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"Vinegar" is the seventh track from The Residents' thirteenth studio album, The Big Bubble.
Background[]
Within the fiction presented on The Big Bubble album, Vinegar is a song by the Cross band of the same name, made up of the mixed race offspring of the Moles and the Chubs featured on the Mark of the Mole album.
The song is sung in a mix of Mohlemot (a language made up by The Residents for their Tunes of Two Cities album to represent mole-speak) and English. The only decipherable lyrics are "Sugar melts and goes away, but vinegar lasts forever." - which can be interpreted two ways. One interpretation is that it's a nihilistic phrase stating that whilst good things are temporary, suffering lasts forever; a reflection on The Moles' work ethic. Another interpretation is that the sugar represents the seemingly sweet culture of the Chubs and that Vinegar represents the harsh and brutalist lifestyle of The Moles, turning it into a seemingly ominous threat against The Chubs that The Moles' difficult lifestyle choices will outlast The Chubs.'
The song is in the key of D Major.[1]
Legacy[]
In 1992, The Residents released "The Sour Song" for their album Our Finest Flowers. The song, along with the rest of the material on the album, is a mashup of existing songs from The Residents' catalog. The instrumental incorporates elements from "The Simple Song" and "Jailhouse Rock," whilst the lyrics take from "Vinegar." Unlike the other songs on Our Finest Flowers, the lyrics seem to be entirely new, except for the brief use of words from Vinegar; this has led some to interpret "The Sour Song" as an English translation of Vinegar.
On the 1996 tribute album Eyesore, popular 90s rock band The Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band covered "Vinegar" in a medley with "Firefly."
Lyrics[]
[Indecipherable Mohlemot]
Sugar melts and goes away Sugar melts and goes away Sugar melts and goes away But vinegar lasts forever
Credits[]
Album Credits[]
- Written & Performed by: The Residents
- Producers: The Cryptic Corporation / CONRAD
- The Big Bubble:
- Frank Leone (Electric guitar)
- Ramsey Whiten (Lead vocals, percussion)
- Paul Sage (Grand piano, string syntheziser)
- Alex Beason (electric guitar)
- Written by Frank Leone and Ramsey Whiten
Appearances[]
- The Big Bubble (1985)
- Mole Box (2019)
