Dave Matthews Band – Don't Burn the Pig

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Send "Don't Burn the Pig" Ringtone to Cell

Don't burn the pig
Throw it in the water again
See if it float or sink
Don't burn the pig

Send "Don't Burn the Pig" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Just1_BigEyedFish, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Track duration: 07:01


Don't Burn the Pig song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:Funny thing, I think I seen where Dave got the inspiration for this. He said it was from watching a program where pigs were burned to test their pain tolernace. I seen the actual program one night late at night on TV. It is really disturbing and it stirs your emotions watching it. They just take a blow torch and point it at pigs. I was really angry and thought it was such a stupid experiment. Let the pigs be! What a waste. How would you like it if someone performed such a test on you Mr. Cruel-blowtorch-carrying-man?
    I can see how Dave was inspired to write a song about it cause it was years ago that I'd seen it and it still sticks in my head. The world needs more compassion in it if such thoughtless and cruel acts are being performed.
    Flag prisoner54321on September 03, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Tons of stories floating around about this one. . . I don't know if this has anything to do with the song itself, but I feel the song has some kind of references to human death, listen to the end of the song on the Weekend on the Rocks CD. . . notice the music at the end sounds EXACTLY like the music at the end of the movie Scarface.

    Coincidence?
    Flag helluvaskool1819on February 24, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:OK, you all really look too deeply into this song, either that or you dont know the meaning of the song. OK...Dave likes Marijuanna. NOw there is a saying in the south; "Don't burn the pig" which refers to not burning your fingers by letting the pot burn down so low and not use a roach clip. Anyway...thats how it is.
    Flag bigwhitton January 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Why does On the CD weekend on the rocks he has the song Pig titled Dont burn the pig? Are they two differnt songs or what?
    Flag AlpineValleyon December 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:think of all mankind being on a ladder (jacobs ladder) and mankind must be burned (judged) on each level to evacuate his solid form..allowing his volume of solid matter to become replaced with a lighter substance. a gas. (spirit)
    he progresses up the ladder because he is becoming lighter in substance.
    each ladder rung man progresses upward on. hes judged (burned and replaced with gas (spirit). thrown in fire and water.
    this is Gods methods of teaching man..and man is given a funny way of describing this method. its really unbelievable.
    by twisting words and saying "fire" symbolises falsehoods and "water" symbolising truth. orthodox religion is burning mankind (pigs) with their falsehoods as God delivers mankind from orthodox religion with truth (water).

    Mat 17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
    Flag Me2on June 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:nice cover story for dave...the real reason is tha we are the pig..as well as the lamb. mankind is a two part beast and burning the pig is judging that character that th epig characterizes..but the pig is not destroyed..interesting..
    if jesus died before the foundation of time for all men..he transformed death into something thats not final in the life of mans spirit but rather created death into a transition point of a spiraling downward progression of mans spirit into a spiraling upward progression back into eternal life...everyday man dies to something.we change our minds..we are judged with fire..yet after a specified time we receive the diametrically opposite knowledge of good..thrown into the fire..not destroyed(burned) and thrown into the water..

    what will become of dave? ..his enevitable course of fire,water,fire water..until Gods finished judging or teaching dave good and evil..and we all know good outweighs evil..we become a balanced individual knowing good and evil, yet knowing good outwieghs evil eventually.

    mankind is the pig..and mankind is the lamb. everyone is symbolised as two in one. dave is specifically speaking about the pig side.
    Flag Me2on June 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Dave said that he was inspired to write this song after watching a National Geographic special about a tribe that burns a pig to determine guilt or something it was largely reworked for Before These Crowded Streets to become Pig. Also only the first 4 ,lines of this is Don't Burn the Pig the rest is What Will Become Me.
    Flag JrStone41on April 02, 2005   Link

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