Orpheus sat gloomy in his garden shed
Wondering what to do
With a lump of wood, a piece of wire
And a little pot of glue
O Mamma O Mamma

He sawed at the wood with half a heart
And glued it top to bottom
He strung a wire in between
He was feeling something rotten
O Mamma O Mamma

Orpheus looked at his instrument
And he gave the wire a pluck
He heard a sound so beautiful
He gasped and said O my God
O Mamma O Mamma

He rushed inside to tell his wife
He went racing down the halls
Eurydice was still asleep in bed
Like a sack of cannonballs
O Mamma O Mamma

Look what I’ve made, cried Orpheus
And he plucked a gentle note
Eurydice’s eyes popped from their sockets
And her tongue burst through her throat
O Mamma O Mamma

O God, what have I done, he said
As her blood pooled in the sheets
But in his heart he felt a bliss
With which nothing could compete
O Mamma O Mamma

Orpheus went leaping through the fields
Strumming as hard as he did please
Birdies detonated in the sky
Bunnies dashed their brains out on the trees
O Mamma O Mamma

Orpheus strummed till his fingers bled
He hit a G minor 7
He woke up God from a deep, deep sleep
God was a major player in heaven
O Mamma O Mamma

God picked up a giant hammer
And He threw it with an thunderous yell
It smashed down hard on Orpheus’ head
And knocked him down a well
O Mamma O Mamma

The well went down very deep
Very deep went down the well
The well went down so very deep
Well, the well went down to hell
O Mamma O Mamma

Poor Orpheus woke up with a start
All amongst the rotting dead
His lyre tacked safe under his arm
His brains all down his head
O Mamma O Mamma

Eurydice appeared brindled in blood
And she said to Orpheus
If you play that fucking thing down here
I’ll stick it up your orifice!
O Mamma O Mamma

This lyre lark is for the birds, said Orpheus
It’s enough to send you bats
Let’s stay down here, Eurydice, dear
And we’ll have a bunch of screaming brats
O Mamma O Mamma

Orpheus picked up his lyre for the last time
He was on a real low down bummer
And stared deep into the abyss and said
This one is for Mamma

O Mamma O Mamma
O Mamma O Mamma

— Nick Cave is amazing.

December 22nd, 2012 8:08pm

Posted on Tumblr over 13 years agoon December 23, 2012 - 4:08 AM and archived here at /tumblr/2012/12/22/orpheus-sat-gloomy-in-his-garden-shed-wondering/at https://pizza.slow.high.quality.gravely.pizza/tumblr/2012/12/22/orpheus-sat-gloomy-in-his-garden-shed-wondering/ in the Tumblr collection in both HTML and markdown.
Proximate posts in the Tumblr collection
Newer Hrmm. on Flickr. 30 December 2012
Post #39130611339 29 December 2012
This post Orpheus sat gloomy in his garden shed Wondering what to do With a lump of wood, a piece of wire And a little pot of glue O Mamma O Mamma He sawed at the wood with half a heart And glued it top to bottom He strung a wire in between He was feeling something rotten O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus looked at his instrument And he gave the wire a pluck He heard a sound so beautiful He gasped and said O my God O Mamma O Mamma He rushed inside to tell his wife He went racing down the halls Eurydice was still asleep in bed Like a sack of cannonballs O Mamma O Mamma Look what I’ve made, cried Orpheus And he plucked a gentle note Eurydice’s eyes popped from their sockets And her tongue burst through her throat O Mamma O Mamma O God, what have I done, he said As her blood pooled in the sheets But in his heart he felt a bliss With which nothing could compete O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus went leaping through the fields Strumming as hard as he did please Birdies detonated in the sky Bunnies dashed their brains out on the trees O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus strummed till his fingers bled He hit a G minor 7 He woke up God from a deep, deep sleep God was a major player in heaven O Mamma O Mamma God picked up a giant hammer And He threw it with an thunderous yell It smashed down hard on Orpheus’ head And knocked him down a well O Mamma O Mamma The well went down very deep Very deep went down the well The well went down so very deep Well, the well went down to hell O Mamma O Mamma Poor Orpheus woke up with a start All amongst the rotting dead His lyre tacked safe under his arm His brains all down his head O Mamma O Mamma Eurydice appeared brindled in blood And she said to Orpheus If you play that fucking thing down here I’ll stick it up your orifice! O Mamma O Mamma This lyre lark is for the birds, said Orpheus It’s enough to send you bats Let’s stay down here, Eurydice, dear And we’ll have a bunch of screaming brats O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus picked up his lyre for the last time He was on a real low down bummer And stared deep into the abyss and said This one is for Mamma O Mamma O Mamma O Mamma O Mamma 23 December 2012
Older Ring Lardner. Fun stuff. 23 December 2012
Post #38094590068 16 December 2012
Proximate posts in the General collection
Newer Twitter post from December 26, 2012, 283975440132096000 26 December 2012
Hey Grant! Don't miss this chance, Wesley Chang just won the 26 December 2012
This post Orpheus sat gloomy in his garden shed Wondering what to do With a lump of wood, a piece of wire And a little pot of glue O Mamma O Mamma He sawed at the wood with half a heart And glued it top to bottom He strung a wire in between He was feeling something rotten O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus looked at his instrument And he gave the wire a pluck He heard a sound so beautiful He gasped and said O my God O Mamma O Mamma He rushed inside to tell his wife He went racing down the halls Eurydice was still asleep in bed Like a sack of cannonballs O Mamma O Mamma Look what I’ve made, cried Orpheus And he plucked a gentle note Eurydice’s eyes popped from their sockets And her tongue burst through her throat O Mamma O Mamma O God, what have I done, he said As her blood pooled in the sheets But in his heart he felt a bliss With which nothing could compete O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus went leaping through the fields Strumming as hard as he did please Birdies detonated in the sky Bunnies dashed their brains out on the trees O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus strummed till his fingers bled He hit a G minor 7 He woke up God from a deep, deep sleep God was a major player in heaven O Mamma O Mamma God picked up a giant hammer And He threw it with an thunderous yell It smashed down hard on Orpheus’ head And knocked him down a well O Mamma O Mamma The well went down very deep Very deep went down the well The well went down so very deep Well, the well went down to hell O Mamma O Mamma Poor Orpheus woke up with a start All amongst the rotting dead His lyre tacked safe under his arm His brains all down his head O Mamma O Mamma Eurydice appeared brindled in blood And she said to Orpheus If you play that fucking thing down here I’ll stick it up your orifice! O Mamma O Mamma This lyre lark is for the birds, said Orpheus It’s enough to send you bats Let’s stay down here, Eurydice, dear And we’ll have a bunch of screaming brats O Mamma O Mamma Orpheus picked up his lyre for the last time He was on a real low down bummer And stared deep into the abyss and said This one is for Mamma O Mamma O Mamma O Mamma O Mamma 23 December 2012
Older Twitter post from December 23, 2012, 282682763461660672 23 December 2012
Twitter post from December 23, 2012, 282672205949726720 23 December 2012

Pizza Slow (high quality)

© 2026 gravely