Hair

Song Meaning

The lyrics present a playful, almost absurd obsession with hair, framing it as an uncontrollable, wild entity. The opening lines immediately establish a tone of bewildered self-description: "I'm hairy noon and nighty-night night." The narrator acknowledges a perceived oddity in his hirsuteness, admitting, "But don't ask me why / 'Cause he don't know." This sets up a central tension: a physical characteristic that is both a source of fascination and a complete mystery to the speaker. The core of the song is a fervent, almost desperate plea for "a head with hair." This isn't a subtle desire; it's a demand for abundance and length, described with a cascade of evocative adjectives: "Shinin', gleamin', Streamin', flaxen, waxen." The refrain repeatedly emphasizes "Shoulder length or longer," creating a rhythmic insistence that borders on mania. The sheer volume of descriptive words in Verse 2, from "snaggy, shaggy" to "ratsy, matsy" and even "spaghettied," highlights an overwhelming, almost chaotic embrace of hair in all its potential forms. The lyrics employ a striking contrast between the narrator's own perceived state and the idealized vision of hair he craves. While he's "hairy noon and nighty-night night" and his hair is "a fright," the refrain paints a picture of pure, almost magical beauty. The imagery in Verse 1, where his hair provides "a home for the fleas" and "a nest for birds," is a wonderfully bizarre, earthy counterpoint to the gleaming, flowing ideal. This juxtaposition suggests a deep-seated affection for the wild, untamed nature of his hair, even as he yearns for a more conventionally beautiful aesthetic. Ultimately, the song's effectiveness lies in its sheer, unadulterated enthusiasm and its commitment to a singular, slightly bizarre theme. The repetitive structure and the sheer density of descriptive language create a hypnotic effect, pulling the listener into the narrator's singular focus. The bridge, with its questioning of length and the revelation that the hair "stops by itself," adds a final layer of whimsical resignation, suggesting that this overwhelming hair is simply a force of nature, beyond his control but deeply cherished.