"Brackish Boy"
SUBJECT: "I had this Norwegian dorm pal... This is a true story about his adopted brother from Mexico. Kind of a sad story, but you know, you need sad stories to have funny and ironic tales to tell." - Frank, Toronto 93
LYRICS:
This man he was a Mexican / Oh yeah / Adopted into Norwegian / Oh yeah / Turned
into American / Oh yeah / But he felt a Mexican / Oh yeah / Down Mexico way
/ He had to learn Spanish / Oh yeah / He was a walking fish / Oh yeah / He was
feeling so brackish / Between Norwegian and English / He decided it was time
to go / To find the people that he did not know / But the road to Mexico / Oh
yeah / They sure go fast but they should go slow / Oh yeah / It's a dangerous
road / By now you know that he was fucked / By now you know he had no luck /
He was smashed head on by a giant truck / Down Mexico way
HISTORY: This tune dates way back. The Pixies recorded a version of it for Trompe Le Monde but it didn't make the cut.
LIVE: in 93/94, he'd play it solo, like on the album. then starting on the Cult Of Ray tour, they'd do a rockin' full-band version.
ACOUSTIC: when cranking this out on his acoustic during a radio session or in-store performance, not to offend the FCC or young ears, Frank would change the F-word to a fruit or vegitable chosen by the crowd. Kumquat was a popular choice.