☝️ Key Points
- Soldiers pass the time during the war and long for its end
- Goober Peas are peanuts that soldiers enjoy during their conversations
- The chorus emphasizes the soldiers' joy in eating the peanuts
- The lyrics contain a historical reference to the Civil War in the United States and show the soldiers' calmness despite the imminent danger
- The song lyrics end with the soldiers' wish for peace and normality
Interpretation
In the lyrics of the song "Goober Peas" by
The Kingston Trio, it is about how soldiers pass the time during war and how they long for its end. The text tells the story of a group of comrades who sit by the roadside on a summer day and talk to each other to pass the time. They are sitting in the shade of the trees and eating delicious "goober peas".
"Goober peas" are actually peanuts. The soldiers use this term to describe the peanuts they eat. They find them delicious and enjoy eating them while they converse.
The refrain of the song repeats the soldiers' joy in eating the peanuts. It emphasizes how tasty they are and how much the soldiers enjoy them.
The text also contains a historical reference to the Civil War in the United States. It tells the story of a general who hears a noise before a battle and thinks the enemy is coming. But what he sees are soldiers from Georgia calmly eating peanuts. This shows that the soldiers, despite the imminent danger, have a certain calmness and enjoy their time.
The text ends with the soldiers' wish for the war to finally be over. They long for a life without war, where they can reunite with their wives and lovers and where they can eat peanuts without being disturbed by rats and fleas.
Overall, the lyrics of the song "Goober Peas" are about the small joys that soldiers find amidst war and their longing for peace and normalcy.