercial is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1995 , two years after his death.-Side one:#"Peaches en Regalia"#"Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" #"Dancin' Fool"...
.
The style of the song as well as the album itself were parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. "Let's Make The Water Turn Black" tells the true story of brothers Ronald and Kenneth Williams (referred to as "Ronnie" and "Kenny" respectively), neighbors of the song's composer Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
during his youth in Palmdale, California
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
in 1962.
It claims that while their father was away at work "selling lamps and chairs to San Ber'dino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
squares" and while their mother worked at a small café, the brothers occupied their afterschool time with such activities as igniting each other's flatulence
Fart lighting
Fart lightning or pyroflatulence is the practice of igniting the gases produced by human flatulence, often producing a flame of a blue hue, hence the act being known colloquially as a "blue angel", or in Australia, a "blue flame". The fact that flatus is flammable, and the actual combustion of it...
. In the original release, a reference to their mother "in her apron and her pad" was cut from the record; although the reference was about an order pad, a record executive thought it was a veiled reference to a sanitary napkin
Sanitary napkin
A sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, maxi pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn by a woman while she is menstruating, recovering from vaginal surgery, for lochia , abortion, or any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from a woman's vagina.These...
.
Further references can be found in the opening line of the chorus: "Whizzing and pasting and pooting through the day." "Whizzing" referred to Kenny's need to urinate
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
in jars because he and Mothers of Invention saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood
Euclid James Sherwood
Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood is an American rock musician notable for playing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention...
were living in a garage on the Williams property, one which lacked plumbing. The results were "Kenny's little creatures on display," a reference to what Zappa described in a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
as "mutant tadpole
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
s" which had appeared over time in the urine and could be seen swimming in it. "Pasting" is a reference to another part of the song which states that Ronnie saved his "numies"
Dried nasal mucus
Dried nasal mucus, pieces of which are colloquially known as bogeys in English and boogers in American, is commonly found in the nose and is a result of drying of the normally viscous colloidal mucus .-Formation:...
on a bedroom window, described rather bluntly in the song as "dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
green." During the aforementioned Rolling Stone interview, Zappa related how the mess was soon discovered by the boys' mother. So thick was the dried mass that removal required "chisels and Ajax." "Pooting" refers to the act of flatulating.
The song's final verse includes references to the boys' adulthood, namely how Ronnie had joined the military, Kenny was "taking pills" and how they both yearned "to see a bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
burn." This may have a double meaning both as a reference to the burgeoning movement against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and as a reference to an African-American nickname for an exceptionally large marijuana cigarette
Joint (cannabis)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...
. The final line, "Wait 'til the fire turns green," may be a final reference to igniting each other's flatulence.
While the song itself is up to interpretation Frank Zappa discusses the song in detail in the book By Frank Zappa and Peter Occhiogrosso titled "The Real Zappa". The song title and lyric "Let's make the water turn black" are in reference to Ronnie and Kenny's procedure for producing alcohol from raisins. The lyric "Ronnie helping Kenny burn his boots away" is another reference to the production of alcohol. Ronnie would light Kenny's boots on fire "Wait till the fire turns green" then use the burning plastic as a heat source to heat the raisins prior to the fermenting process. The alcoholic mixtures were then sold by Kenny and Ronnie to students at Frank Zappa's school or used for their own consumption when Mother and Father Williams were away at work.
It ends when recording engineer Dick Kunc opens the talkback line to the recording studio to introduce "a little bit of vocal teenage heaven right here on earth." What follows are several seconds of distorted, guttural vocalizing by Ronald Williams himself.
The next song on the album "The Idiot Bastard Son" revisits the story of the Williams brothers in a more sedate style.