☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about revenge and conflicts between an Eskimo boy and a fur hunter.
- Nanook reacts angrily to the mistreatment of his favorite animal and seeks revenge.
- The text contains humorous elements and references Eskimo legends.
- The hunter is temporarily blinded when Nanook rubs snow mixed with urine from his huskies into his eyes.
- The Eskimo legend says that to cure the eyes, one must walk across the tundra to the Church of Saint Alfonzo.
Interpretation
The song lyrics 'Nanook Rubs It' by
Frank Zappa is about an Eskimo boy named Nanook who is attacked by a fur hunter. The hunter hits Nanook's favorite baby seals with a lead-filled snowshoe. This makes Nanook very angry, and he decides to take revenge.
Nanook takes snow that he has found with the urine of sled dogs and rubs it in the hunter's eyes. He does this with an energetic, circular motion. Due to the snow, the hunter temporarily loses his eyesight and becomes furious. He takes a dog feces ice cream cone and sticks it in Nanook's right eye. Then he sticks one in his other eye as well. Finally, he also takes the urine of a sled dog and temporarily blinds Nanook.
The lyrics also describe how the hunter is reminded of an old Eskimo legend. In this legend, it is said that if something bad happens to someone's eyes, it is the result of a conflict with someone named Nanook and they must walk across the tundra to the Church of Saint Alfonzo to heal their eyes.
So, the song lyrics 'Nanook Rubs It' are about revenge and conflicts between an Eskimo boy and a fur hunter. It shows how Nanook reacts to the mistreatment of his favorite animal and tries to seek justice. The lyrics also contain humorous elements and refer to Eskimo legends.