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Jimi Hendrix — Belly Button Window
Album: The Cry Of Love
Avg rating:
7.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1715









Released: 1971
Length: 3:34
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Well. I'm up here in this womb
I'm looking all around
Well, I'm looking out my belly button window
And I see a whole lot of frowns
And I'm wondering if they don't want me around

What seems to be the fuzz out there?
Just what seems to be the hang?
'Cause you know if ya just don't want me this time around,
yeah I'll be glad to go back to Spirit Land
And even take a longer rest,
before I'm coming down the chute again
Man, I sure remember the last time, baby
They were still hawkin' about me then
So if you don't want me now,
Make up your mind, where or when
If you don't want me now,
Give or take, you only got two hundred days
'Cause I ain't coming down this way too much more again

You know they got pills for ills and thrills and even spills
But I think you're just a little too late
So I'm coming down into this world, daddy
Regardless of love and hate
And I'm gonna sit up in your bed, mama
And just a grin right in your face
And then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates,
and say "I hope I'm not too late"

So if there's any questions,
make up your mind
'Cause you better give or take
Questions in your mind
Give it a take,
you only got two hundered days

Way up into this womb
looking all around
Sure's dark in here
And I'm looking out my belly button window
And I swear I see nothing but a lot of frowns
And I'm wondering if they want me around
Comments (160)add comment
 espheim wrote:

What kind of human would rate this piece of art below 7?


Someone who doesn't like Jimi Hendrix?  My grandmother, for example.
 espheim wrote:

What kind of human would rate this piece of art below 7?


A deaf one
 dmcanany wrote:

Would this garner even close to a 7.5 rating if it weren't Jimi?




Your comment gets a 2.0 rating!   
 dmcanany wrote:

Would this garner even close to a 7.5 rating if it weren't Jimi?


Yes!  Listen to the lovely guitar work.  Read the lyrics.  Be amazed by the stereo mix (better achieved with headphones).  Then you'll realize that good music is good no matter the composer or performer.

Wow.  I suppose this message will always be timely.
 dmcanany wrote:

Would this garner even close to a 7.5 rating if it weren't Jimi?



Yes
Sounds very bluesy
 dmcanany wrote:

Would this garner even close to a 7.5 rating if it weren't Jimi?



Learn about first principles and don't be second guessing 
200 days. Quite precise 
 mistabird wrote:
großer JIMMI    {#Notworthy}
 
Jimi James w/ 1 M
What kind of human would rate this piece of art below 7?
 dmcanany wrote:
Would this garner even close to a 7.5 rating if it weren't Jimi?
 
Does that matter?  It is Jimi, and it is awesome.
a very rare Hendrix turn to hear

well done
If you have something to ask you only got give or take 200 days
Must have been busy getting out.
Aug 22 - Nov 27 1970 93 days.
RIP Jimi. See you next time.
200 days  quite precise
Highly prophetic
Would this garner even close to a 7.5 rating if it weren't Jimi?
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Pro Life indeed :)

Apparently it's  written from the perspective of Jimi in his mother's womb, looking out the "bellybutton window" and wondering if his parents want him to be born (see last verse of lyrics).
As such, some interpret it as a "pro-life" song.
 

'you only got two hundred days'. How right he was. kinda of spooky.
 OggieDogness wrote:
What the hell is a bellybutton window? LOL 
 
Apparently it's  written from the perspective of Jimi in his mother's womb, looking out the "bellybutton window" and wondering if his parents want him to be born (see last verse of lyrics).
As such, some interpret it as a "pro-life" song.
 Shipp wrote:
yea he's just about right. about 200 days left at the time.
cool
 
I think Jimi was talking about 200 days being the average (give or take) length of a pregnancy and the belly button window would be the window from inside the womb looking out.
What the hell is a bellybutton window? LOL 
cool that he knew. something to think about.
Was just imagining the band "up here in this" "Spirit Land" ... Jimi jamming with Mark Hollis. Now you play this. Radio Magic. Thanks RP!
normally not a Hendix fan, but this is a great blues song
I've always had a soft spot for Jimi Hendrix "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)"  Electric Ladyland  album. Nevertheless, this is not a bad song at all {#Laughing}.
 Shipp wrote:
yea he's just about right. about 200 days left at the time.
cool
 
