Mother No More

Won't you keep us working? Working down below? This page needs work to reach an encyclopedic standard. If you see something missing, you can help The Mysterious Spanish Ladies by joining the wiki and expanding the article.

"Mother No More" (previously titled "Green Oasis") is a song from The Residents' 2005 album, Animal Lover. The song's narrator is the mother of a soldier who returns home emotionally distant and deeply traumatized, while their house cat remains indifferent to their situation. It features vocals by Molly Harvey and choral vocals by Carla Fabrizio.

The album version is preceded by a sample of the traditional song "M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word that Means the World to Me)". The Residents would later paraphrase the refrain of that song for the Talking Light ghost story "Mother Love", a demo of which can be heard on Night Train to Nowhere.

History

The song dates back to 2001, when Charles Bobuck recorded sketches for a proposed album about the American Civil War, which was soon shelved in favor of the Demons Dance Alone album. A sketch rendering of the sea song "Greenland Whale Fisheries" was eventually revisited and fleshed out into "Mother No More".

A strange alternate mix of the song briefly features on the "Imaginary Jack" suite that accompanied the original release of Animal Lover.

Lyrics

I will never hear you in the morning, no
I will never hear your voice again
You will never say that you love the little cakes
that I bake so early in the morning, no,
I will never hear it again

She'll never hear him in the evening, no,
She will never hear his voice again
He will never say, "It's my favorite time of day,"
When the sun is setting in the evening, no,
She will never hear it again

But I know I'll hear you when it's late at night
And you're sleeping in your room again
You will dream of the faraway wickedness of war
And I'll hear you sobbing after midnight, no,
You will not say "mother" again

No, you won't say "mother" again

The Cat

LIFE SUCKS! thought the cat, waking up from nap number nine. The proud feline casually strolled over to her food bowl, nibbled a bit and contemplated her dilemma.

True, the boy was back. The boy who always fed her. The boy who gave her treats. The boy who once stuffed catnip into a sock and drug it around the house, playing with her for hours. But best of all, he was THE HANDS. Perfect hands, hands that knew every special spot - on her tummy, under her chin, behind her ears.

The cat was sad for weeks after he went away. Oh, the old woman was all right, an adequate feeder to be sure, but hers were the hands of a bricklayer - hard and boney with sharp fingernails. To her credit, the old woman tried, but the cat would rather be petted by a porcupine. No one was THE BOY.

And now he's not the boy any more either. A little bigger, perhaps, but that's not it - it's the frozen face, the empty eyes, the silent voice. He never speaks a word. Never. No more kitty, kitty, kitty. And since he no longer actually feeds the cat, maybe that doesn't matter ...but then ...but then ...his hands. All he does is sit around, for hours in the same spot, staring at his hands ...lingering over the remnants of glory ...treasure turned into trash. Hrumph, snorted the cat, laying down for nap number ten.

The old woman was sad when he left, now she's sad that he's back. But the cat knows it's time to move on. Cats have important things to do.

Appearances

• Animal Lover (2005)
• Animal Lover Instrumental (2008)
• Animal Lover (Evolution Edition) (2026)

External links and references

• Animal Lover at The Residents Historical