Lyrics
Chickenshit
"Hi, my name is Arthur- and I quit!"
Chickenshit!
"You know he said something about a taking a feather home for his
wife, you know for a hat that she was making."
"I don't- I don't know what he's gonna do with that chicken..."
"He said he's not gonna hurt it, so, so it's OK."
"Alright, fair enough."
Ain't nobody gonna waste my time
Nobody tells me what's his and what's mine
Break down a window, break down a door
Don't wanna listen to you no more
"I don't know man, I mean, it's uh, it's kinda, I'm getting kinda nervous."
"Starting to get worried?"
"I'm not qualified to..."
Go on by my houses, you tear down the wall
Darling don't like it, better stay at home
I need her trouble like a hole in the head
Get out yer gun and use it instead
"Checking out, need my things? Room 42, please."
"You alright, John? You're not gonna hurt it, are ya?"
Wasting your time, telling me what to do
Take it or leave it or put it down
Get out of the way, don't bring it down
Gotta be, gotta be put out in the ground
Chickenshit! Chickenshit! Chickenshit!
"Oh, oh my god."
"Did you, did you see what he did, he did?!" *retching noises*
"Oh, I don't believe he did it. I mean, I was standing right there, I
saw the whole thing with my own eyes. I never thought he'd do
something like that. I mean, what do you think? It was so unreal!"
Nobody gonna push me around
Nobody gonna put words in my mouth
Listen to no one, I don't get my mail
Told me a fool always ends up in jail
"What were you thinking? You said you weren't gonna hurt it!"
"I didn't hurt it, I killed it. Gave it the fucking heave-ho."
*chatter and recriminations*
Croydon incident
Written as a putdown for the band members who walked after the Croydon incident - with a meat cleaver and a chicken that was already dead.
Released on the Animal Justice EP, released in 1977. Also to be found on the reissue of the Sabotage/Live album. Cale's guitar player Ritchie Fliegler speaks the "Arthur" lines.
Denny McNerney was Cale's FOH engineer in 1976/1977 and explains the "Arthur" introduction:
Maybe "Arthur" was supposed (or intended) to be Joe (Stefko) on the Animal Justice record, but that's Ritchie Fliegler's voice. The real Arthur was a guy who used to hang around CBGB's, who was (perhaps) "mentally challenged", and used to come up to people and say, "hi, my name's Arthur"...and practically nothing else. iI became an inside joke w/ the band, and it obviously was put on the intro to Chickenshit for us to hear.