How is that fact "cool"?  Seems like a real downer to me.  It would have been cooler if he was still around making music.
Damn. He was good.
yea he's just about right. about 200 days left at the time. cool
This is Jimi at his most funny and thoughtful; and playing the blues in a way that reminds me of Lightnin' Hopkins. Definitely not the least important of the oeuvre, in fact it's one of the songs that stands up the best after listening to thousands of hours of Hendrix.
I've often noticed how much he sounds like Chris Youlden of Savoy Brown in this one. The guitar-work in this one is really subtle, dig...
Now there's something you don't hear every day: Jimi Hendrix singing a navel ballad.
This is a giant, who stands on the shoulders of other giants, paying homage to those shoulders he stands on. As one should.
 NelsonBlack wrote:
This song has to be one of the least important of Jimi's ouevre. If you want an obscure, but mellow Jimi song where he just "jammin' that's all," play "Pali Gap." Now, that's a 10-rated song.

 
"Pali Gap" is in my Top 3 Jimi songs of all-time.
In no particular order...  {#Think}
This song has to be one of the least important of Jimi's ouevre. If you want an obscure, but mellow Jimi song where he just "jammin' that's all," play "Pali Gap." Now, that's a 10-rated song.
i think his voice fits perfectly with his music ...... all part of the Hendrix experience!!
 chirpie wrote:

I always thought Jimi never was fond of his own singing.

 
That's right - if you listen to Spanish Castle Magic - at one point he he says "I can't sing this song". Personally, I like his voice.
 ScottN wrote:
By Jimi standards, imo, so-so song.  But played in the overall context of the full range of RP's palylist, nice to hear.

 
Nicely put!
 jbunniii wrote:
I'm sure he could do better than this.

 
He did :)
I'm sure he could do better than this.
By Jimi standards, imo, so-so song.  But played in the overall context of the full range of RP's palylist, nice to hear.
Every other guitar player at the time tried out a WahWah pedal and sounded silly.  Jimi just sounded cool.  Inimitable.

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
Great song from my fave Jimi album (which, out of interest, I bought on CD here in NZ in 1994) - the playlist this morning has been awesome! {#Music}
Awesome and beautiful music. The lyrics I wished I understood the meaning behind. The album, Cry of Love, was Jimi's last studio produce album before he died. Somewhat like happened to Michael Jackson's legacy, this album, Cry of Love became involved in a bitter family law suit over the legal rights to Jimi's fortune and music. After I graduated from college in 1979 I started building my CD library and of course looked for a few reissues of my favorite LP's. I was flabergasted that Cry of Love never made it to a CD, but........voila, one day about 10 years ago I discovered to my surprise all of the content of Cry of Love which was reissued under a different title, First Rays of the New Rising Sun. The songs are in a slightly different order than the 2 sided LP, but with the help of my CD burner, I was able to copy and rearrange them into their original  order that I was used to, and even scanned the original artwork off my old LP cover and printed my own personal CD crystal case. Awesome. Cry of Love or as you can get now as First Rays of the New Rising Sun, is definitely one of Jimi's finest, most melodic works he ever produced. The song, "Drifting" is one of my favorite tunes in the whole world.  Hope it finds your ears someday soon. Peace, love, tranquilty. Thank you Jimi.
 CWKeeney wrote:
God bless you, RP!  This is my favorite Hendrix song.  I have never heard anyone else ever play it!
 
Don't recall this one.  Good fun!
großer JIMMI    {#Notworthy}
Jimi!!!!!!
Just not something I like. Not a fan.  {#No}
 Otomi wrote:

The lyrics seem to have several levels of meaning and, like most art, lend themselves to distinct interpretations, depending on the mind of each person experiencing the work. Reincarnation is certainly a theme. While the possibility of abortion is hinted at, the fetus (not child, since he's still in the womb) seems rather indifferent about his birth and about the alternative of going back to "spirit land".

