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Cocoa Hooves Lyrics

This old goat with beard of gray
He turns his leather gripped cane
Those times you clapped and called for quiet
They’ve come to hold you, ain't that nice?

He packs a fat oom paul to
Jib and make home-baked perfume
Sip froth from soft warm joe
Snug eiderdown bedclothes
You know, you know the way that I

Come on you hermit
You never fight back
Why don’t you play with bows and arrows?
Why don’t you dance like you’re sick in your mind?
Why don’t you set your wings on fire?

You slick back that wiry mane
A neat tucked slice
Deep trees sleep on the dank lawn
And scratch the slate
You finger down that waxen line
Between your breasts
A squeaky pain upon each breath
The promised land
I said, I said, I said
You know the way that I feel

Come on you hermit
You never fight back
Why don’t you play with bows and arrows?
Why don’t you dance like you’re sick in your mind?
Why don’t you set your wings on fire?

Come on you hermit
Why don't you play nice?
Why don’t you toy with sex and violence?
Why don’t you stare back into my huge eye?
Why don’t you set my wings on fire?
Song Info
Submitted by
alexone On May 08, 2014
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Cover art for Cocoa Hooves lyrics by Glass Animals

The narrator is the old goat. He just woke up. He packs a fat oom paul to jib and make home-baked perfume. You know how he feels... sooooooo good... like his hooves are made of pure cocoa. He's straight up jibbin'. Now what? The kitchen. He heads downstairs, reheats yesterday's coffee, and sits there in his pajamas sipping the brew. It's doing the job and everything's comfy. His woman walks in. She's fixing up her hair in some silly hipster fashion. But he's digging it. Uh oh. She's riled up about the plumbing again. "Those damn plumbers didn't fix the faucet!" Her whining is killing his buzz. All he's concerned with right now is her boobs. He wonders, "Why doesn't this hermit-woman play with bows and arrows no more? Where's the passion?" Yeah, she's right at home in this quiet domestic life. But he knew her when she was a freak. They'd get so crazy in his little apartment playing cowboys and Indians. When the futon started knocking against the wall she would hush him for the sake of the neighbors. Now they've got this nice quiet life. But he's not down with it. He wistfully stares out the window at their dewy lawn. Man, they had some wild times... A century passes and he snaps out of it. He looks back at her and thinks about how she still makes him want to dance like an invalid. But she's still bitchin' about the plumbers. He wants her to get worked up over him, not the plumbers! She idly touches her chest and he loses it. He wants her to dominate him right there on the kitchen floor. His eye is huge now. He's flying high but he'd let her burn his wings right off. C'mon hermit...

Cover art for Cocoa Hooves lyrics by Glass Animals

This is very clearly about sex. The other interpretations are far too literal and surface level.

Negative
Subjective
Disgust
Sexual
Misinterpretation
Literal
Surface Level
Cover art for Cocoa Hooves lyrics by Glass Animals

This is my attempt at the meaning, so it may not be entirely correct, but I believe it's probably a bit more accurate than an interpretation? idk let me know if you think something different:

The song is about an inner fight between what the narrator knows and has done in the past and what he wants to experience/do. This means that he is actually both the person he is talking to and about in this song which is supported when he says “You know the way that I feel” in the first part “You know the way that I hide” in the second. The description of a hermit and old goat at the beginning show how reserved he is and “those times you clapped and called for quiet” is the introduction of the contrast that he builds on later. “He packs a fat oom paul to jib and make home-baked perfume” continues this idea as a fat oom paul is a kind of smoking pipe and jib originated as a verb describing a horse or animal that stops or refuses to move, establishing the addictive nature of his old habits. Sipping froth from warm a cup of joe and “eiderdown bedclothes” presents the a kind of relaxation or familiarity associated with those habits, but “you never fight back” in the next verse shows a disregard for his personal wellbeing. He then suggests as a solution, “Why don't you play with bows and arrows?”, but the choice of a long-range weapon suggests reservations about a full effort and the next line, “why don’t you dance like you’re sick in your mind?” conveys his distaste for letting loose despite suggesting it. The final line of this verse, “Why don't you set your wings on fire” is important as it contradicts the protective nature of the eiderdown mentioned earlier and gives reference to Icarus blinded by excitement; He is asking the person to come out of their “hermit” shell and express themselves, but because he is that other person, worries it will end poorly. “Deep trees sleep on the dank lawn and scratch the slate” describes past behaviors as deeply rooted and describes the lawn as dank or cold/clammy showing it is not something he enjoys, just something he is used to or knows. Scratching the slate most is likely referencing the phrase “a clean slate” but in a way that shows reinforcement of old habits instead of new, clean ones. “You finger down that waxen line between your breasts” describes the location of the person’s heart and lungs, but the adjective waxen is also a synonym for translucent, describing the way he can see through their exterior. “A squeaky pain upon each breath the plumbers left” then shows resistance and a lack of air to voice his feelings, but he contradicts it with, “You know the way that I feel” fitting the idea he is indeed both people and still in denial, but less than the start of the song where he struggled finishing the sentence, “You know, you know the way that I...”. He then repeats some earlier verses with the addition of, “Come on you hermit, why don't you play nice? Why don't you toy with sex and violence?” which continues the earlier theme of being torn between wanting to “be nice” and expressing himself. “Why don't you stare back into my huge eye” is challenging himself to accept of truth of what he wants and the final line, “Why don't you set my wings on fire” is more confirmation he is the hermit, but by changing it to “my wings” we see that he now recognizes both parts of himself and is willing to take the risk being who he wants to despite possible consequences. In part two, the lyrics are the same with the addition of, “you know the way I hide” which tells us he knows he was hiding the truth and is now self-aware.

sorry that was probably kinda confusing I just went for it unedited sfjhskhj

Song Meaning
Cover art for Cocoa Hooves lyrics by Glass Animals

What are you going on about? It's a gay guy talking about coming out of the closet. Jesus...