Spill the Wine

Released: 1970 Album: Eric Burdon Declares “War” Label: MGM Records (original issue) Avenue/Rhino Records (reissue) Genre: Funk, Psychedelic Rock, Brown-Eyed Soul Billboard Chart: #3 Pop Personnel: Lee Oskar - harmonica Lonnie Jordan - organ, piano Eric Burdon - vocals Papa Dee Allen - percussion, conga Harold Brown - drums B.B. Dickerson - bass, vocals Howard E. Scott - vocals,guitar Charles Miller - flute, tenor saxophone

{Intro} I was once out strolling One very hot summer's day When I thought I'd lay myself down to rest In a big field of tall grass I lay there in the sun And felt it caressing my face As I fell asleep and dreamed I dreamed I was in a Hollywood movie, yes I did And that I was the star of the movie This really blew my mind The fact that me, an overfed long-haired, leaping gnome Should be the star of a Hollywood movie But there I was I was taken to a place: The Hall of the Mountain King I stood high up on a mountaintop Naked to the world In front of Every kind of girl There was long ones, tall ones, short ones, brown ones Black ones, round ones, big ones Crazy ones Out of the middle Came a lady She whispered in my ear Something crazy She said: Spill the wine, dig that girl Spill the wine, take that pearl I thought to myself What could that mean? Am I going crazy Or is this just a dream? Now wait a minute - I know I'm lying in a field of grass somewhere So it's all in my head And then I heard her say ...one more time: Spill the wine take that pearl I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back As she disappeared But soon she returned In her hand was a bottle of wine In the other, a glass She poured some of the wine from the bottle into the glass And raised it to her lips And just before she drunk it She said: Take the wine, take that pearl Spill the wine, take that pearl