What Jimi sang was this, more or less:

Well I'm up here in this womb
I'm lookin' all around
hmm mm mm
well I'm lookin' out my belly button window
and I see a whole lot of frowns
and I'm wonderin' if they don't want me, around
what seems to be the fuss out there
just what seems to be the hang
'cause you know if you don't
want me this time around
yeah, I'll be glad to go back to spirit land
and even take a longer rest
before a comin' down the chute again
man I sure remember the last time, baby
they were still talkin' about me then
so if you don't want me now
make up your mind
where or when
make up your mind
if you don't want me now
give or take
you only got two-hundred days
cause I ain't comin' down this
way too much more, again
you know they got pills for ills, and
thrills, and even spills
but I think you're just a little too late
so I'm comin' down into this world Daddy
regardless of love and hate
I'm gonna sit up in your bed Mamma
and just a grin right in your face
and then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates
ha, and say I hope i'm not too late
if there's any questions make up your mind
give or take
if there's any questions make up your mind
give or take
you got only two-hundred days
and I'm lookin' out my belly button window
and I swear I see nothing but a lot of frowns
and I won't live if they don't want me, around.

 
Myself, I always thought it was about Jesus's Second Coming, sitting in the womb thinking about whether the world was ready for (or even cared about) his return.
 SchoepTone wrote:
Jimi the guitarist didn't deserve Jimi the singer.
 
I always thought Jimi never was fond of his own singing.
God bless you, RP!  This is my favorite Hendrix song.  I have never heard anyone else ever play it!
Amazing, poetry. 9
Jimi the guitarist didn't deserve Jimi the singer.

It's nice to hear this song being played.  I don't think I've ever heard this played on any type of radio until now.  Thanks Bill!
Never heared this song before! Very nice!  9!

This song is awesome
The Human Fetus Blues

And I'm wondering if they want me around.


Cheese and rice, man.  I gave this a 3?  
 
3 minus at least 2 seems much more appropriate.


Not worth having to suffer through.  {mute}

fergie348 wrote:
Hi Bill - in memory of Alex Chilton, maybe you can shuffle some Big Star into the mix today, or maybe the Replacements song about him?

https://music-mix.ew.com/2010/03/18/alex-chilton-obituar/

{#Notworthy}
Oh, man - I'm shocked! He was such an icon, and a bizarre character in a neighborhood full of them. RIP, Alex.

Hi Bill - in memory of Alex Chilton, maybe you can shuffle some Big Star into the mix today, or maybe the Replacements song about him?

https://music-mix.ew.com/2010/03/18/alex-chilton-obituar/

{#Notworthy}
I'm glad so many others get him to make up for me totally not getting Jimi.
 Dave_Mack wrote:
I don't understand Bill's fascination with this song.  There's so much Jimi to play, but it's this one every other time.
 
And it's a throwaway for sure.

Who is playing the other guitar?
Some old news for you:
Jimi is a 10,
Actually a category of his own!



I don't understand Bill's fascination with this song.  There's so much Jimi to play, but it's this one every other time.
 Hannio wrote:
 Otomi wrote:

While the possibility of abortion is hinted at, the fetus (not child, since he's still in the womb)


Orwellian logic.
 
Either that or an attempt at using unambiguous terminology.
 Misterfixit wrote:
... other highlights that appear on "The Cry Of Love" CD include "Beginning" (which contains a riff almost identical to the Stones "Bitch"), "Highway Chile," and "Izabella,"

 

I agree with most of what you say...but beginning, highway chile, and izabella on Cry? Hmmm ...

And, don't forget Hendrix In the West!

 Otomi wrote:

While the possibility of abortion is hinted at, the fetus (not child, since he's still in the womb)



Orwellian logic.
ho hum
He had the Blues!
Thanks for posting the lyrics...I have a very difficult time understanding lyrics to songs and seeing them written really helps (for someone very deaf, I really do like music...)

