[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
Patti Smith — Summer Cannibals
Album: Land (1975-2002)
Avg rating:
5.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1043









Released: 2002
Length: 4:02
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I was down in Georgia
nothing was as real
as the street beneath my feet
descending into air

The cauldron was a-bubbling
the flesh was lean
and the women moved forward
like piranhas in a stream
they spread themselves before me
an offering so sweet
and they beckoned and they beckoned
come on darling eat

Eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat
you eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat

They circled around me
natives in a ring
and I saw their souls a-withering
like snakes in chains
and they wrapped themselves around me
ummm what a treat
and they rattled their tales hissin'
come on let's eat

Eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat
you eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat

I felt a rising in my throat
the girls a-saying grace
and the air the viscous air
pressed against my face
and it all got too damn much for me
just got too damn rough
and I pushed away my plate
and said boys I've had enough
and I laid upon the table
another piece of meat
and I opened up my veins to them
and said come on eat

Eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat
you eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat
you eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat
you eat the summer cannibals
eat eat eat

Cause I was down in Georgia
nothing was as real
as the street beneath my feet
descending into hell

So eat eat eat
you eat eat eat
you eat eat eat
eat eat eat
Comments (91)add comment
i wish the lyrics for the chorus wasn't "eat eat eat"... could have at least put some other word there, but i guess it gets the point across: EAT! (eat eat)
Five point two? Crazy is endemic!
The low rating and number of negative comments was such a surprise to me - this is one of my Patti Smith faves.
Patti Chili Pepper. 
OK, but not great. Not one of her best.
 MayBaby wrote:

Hmmm. another "0" day - this is October 30th 2018. (I hate that we don't have dates on the posts anymore)
 
The trend is broken, 7/31/2019.   Unless the trend all along wasn't "0", but the end of the month...??


I found a quote attributed to Patti Smith:

[Fred "Sonic" Smith had] written part of it but never recorded it. Like ‘Gone Again’, he had the title and the music and told me about the concept. When I sing it, it’s as if I’m him — it’s his attitude toward the music business, although I’ve tasted the same kind of lifestyle. For him, the whole business was people shoveling drugs, champagne, promises of fame, money, just to keep them working so people could make money off of them. He really perceived the whole journey into fame, which he had tasted when he was younger, as very destructive. It’s dangerous to work for those kinds of ends — fame and fortune will turn on you. If there’s anything negative on the album, it’s that song. But it’s got a sense of humor, in the way I sing it, because I survived it all. It didn’t have an unhappy ending for me. It’s a survival song.”Helps me make sense of it... the surest way to survive the cannibals is to eat them before they can eat you.
You either like Patti or you don'. At least she has something to say.
Wow, this is really bad. Not up to her normal standard!
 ndanger666 wrote:
This is flat-out ghastly!
 

I would have said ghoulish. 

But I kinda like it - as long as I don't have to hear it too often.
art rock
 Chewie wrote:
Surprised at the negative reactions to this one. Sure, it might not be stellar, but it isn't bad 
 
Twill suffice 'til something worse  comes along.
Surprised at the negative reactions to this one. Sure, it might not be stellar, but it isn't bad 
Plays (last 30 days): 2 <--- please make that 2 a 0

You eat someones Cannonballs...Eat Meat!
Oh no, not again. This isn't good.
totally forgot I still needed to eat.  thanks patti.
 ludwig7 wrote:
Wierd. For all of 2003 so far, this song apparently has been played only on dates that end in a zero, based on the comments below. Me, I'd prefer if it was played on zero days, period. A 1 isn't low enough. And to think that this followed Gimme Shelter, to which I gave the only 10 I've posted.
 
Hmmm. another "0" day - this is October 30th 2018. (I hate that we don't have dates on the posts anymore)
 aelfheld wrote:
This doesn't improve with repetition.

 
Agreed.

Not one of her best.

This doesn't improve with repetition.
Most Excellent!
 Smetak wrote:
Great song. The tune is full of energy. Patti's voice, lead guitar, the lyrics... I really like this.
Surprising comments bellow. There are a lot of bad song on RP (as same as there are plenty of good ones). But this one can never be rated as bad. 
 
where are you? korea?
ROCK GOD.
Great song. The tune is full of energy. Patti's voice, lead guitar, the lyrics... I really like this.
Surprising comments bellow. There are a lot of bad song on RP (as same as there are plenty of good ones). But this one can never be rated as bad. 
 Aux wrote:
The best part is that it is now over
 
Funny. Surprised at the lousy reviews, though. I think this is hilarious. Such an interesting artist.
The lyrics come close to a Warren Zevon style of "dark humor," but never quite get there.
Ha! I love it - fun, rude, naive, distateful, and just generally poor. It goes in the same box as Human Fly by The Cramps for me.
This goes well past "suckage."
Man she sounds P.O.'d in this song.

