# Why the heck is Michael Jackson calling me a vegetable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-is-michael-jackson-calling-me-a-vegetable/426427 "2007-11-14T21:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-is-michael-jackson-calling-me-a-vegetable/426427/1 "2007-11-14T21:49:07Z")
And other bizarre lyrics. So this morning, I was listening to the radio when “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” began to play. I haven’t heard it in a long time, so I listened for a while, and wondered, not for the first time, what the hell he means when he keeps repeating, “You’re a vegetable.” I figured I was mishearing, so I just looked it up, and sure enough, the lines read: You’re A Vegetable, You’re A Vegetable Still They Hate You, You’re A Vegetable You’re Just A Buffet, You’re A Vegetable They Eat Off Of You, You’re A Vegetable This is even more bizarre than I thought. What the heck does it mean? Should I be really insulted? I like vegetables and everything, but do I want to be one? Answers? More bizarre lyrics? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-heck-is-michael-jackson-calling-me-a-vegetable/426427/2 "2007-11-14T22:08:45Z")
Maybe it’s a reference to Frank Zappa’s _Call Any Vegetable._ “Standing there shiny and proud by your side, Holding your joint while the neighbors decide, Why is a vegetable something to hide? To hiiiide, to hiiiiiiiiiiiide?” 😛