# Put the Lime in the Coconut

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut/294839>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 16, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut/294839 "2005-03-16T17:21:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut/294839/1 "2005-03-16T17:21:04Z")

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Coke’s new commercial “Put the Lime in the Coke, you nut” made me remember that when I was little that my dad always told me it was a “bad” song. Is “put the lime in the coconut” slang for any nefarious activities?

Also, is U2’s song “Mysterious Ways” about incest?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut/294839/2 "2005-03-16T17:22:33Z")

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About the Nilsson song. “Coconut”, I think your dad is loony. There is nothing subversive about it in the least! It’s just a goofy little song.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut/294839/3 "2005-03-16T17:28:54Z")

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The full lyrics for Coconut can be found [here](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/harry-nilsson/coconut.html).

They sound naughty at first glance. But the song is about a sister and brother, not about lovers. And the sister puts her lime in the brother’s coconut rather than the reverse. And before you can think that “belly-ache” means pregnancy we find that the cure is more lime and coconut.

So I read this as they got drunk, woke up with a hangover, and the doctor told them to cure it with the old “hair of the dog” remedy, i.e. more drinking. Salacious, possibly, but not dirty.

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**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut/294839/4 "2005-03-16T19:27:40Z")

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Ah, I see. I always wondered if that’s just one of those things parents say to mislead you. 🙂

I \*would \* like to know about the U2 song if anyone knows. The incest bit was from my mom.