 
Otomi wrote:

The lyrics seem to have several levels of meaning and, like most art, lend themselves to distinct interpretations, depending on the mind of each person experiencing the work. Reincarnation is certainly a theme. While the possibility of abortion is hinted at, the fetus (not child, since he's still in the womb) seems rather indifferent about his birth and about the alternative of going back to "spirit land".

What Jimi sang was this, more or less:

Well I'm up here in this womb
I'm lookin' all around
hmm mm mm
well I'm lookin' out my belly button window
and I see a whole lot of frowns
and I'm wonderin' if they don't want me, around
what seems to be the fuss out there
just what seems to be the hang
'cause you know if you don't
want me this time around
yeah, I'll be glad to go back to spirit land
and even take a longer rest
before a comin' down the chute again
man I sure remember the last time, baby
they were still talkin' about me then
so if you don't want me now
make up your mind
where or when
make up your mind
if you don't want me now
give or take
you only got two-hundred days
cause I ain't comin' down this
way too much more, again
you know they got pills for ills, and
thrills, and even spills
but I think you're just a little too late
so I'm comin' down into this world Daddy
regardless of love and hate
I'm gonna sit up in your bed Mamma
and just a grin right in your face
and then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates
ha, and say I hope i'm not too late
if there's any questions make up your mind
give or take
if there's any questions make up your mind
give or take
you got only two-hundred days
and I'm lookin' out my belly button window
and I swear I see nothing but a lot of frowns
and I won't live if they don't want me, around.

 


aka ... Abortion Era Fetus Blues

American women,,,,,,

The lyrics seem to have several levels of meaning and, like most art, lend themselves to distinct interpretations, depending on the mind of each person experiencing the work. Reincarnation is certainly a theme. While the possibility of abortion is hinted at, the fetus (not child, since he's still in the womb) seems rather indifferent about his birth and about the alternative of going back to "spirit land".

What Jimi sang was this, more or less:

Well I'm up here in this womb
I'm lookin' all around
hmm mm mm
well I'm lookin' out my belly button window
and I see a whole lot of frowns
and I'm wonderin' if they don't want me, around
what seems to be the fuss out there
just what seems to be the hang
'cause you know if you don't
want me this time around
yeah, I'll be glad to go back to spirit land
and even take a longer rest
before a comin' down the chute again
man I sure remember the last time, baby
they were still talkin' about me then
so if you don't want me now
make up your mind
where or when
make up your mind
if you don't want me now
give or take
you only got two-hundred days
cause I ain't comin' down this
way too much more, again
you know they got pills for ills, and
thrills, and even spills
but I think you're just a little too late
so I'm comin' down into this world Daddy
regardless of love and hate
I'm gonna sit up in your bed Mamma
and just a grin right in your face
and then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates
ha, and say I hope i'm not too late
if there's any questions make up your mind
give or take
if there's any questions make up your mind
give or take
you got only two-hundred days
and I'm lookin' out my belly button window
and I swear I see nothing but a lot of frowns
and I won't live if they don't want me, around.


Typical uncomprehending comments on Jimi Hendrix. No wonder the boy did drugs! Scanning the posts I see maybe one or two that register what should be obvious: "Belly Button Window" is a protest song and the protest is against abortion. Duh! As for the music itself, it's a quintessentially Hendrix realization, with the coiled wah in the guitar evoking an uncanny suggestion of the close uterine environment. The vocals are somber, reflective and disillusioned, as they should be in any song whose perspective is fearful and whose prospect is death. Adopting the perspective of the unborn child looking out on a world that can only frown back at him makes the song, just from an artistic angle, a fascinating piece of writing.The fact that abortion rights came hard on the whole sixties call for freedom - with Jimi leading that call as often as not- appears to have caught the Voodoo Chile a little at unawares. The premise of the subjective perspective in BBW is implicitly pro-life. This is a child, not a "fetus," addressing us. Not the first time Hendrix's conservatism put him at odds with the established anti-establishment, however. He foresaw the bloodbaths in Indochina and quoted the Bible against his own fans' adulation, and his interest in Wagner baffled the Rolling Stone. And judging by these comments, his genius remains as elusive as ever for whole sectors of liberal America.


