Yam, the King of Crops (Song)

Yam, the King of Crops
Album	Yam, the King of Crops
Released	1994
Artist	the Mountain Goats
Length	2:00
Previous Track	"Chinese Rifle Song"

Yam, the King of Crops is the eighth song on the cassette Yam, the King of Crops. It was re-released on the compilation Protein Source of the Future...Now!.

Lyrics

I felt sick, I felt good
The heat burns with the old wood
Muscles in my arms pump like machines
The Jericho palm trees are plush and green

Bright sun, the new day
I felt sick in a good way
Felt the fever climb when you came down
All the way across town
And you brought me a plate of sweet potatoes 

Sun fading overhead
The sunset, bright red
Your green eyes, your smooth walk
Fresh tomato, celery stalk
You cooked pari basmati rice
I felt good, you looked nice
You stood like Galatea over me
You brought fried garlic and kimchi
And you brought me a plate of sweet potatoes

Things Referenced in this Song

• Yam, the King of Crops, is a king that is mentioned in Chinua Achebe's book Things Fall Apart.
• In Deuteronomy 34:3, Jericho is referred to as "the city of palms."
• Galatea, in Greek mythology, is the name given to the statue carved by Pygmalion that came to life. In Falconet's famous 1763 sculpture Pygmalion et Galatée, Galatea stands over Pygmalion as he looks in awe.