Put The Lime In The Coconut Lyrics

As construed from the lyrics, "Put The Lime In The Coconut" by Harry Nilsson was meant to be rather comical, and its ideals have captivated the listeners through the ages. The song essentially attributes the cause of a bellyache to a sister who, by drinking lime and coconut, gave herself the bellyache. Now the sister was looking for the cure from her malaise to the doctor, who in a light-hearted way, gives her the same thing that made her sick as the cure. Piling it on in a circular press-ganging way only enhances the farcical nature and nonsense factor of the song. The melody of the song is overly simple yet so catchy, and it mostly remains on one chord, a cheek at Nilsson's craft of songwriting. The inspiration for what today is a very memorable song in Nilsson's "Coconut" struck him as he was on a holiday vacation and the word "coconut" became the premise of this song. The arrangement was suggested by his producer, Richard Perry, when he encouraged Nilsson to perform the parts of "the sister," "the brother," and "the doctor" as overdubs to the story. The song seems to carry two possible meanings. One is rather tongue-in-cheek, dwelling on the laughable absurdity of the scenario itself and on the sister's ridiculous poking and bantering with the doctor in requesting for such a thing. The other one seems to infer a deeper message about a hangover: the cure the doctor prescribes, having her "drink a glass of water each hour" and asking her to eat "more of what has made her ill," can be likened to the "hair of the dog" also as a cure for alcohol-induced discomfort. This interpretation was verified by Nilsson's friend Jimmy Webb and indicates the bawdy tale has two elements—that of racy fun and serious adult themes of overindulgence. Despite whatever theories and readings one might apply to "Put The Lime In The Coconut," it remains a loveable classic with a slight touch of the simple, comical, and a message not to take it too seriously. These are again the particular reasons why so many people are appealed by Nilsson's unique craft in songwriting and storytelling, and why this song remains everybody's favorite.