# Spill the wine lyrics

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 11, 2001, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813 "2001-08-11T16:49:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813/1 "2001-08-11T16:49:54Z")

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Three questions- are there any ‘official’ lyrics out there? I’ve always thought it was ‘Spill the wine, take that **girl** ’, but a web search to find the answers to my other questions had many pages claiming the line ended with **pearl** which is it?

Next, does anyone have a link or know what the female voice is saying? Underneath the song near the end there seems to be a track of Spanish vocals she quietly sings/ chants. Or do I tend to drift off during the song and they’re not there?

Lastly, is the song anything other than a playful interpretation of an actual dream the songwriter had? I hesitate to ask ‘what does it mean’, but wonder if in interviews there is an intended deeper meaning. I can live with my own views of China Cat, but only because I’m comfortable knowing it is not necessarily about anything.

Thanks

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**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813/2 "2001-08-11T21:03:34Z")

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The official Eric Burdon website links to an Unofficial geocities lyrics page, and there they say it’s ‘pearls’.  
[http://www.ericburdon.com/index\_nav\_lyrics.html](http://www.ericburdon.com/index_nav_lyrics.html)

Spill the wine and take that pearl,

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**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813/3 "2001-08-11T21:31:38Z")

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As for the meaning, I think it can be consisely summarized as “Eric Burdon sure did a whole lotta drugs in the early 1970s.”

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**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813/4 "2001-08-13T18:40:06Z")

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I am still wondering if Eric Burden isn’t the only one whose done too many drugs. Anyone else hear Spanish near the end of the song? Any ideas what she is saying?

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**Author:** ![Thing\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Thing\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_1)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spill-the-wine-lyrics/75813/5 "2001-08-13T19:23:02Z")

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Rhythmdvl, I hear the words as well. They are very faint and I have no idea what she is saying, but they are there. You are not going crazy. Unless of course we both are.

John