Prune, You Talk Funny by Gus Dapperton Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Poetic Tapestries of Infatuation
Lyrics
It takes me many miles to make them out
And strawberry sits superbly with you
Go on and lick me love I’m jelly in my shoes
And I would tread upon flowerbeds to stare and stop
A hominid twas blossoming from soot and sod
Prune
Eating all my food
Well you’re like the bum
Who begged and pegged me up all wrong
I’ve got no two cents, no sense at all
Well you’re like the bum
Who begged and pegged me up all wrong
I’ve got no two cents, no sense at all
I like the way you decorate your neck
It takes me just a sec to break a sweat
And russet rims portray that of a goon
Go on and test me love like sipping from a spoon
And I would tread upon flowerbeds to stare and stop
A hominid twas blossoming from soot and sod
Prune
Eating all my food
Well you’re like the bum
Who begged and pegged me up all wrong
I’ve got no two cents, no sense at all
Well you’re like the bum
Who begged and pegged me up all wrong
I’ve got no two cents, no sense at all
Ha ha ha
With his idiosyncratic style and the distinctive lilt of his voice, Gus Dapperton has crafted ‘Prune, You Talk Funny’—a song that defies conventional pop constructs, wrapping adolescent affection and quirky introspection in a vivid sonic palette. The track is not just a mere collection of verses, but an intricate mosaic of lyrical depths ripe for exploration.
As its undulating rhythms and whimsical wordplay entice listeners into a tale of unusual adoration, the song invites a deeper look beyond its catchy chorus and the airy jangle of indie pop instrumentation. It’s in this lyrical deep dive that the essence of ‘Prune, You Talk Funny’ blooms, like a flowerbed burgeoning from the rich soil of Dapperton’s imagination.
Words That Weave a Web of Wonder
The opening lines of ‘Prune, You Talk Funny’ invite us into a world where dialogue dances and distance dissipates through discourse. Dapperton’s confession—’I like the way that words come out of your mouth’—is both an acknowledgement of fascination and a testament to the way affection can transform ordinary conversation into an enchanting enigma, imploring us to ‘make them out’.
This initial admittance carves out a space where language is not just a vehicle for communication but a form of magic that captivates and spells. Strawberry metaphors and jelly in shoes conjure a synesthetic delight, blurring the lines between taste, sight, and feeling—ultimately capturing the disorienting sweetness of young love.
The Hidden Meaning: A Prune Amongst The Blossoms
The repeated use of ‘Prune’ throughout ‘Prune, You Talk Funny’ is far from a random fruit reference. It stands as a symbol of transformation—the contrast between the sweet, youthful berry, strawberry, and the dried, wise prune. While ‘eating all my food,’ it can be seen as a metaphor for a partner that takes, consumes emotions, and infiltrates every thought, leaving the narrator seemingly helpless in a state of enchantment.
Furthermore, it could hint at the self-awareness of maturing within a relationship that seems to age and wrinkle the very fabric of one’s sense of self. As Dapperton threads flowerbeds and hominids blossoming from ‘soot and sod’, it symbolizes the beauty and growth that can stem from even the direst circumstances, all tied to the central figure of the prune.
A Necklace of Nuance
Dapperton’s lyrics dabble in the physical as much as in the metaphysical. By voicing an appreciation for the way a lover ‘decorates your neck,’ he delves into the adornment of one’s body as an extension of identity and expression. Yet, here too, the swift shift to the ‘russet rims’ of a ‘goon’ is jarring—evoking images both rustic and rugged, potentially a nod to the complex, undefined nature of individuality within relationships.
It’s as much about the allure of physical closeness as it is about the unease that can accompany such intimacy. Testing love through the simplicity of ‘sipping from a spoon’ captures the tentative, experimental stages that signify the essence of young love and the sometimes awkward dance towards understanding one another.
The Beggarly Parallels of Perception
Gus repeatedly contrasts himself to ‘the bum who begged and pegged me up all wrong,’ a line that resonates with wrong assumptions and misinterpretations that one often faces. It’s a colloquial introspection on how one can feel misunderstood—valued for the wrong reasons, or misjudged entirely.
The admittance of lacking ‘two cents’—a common colloquialism for personal opinion or thought—reveals a deeper layer of vulnerability and the complexity of self-perception within the dynamic of attraction and affection. Here Dapperton captures the universal sentiment of insecurity and the desire for accurate recognition.
Memorable Lines: The Laughter That Lingers
Amidst the poignant reflections, it’s the playful ‘Ha ha ha’ that lingers, undercutting the song’s melancholic undercurrent. This simple phrase encapsulates the dismissive laughter one might employ to shake off the weight of overanalysis or the melodrama that can accompany feelings of love—demonstrating Gus’s ability to inject levity into his contemplative exploration of relationships.
‘Prune, You Talk Funny’ ultimately mirrors life’s complexities and contradictions—it’s a song that encourages laughter in the face of confusion, that revels in metaphor and peculiarity, and presents love’s eccentricities as worthy of both deep thought and frivolous fun. The laugh is the perfect punctuation to a song otherwise steeped in sweet, heavy sentiment, reminding us not to take the frolic of young love too seriously.