VERY cool.

In the context of the album this is a relaxing coda that helps bring the listener down from the intense peak of songs like "Straight Ahead" and "Astro Man". It's also an appropriate epitaph, closing Hendrix's first posthumous release.


 RobotDeath wrote:
This song is what Alan Douglas hath wrought. Its not good or even up to Jimi's standards, but because he's dead we have to like it.

There's better unreleased stuff than this.
 
You bet. This is pure crap.

I dig this so much. Too cool.
This song is what Alan Douglas hath wrought. Its not good or even up to Jimi's standards, but because he's dead we have to like it. There's better unreleased stuff than this.
RedGuitar wrote:
To think that he could still be with us today......
I don't know. Hendrix was a genius, but that train wreck was going to happen somewhere I'm afraid.
Hendrix may have taken his share of drugs, but it was mishandling by ambulance attendants that killed him. They strapped him down in such a way that he couldn\'t clear his throat, and so choked on his own vomit. Such an ignominious way to go. Granted, he had taken some sleeping pills, but they were a European variety and he misread or misunderstood the dosage. To think that he could still be with us today......
\"The Cry Of Love\" was the first of the posthumous releases in the Jimi Hendrix catalog and probably the best as it collected most of the studio tracks that were either completed or very near completion before Hendrix died. Some of these tunes, like \"Angel\" and \"Ezy Rider,\" have become well-known pieces in the Hendrix canon, but they sit alongside lesser-known gems like \"Night Bird Flying\" and the Dylanesque \"My Friend.\" As we all know by now, Jimi Hendrix left behind more unreleased material than just about any other rock artist. Some tracks have rated as all-time classics (\"Angel,\" \"Drifting,\" etc.), while other highlights that appear on \"The Cry Of Love\" CD include \"Beginning\" (which contains a riff almost identical to the Stones \"Bitch\"), \"Highway Chile,\" and \"Izabella,\" a track premiered on a Dick Cavett TV show a year before Jimis untimely death. If youre a newcomer to Hendrix, dont start here, but if youre a serious Jimi fan searching for some interesting obscurities, \"The Cry Of Love\" CD is definitely worth the price if you can find it. Jimi Hendrix was unable to read or write music, so he recorded extensively in the studio-this explains why there are so many different versions of his songs that have been released at one time or another-and many of these different versions are so strikingly different that they are practically unrecognizable aside from sharing the same title. And though the Hendrix family has released \"First Rays Of The New Rising Sun\" and \"South Saturn Delta\", albums meant to be the definitive last word, they dont adequately replace the \"Cry Of Love\", \"War Heroes\", \"Midnight Lightning\" or \"Crash Landing\" CDs. As a matter of fact, many songs included on these out of print discs are otherwise unavailable on CD and thats a shame. So, again, I recommend grabbing this disc as well as the others Ive mentioned here if you are lucky enough to find them available as they have been permanently deleted. Good luck!!
I agree that this is not his best. Which is why I gave it a 9 instead of a 10....
Pure drivel. I believe this to be one of those Alan Douglas-produced LPs that never should have seen the light of day. I have another "cut-out bin special" Jimi CD in my collection that only goes to show that not everything an artist produces has value. From a historical or curiousity perspective, sure, but not from one that's musical. And I agree with others here that Jimi's excessive drug intake did not, in the long run, do anything for his creativity, never mind his judgement.
Odyzzeuz wrote:
I have no idea what this song is supposed to be about.
Perhaps about the cosmic voyage of a baby about to be born, and maybe not wanting to leave the comforting refuge of the womb? Hence Womb with a View: Belly Button Window. Get it? Kind of like the kid is on an Odyzzy? Homerically speaking, of course.
I have no idea what this song is supposed to be about.
