Sacred Cow
Neil Finn
Deliberate provocation
It’s what you gave to me
You got me going
You got me going
How could such a simple thing
Get so out of control
You let me down again
You let me down again
I know my place inside your heart
A painted figure that glows in the dark
No, you’re not mysterious now
I don’t worship that sacred cow
Am I here
Am I here
Am I hear yet
You’d never know it
You’d never know it
I went home in a jealous rage
You were rolling on the grass in a younger age
You know what’s good for me
I know you’re too good for me
‘Cause I have seen inside your heart
Religious figures that glow in the dark
No, you’re not too precious now
And I don’t worship that sacred cow
Go and try as you may
You’ll get a short shrift on Judgement Day
You let me down again
You let me down again
And I know my place inside your heart
A painted figure that glows in the dark
No, you’re not too precious now
And I don’t worship that sacred cow
Go and try as you may
You’ll get a short shrift on Judgement Day
“This song was recorded as one of the first songs for Woodface and was a combination of two songs which Mitchell Froom suggested pasting together. Something he was very good at - finding two seemingly unlikely things and shoving them together. Some of them worked out. This one, actually, now it sounds good to me. At the time, I think, I was a little bit unsure of whether the lyrics resolved themselves. In fact, really I had no idea what the hell the song meant. Sacred cows, jealous rage, religious objects. You know, what does it all mean? ”
The intro featured appeared on tape as “Sax Boogie”, an instrumental 4-track demo, featuring a keyboard saxophone.
The verses’ melody and some of the lyrics came from “You Got Me Going”, recorded on 8-track and featured on the Woodface Deluxe Edition. The chorus belonged to the unreleased song “Cigarette Girl”.