Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time
For y'all have knocked her up
I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe
I was not offended
For I knew I had to rise above it all
Or drown in my own shit

Go on, Maggot Brain
Go on, Maggot Brain


Lyrics submitted by seventeen

Maggot Brain Lyrics as written by George Jr. Clinton Eddie Hazel

Lyrics © Word Collections Publishing

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Maggot Brain song meanings
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18 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    The mind of the universe, I think, is all that exists, or God if you will. All that exists has dark things, maggots if you will. Everyone is aware of dark things, the Vietnam War, Racism, other things. A peotic way of saying you experienced the dark things in existence is saying, "I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe." For those who follow the buddhist or hindu type stuff that many were into in the 60's, one of the things that is talked about is if you get wrapped up in the negativity then it will bring you down. So you need "rise above it all or drown in ..."

    The mother earth is pregnant for the third time thing is why I came to write this. There is a theory that humanity has gone through three major cycles, we are now in the third. The first two cycles mother earth had stillborns, maybe this time she can give birth to an enlightend humanity.

    capitanon December 09, 2010   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    while i am not sure the meaning of the statement at the beginning of this song. i do know that the guitar solo following it (the feature of the song) was influenced by George Clinton telling guitarist Eddie Hazel to "play as if your mother had just died."

    Terminal Sickieon January 06, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Apparently george told eddie to play the first half like his mother died and the 2nd half like she came back to life...

    The "maggot brain" is a state of mind that one can "rise above all the bullshit" and find release in the funk

    Brilliant concept song, the album is a blast too

    Da_Pimpernellon November 06, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i saw this live, at the beginning of the song george gave a speech about living as one and it is the most amazing thing i have ever heard. if anybody has lyrics to the poem or speech. comment please.

    kona67on July 18, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Here's a question: if "Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time" refers to to the Vietnam War (which, don't get me wrong, I think is what is meant), why is she pregnant? Isn't pregnancy tied to giving life instead of taking it away?

    r3n3gad3on April 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i've heard the same story. it's music history. legend. the kicker is that supposedly eddie was tripping on acid at the time. which as you can imagine would have incredibly amplified the relevence of george clinton's statement. regardless, it's an incredible song and an even more incredible solo. the most tragic, moving, instrumental i've heard in my life. when i listen to this song i can't help but be lifted by it.

    gaugedangeron February 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i get goosebumps everytime i hear it, its just...i dunno...one of my favourite songs EVER.

    GiJofuson April 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    how come all the masters of music like Hazel and Hendrix overdose or kill themselves? does fame come at such a high price? or do the drugs come too cheap?

    GiJofuson April 13, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yeah, thats what I had gotten, too. some sort of weird ass funkadelic mythology involved. I've always like to think this, though: now, the first two sentences are almost an accusing sort of statement, sort of like "good job, assholes, what are you going to do about it?". Then, Mr. Clinton states, on a sort of tangent, that these maggots in the mind of the universe, the disgusting, writhing, seeming-to-be-negativitie ideas that infest the universe, are something that he is in the know about, something that he has even tried. And he "was not offended, for he knew he had to rise above it all, or else drown in his own shit". In fact, he's come to love the maggots, as is apparent by the repitition of the phrase "go maggot brain". Then, you put it to this minory sort of song with one of the most heartfelt, screamingly mournful solos of all time, with these soring highs and agressivly acidic lows, and you got your ass what george clinton was just rambling about, in musical form.

    or maybe I'm just reading into all this shit a little too much.

    robobonoboon February 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    mother earth being pregnant for the third time refers to the third major war on earth, The Vietnam War.

    crump76on December 10, 2007   Link

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