Ol’ Morgue Mouth

Song Meaning

The lyrics introduce a bizarre character, "Ol' Morgue Mouth," who arrives in town and is immediately declared DOA, or dead on arrival. This sets a darkly humorous, almost surreal tone. The narrator's encounter with this figure is unsettling, especially when Morgue Mouth bites into a hamburger and smiles, then invites the narrator to sit down. The narrator's immediate rejection, stating "the dead should be buried," highlights the inherent wrongness of Morgue Mouth's existence and presence. The central tension arises from Morgue Mouth's unsettling hunger and the narrator's revulsion. Morgue Mouth admits he gets "awfully hungry" and chillingly states, "I'd kill a man / For less than that," revealing a predatory nature beneath the unsettling smile. The narrator's blunt response, "Well you're eating the dead," directly confronts Morgue Mouth's cannibalistic implication and the disturbing reality of his existence, solidifying the narrator's unease. The lyrics employ a jarring, almost folksy narrative style to present a grotesque concept. The spoken-word interjections about finding "Morgue Mouth" on "every second corner" and the disturbing slogan about "Morgue Mouth Cows" being "guaranteed not to scream when they're killed" amplify the unsettling imagery. This shift from a direct encounter to broader, disturbing pronouncements suggests a pervasive, societal decay or a widespread acceptance of the monstrous. This piece hits hard through its sheer audacity and the stark, unadorned presentation of the macabre. The contrast between the casual dialogue and the horrific implications of Morgue Mouth's hunger and habits creates a deeply uncomfortable, yet compelling, narrative. The final slogan, "I'll eat anything / That don't crawl off the plate or moving too fast," leaves a lingering sense of dread, suggesting a creature of pure, unthinking consumption.