Songs about food or cooking

Cowboy Junkies, “Cold Tea Blues”

*If I pour your cup, that is friendship
If I add the milk, that is manners
If I stop there, claiming ignorance of taste
That is tea

But if I add the sugar to satisfy your expectant tongue
That is love
Sitting untouched and growing cold*

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

(Skinny) Elvis did the great “Polk Salad Annie”: Elvis Presley - Polk Salad Annie Live (High Quality) - YouTube

where polk salad is really “poke sallet”.
And another Buffett one could be “Tin Cup Chalice”, where he drinks red wine and sings:

“Gimme oysters and beer
For dinner every day of the year
And I’ll feel fine…
I’ll feel fi-ine”

This brings to mind a nice bit in an otherwise fairly forgettable novel by J. B. Priestley, Let The People Sing, set in the late 1930s. Part of its events, involve the tribulations of a highly learned central-European professor: a refugee in the UK, from the expanding Third Reich – a thoroughly benign guy, but of an extremely serious and solemn disposition. He is befriended by an English comedian, from very much the down-market end of that profession. While very grateful for the assistance, he can’t help musing in the course of the unlikely friendship; on the oddity of the English – a great people who have achieved so much – having such a passion (notwithstanding the abundance of themes for highly worthy versification) for foolishly infantile songs about food. He’s often forced to the conclusion: “A very strange people”.

A thousand bottles of beer on the wall

Jimmy Buffett: I Will Play for Gumbo

I don’t smoke, I don’t shoot smack
But I got a spicy monkey ridin’ on my back.
Don’t eat beignets, too much sugar and dough,
But I will play for gumbo
Yes, I will play for gumbo

The original instrumental by Kenny Burrell.

Stevie Ray Vaughan's cover.

Here is one that both the Band and the tune are about food.

Squirrel Heads and Gravy done by Leftover Salmon

Another one I like (but can’t find a copy of) is Martin Mulls “Eggs” off the album Mulling Around

What’s That Tastes Like Gravy? by King David’s Jug Band

Back in the mid 70’s one of my younger siblings had a record that all the songs were about food. “Popcorn” was on there, as was “Big Rock Candy Mountain”.

But the song we really got a kick out of was a tune called “My Cake”. With lyrics like "First I wiggle, then I wake, then I rise, to make my cake".

The song went on with this dweeb bragging how great his cake was. It was a hoot. Wish I could find a copy to post.

-Pete

Pk - I had Popcorn and this Rock Candy on deck.

And another such – the World War I favourite “I Do Like A S’nice S’mince S’pie”

(whose chorus includes:
“I don’t like lamb, ham or jam
And I don’t like roly-poly”)

https://monologues.co.uk/musichall/songs-I/I-Do-Like-A-Snice-Spince-Spie-htm

The above link, to the lyric – trying to achieve one to a musical version, defeated my poorish computer skills.

It’s that weird “My Cake” song I’ma lookin’ fer.

Then there’s Cut the Cake by Average White Band. I don’t think they’re really singing about cake, though. :wink:

Ode To Billy Joe mentions blackeyed peas, biscuits, and apple pie.

Billy Joel’s Piano Man mentions tonic and gin, drinks for free, and beer.

Speaking of which, Roly Poly was a song by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys:

“Roly Poly, eatin’ corn and taters
Hungry every minute of the day
Roly poly, gnawin’ on a bisquit
Long as he can chew it it’s ok”

i love Roly-Poly! Even though you couldn’t get away with lyrics like “daddy’s little fatty” these days. :wink:

Making love to a tonic & gin, and a microphone that smells like a beer…does not seem to be an ode to food…

Cornbread and Butter Beans by Carolina Chocolate Drops