Yea it's unfinished, but I like this album. Think of it like Jimi is jamming in your living room.
firedog13 wrote:
We love you Jimmy, to bad you loved drugs more than your fans.RIP.10.0
dude, that's harsh. without drugs you wouldn't be enjoying this right now. Bill Hicks put it so well: "If you don't believe that drugs have done good things for people, go home and burn all your records. Because the musicians that made that fine music that you've enjoyed throughout the years ... reeeeeeeeeaaaal fuckin high".
Arianrhod wrote:
(should be beer not wine) Here's to radiostations that don't put artist in a box
Or in the case of this song, stations that don't play songs by guys who were in a box when the song was put out.
GOD
song gives me goose bumps, its about abortion i think
Nice!
(should be beer not wine) Here's to radiostations that don't put artist in a box
We love you Jimmy, to bad you loved drugs more than your fans.RIP.10.0 nigelr wrote:
A nicely relaxed Jimi track, with just a smattering of his usual guitar genius. Gotta be a 9, for me.
A nicely relaxed Jimi track, with just a smattering of his usual guitar genius. Gotta be a 9, for me.
I will revise my rates later because I'm in a "receptive" mood. This is close close close to 10 right now. man
Is it any wonder he faded into oblivion...?
wow that's pretty average for him.
I wanted you around Jimi! Come down to shoot again! We'll let you take the floor again! No questions!
even when Jimi is just aimlessly strumming and mumbling some line he is so fine.
eman wrote:
Jimi...it's all good ...and then i'm gonna sit up in yer bed and eat all yer chocolates...
best line in a wonderfully creative song!
hendrix was great. he only approved of the release of are you experienced, axis, and ladyland. unfortunately alot of mediocre product, like this, was released posthumously and enriched the record companies.
SpaceCase wrote:
Most Aimless?? I think writing a song from the point of view of a baby inside a woman still is quite outstanding......
I get the impression that this is a sentient fetus who has the feeling that he/she may be aborted, and says that if you don't want me, I will go away.
babygirl614 wrote:
Ah, this one does nothing for me. The concept of a "belly button window" hasn't aged well.
If that's true, then how did we end up with six billion belly buttons on the planet? And that's only one species of mammal!
Boy: Can I put my finger in your belly button? Girl: Okay....Hey! That's not my belly button! Boy: That's not my finger.
SpaceCase wrote:
Most Aimless?? I think writing a song from the point of view of a baby inside a woman still is quite outstanding......
WORD. The wet-behind-the-ears-crowd needs to grow wup.
Odyzzeuz wrote:
Not my favorite. This is Jimi at his most aimless.
Duhh
Ok, this is Jimi so a 7, but man, that is just odd.
Odyzzeuz wrote:
Not my favorite. This is Jimi at his most aimless.
Most Aimless?? I think writing a song from the point of view of a baby inside a woman still is quite outstanding......
Not my favorite. This is Jimi at his most aimless.
Jimi...it's all good ...and then i'm gonna sit up in yer bed and eat all yer chocolates...
kctomato wrote:
He was supposed to start work with some jazz artists when he returned to the US. Too bad - I heard rumors of Gil Evans and Miles Davis wanting to possibly work with him.
They were more than rumors: Jimi was supposed to have cut an album with Gil Evans just before he died. I have the album which Evans recorded of Hendrix's music. The guitarist wasn't exactly in the Hendrix vein as I recall (Ryo Kawasaki). It's a great jazz album, though. You have to hear "Foxy Lady" sung, if you will, on tympani. I'm not making that up. And it works!
Innie or Outie?
there was an LP Called Nine to the Universe that i had on vinyl Great Jimi Jazz I have not been able to find it on cd. I think was a glimpse of where he was headed. anybody out there want to up-load a tune?
mafe wrote:
It would rock if "Bring it on home" by Led Zeppelin played after this.
very nice song! 9 points for jimi
Well at least yer honest in yer hypocrisy...you are, however, a poor speller which is far more offensive. gadfly wrote:
I am a total hypocrate- I hate zep dyllan and all the oldies but Jimmi RULES