Did her boyfriend just get caught in bed with another woman/guy or what???
bad as hell.
Patti ROCKS!!!!!

{#Dancingbanana}
There are cannibals out there, kids. Someone needed to write about it. And when the deed is, it wasn't goin' to be pretty! Good one, Patti.
This one should've stayed in the archives. Was a 2 before, 'tis a 2 now.
The best part is that it is now over
I'd never heard this before. At the beginning I thought it was funny, but by the end: Too much cannibal!
I realize Patti is awesome, but this tune... I don't know. I guess I lost my appetite somewhere.
Love Patti Smith.....but not this.
alanb wrote:
Again, another 0 day. Odd! Odd. Like the song. It isn't a nice song. I don't like it.
Unfortunately, the chain is broken (7/6)...could really do without this one. Although the "eat eat" reminds me that it's time for lunch.
holy cats this is miserable.
Well, I guess this ends the "0" day curse ...
oppositelock wrote:
Patti Smith rocks.
Amen!
Patti Smith rocks.
Originally Posted by alanb: It isn't a nice song. I don't like it.
It's a nasty song. I like it.
Originally Posted by ludwig7: Wierd. For all of 2003 so far, this song apparently has been played only on dates that end in a zero, based on the comments below.
Again, another 0 day. Odd! Odd. Like the song. It isn't a nice song. I don't like it.
Originally Posted by ludwig7: Wierd. For all of 2003 so far, this song apparently has been played only on dates that end in a zero, based on the comments below. Me, I'd prefer if it was played on zero days, period.
Looks like you get your wish.
Wierd. For all of 2003 so far, this song apparently has been played only on dates that end in a zero, based on the comments below. Me, I'd prefer if it was played on zero days, period. A 1 isn't low enough. And to think that this followed Gimme Shelter, to which I gave the only 10 I've posted.
Love love love Patti. Hate hate hate this song. I was so thankful that she did not play this at her recent local show, which was possibly the greatest, most intense experience I\'ve had in my concert going life. Seen Patti live, now I can die. :D
Okay, I give! Bring back Lionrock...they suck, but not as bad as this!
Wow this is awful.
this sucks!
now THAT was a grating voice. I take it from the notes below that this is not indicitave of her. Someone upload some of her other stuff so I can get an idea of what she really sounds like.
Um ... WTF?
The rating is down to 4.4 Makes me wonder what the lowest rating ever for a song is? Edit: Some prankster gave it a 10! Ha ha! Good one.
This reminds me. I\'ll have to dig out my Patti Smith Album. I bought it as it is always voted high in the 100 greatest album lists. I\'ve never really got into it and it bugs me that that is so. Judging by the reaction to this song, I am not alone in not getting her.
woof that was bad enough for me to switch off and listen to Cds
Obviously Patti brings a quality of menace to this song. Gee...I think that\'s appropriate. Go, Patti, go!
Originally Posted by squarepixel: Please let me know how much money I must donate to never hear this song again.
I'll pitch in with you... I'm frightened! :(
I have never understood \"Junkie Chic\".
What was this supposed to be? Awful, shame on Patti!
Someone on drugs must have told Ms Smith that she had talent. Unfortunately, she must have been sufficiently whacked to have believed them. This is flat-out ghastly!
What up? Patti eat some bad bbq?
Originally Posted by Enrique: to poop on!
Well put! :D
Does it get any worse? Please leave this one on the shelf!
Something raw about Patti Smith that I like. I can understand why some people wouldn\'t - but it\'s music to my ears.
Originally Posted by mrrmaid1: Give me more and I will EAT EAT EAT it! Patti ROCKS no matter what! people who are afraid of weird chicks should stay home because we are EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!
"Weird chicks" are fine; crummy lazy song writing isn't.
Originally Posted by lordcruloze: This is awsome...
to poop on!
This is awsome.
I find it difficult to express how much I truly hate this song. Sucko barfo stinko yucko.
Weird song. The best part of RP is that you never can tell what you might hear next. Even though it has both feet planted firmly on solid rock there is all that other stuff tossed in for variety. I like eclectic a lot. I like Patti's whole attitude and most of her music. There was a really good very lengthy interview with her in New Yorker in May or June.
Originally Posted by spicysquid: She never did make a bad song...please play more Patti Smith.
I beg to differ. This is a bad song.
she wears mens underware. Dot
She never did make a bad song...please play more Patti Smith.
This sucks.
Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. Never again.
Please let me know how much money I must donate to never hear this song again.
This song is sucko-asso-barfo. Truly horrible.
Horrid, this song makes me nauseous
I am so creeped out by this song, I am uncomfortable everytime it comes on!!! Scary!!!!!!!!!
I like weird chicks but I do not like this song. No, sir. Not one bit.
Originally Posted by squarepixel: I'm not into this. Wierd chicks freak me out.
wierd chicks rock.
She scares me.
I\'m not into this. Wierd chicks freak me out.