Pharaoh is a late 17th-century French gambling card game. The line “Take a back seat or play pharaoh” is a sinister and tempting invitation by the sloth to the mole to gamble. In this case, the mole is clearly at a disadvantage as the sloth is the one who calls the shots. The first verse introduces two characters – the sloth and the mole. The Black Mambo lyrics meaning is a call to the underdog to pause and reflect on the best way to move forward.
GLASS ANIMALS ZABA LYRICS FULL
Similarly, the world is full of unequal and exploitative relationships. Despite his more powerful adversaries, Walter White uses his intellect to outsmart and get the better of them. The title’s interpretation refers to the classic underdog story that is also at the heart of Breaking Bad. But the mole is cautioned to go slow and think rationally through the game. In the song, the sloth goads the mole to gamble in the hopes that he loses. This dance is considered to be quite fast and rhythmic but requires slow and precise movements to perfect. Mambo is a Latin dance style and music that originated in the 1940s in Cuba. The title is a reference to the deadly square off or game played between the sloth and the mole in the song. He titled it Crystal Meth because that was what the show was about.īut he later changed the name to Black Mambo when the label refused to include it under the original title. He was inspired by an episode of Breaking Bad and paused mid-show to spend the next two hours writing this song. In an interesting anecdote, Glass Animal’s frontman Dave Bayley originally titled the song Crystal Meth. Read on to find out about the Black Mambo lyrics meaning. But the song has a deeper meaning and connection to how inequality and power are played out in the real world. The literal interpretation of the song is about two characters – a sloth and a mole – who square off in a game of dominoes. But they realized that it fits the overall dark and psychedelic theme of the album. The group wanted to come up with more original content and ideas. Interestingly, the song was not meant to be used on their debut album. Realizing the harm it may cause, the group changed the name of the song to Black Mambo. Dave also ended up watching a documentary on crystal meth abuse by Louis Theroux.
Given the controversial original name of the song, the group’s record label didn’t allow them to use it. The original title of the song was ‘Crystal Meth’ – a reference to the main drug cooked in the show by its protagonist. The song was written back in 2013 when the group’s singer and songwriter Dave Bayley was influenced by the show Breaking Bad. Noted for its vivid imagery, dark mysterious lyrics, and psychedelic narratives, the song Black Mambo has more to it than actually meets your ear.
Black Mambo is the first single and second track on the 2014 debut album ZABA by English rock group Glass Animals.