Feed Jake

The Garzas recently adopted a new dog, which they named Jake. While we were decorating Easter eggs, in addition to our savior, the pig, I decided to honor Jake by crafting an egg with a cartoon dog that read "Feed Jake."

For the record, I'm not concerned that the pup is malnourished - it's a reference to a song that shares that same title performed by The Pirates of the Mississippi. Who? I'm not really sure either, but Jessica and I were kind of obsessed with it our freshman year of college. As you might suspect, "Feed Jake" is a painful country ballad, but if you take the time to listen for these lyrical gems, you'll be a fan, too:

"Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
And if I die before I wake, feed Jake
He's been a good dog"

"Now if you get an ear pierced
Some will call you gay
But if you drive a pickup
They'll say, no, you must be straight"

"Now Broadway's like a sewer, bums and hookers everywhere"

Convinced? Check out the official music video, which apparently was a mainstay on CMT in 1991.



After viewing the video, I was struck by how the protagonists' relationship seems fairly homoerotic, supported by the fact that our mulleted-city-dweller later shares a knowing gaze with the I'd-think-he's-gay-were-it-not-for-his-truck guy. The reason the dog was the kids' only other friend is because he isn't able to call them "fags." I recognize my interpretation might be a little out there considering this was early 90s country music, hardly known for being a progressive genre, so I went to the YouTube comments section to see if anyone had anything to do with the subject.

In the past when I've read YouTube comments, I tend to be shocked at the fact that people use the N-word more often than punctuation marks, so I'm not sure why I thought I might stumble upon some legitimately enlightening information. Of the nearly 300 comments posted, half of them claim to connect to the song because they are similarly mourning the death of their dogs. While "Feed Jake" may be up for some interpretation, it's not about the death of the dog. You don't ask someone to feed your dog if it's dead.

Allow me to share some of my favorites:

stopsignsarecool77
this song makes me cry about my little baby dog who died of lung cancer...

Can puppies even contract and die of lung cancer that quickly?

rtzpkoq
My dog was an unwanted gray lhasa apso, 100 pounds of dog in a 12 pound package. She woke us up one night and saved us from an impending explosion in the basement. She was always bossing me around. When she was 15 or 16 her great heart gave out, and she died quietly, lying at my feet. I'll be mighty glad to see her again.

I want to know more about this impending explosion.

corky10158
Makes me cry because I lost my dog, Jake, even though he was a springer spaniel and not a lab? or golden retriever?

This person sobs for a dog? whose breed? they don't quite remember?

bombk2
My dog Jake was a yellow lab, it was raped to death by a grizzly bear in the summer of 2007. RIP Jake

Though it is likely this comment is just a joke, I'm having more fun picturing a grizzly bear raping a dog than I should probably admit.

Neverannoyed
It's been 4 months since my best friend died; instead of a puppy to feed, I got seven emotionally wrecked teenagers and twenty year olds. A dog would have probably been easier. I discovered this song on Pandora years ago, but this video means a lot more this year--I know that journey

I just keep thinking she's up there tormenting my cat. (Which is highly probable.)

Untrue to eir name, this commenter sure seems annoyed at the situation. Just when I thought this person understood the song and knew that the deceased in question is a human, Neverannoyed references her "best friend" as tormenting a cat, which sounds remarkably like a dog.

geaux88
Hey Michael Vick....Here is what REAL Americans think about dogs....What a disgrace you are. Thank GOD I didn't go to Virginia Tech and have to deal with the shame of having to be identified with a piece of shit street thug punk like you.

Finally, someone takes Michael Vick to task! He's bound to read this statement, too, given his proclivity toward 20-year-old country music. Unlike grizzly bears, at least Vick never raped the dogs.

jennirawr0
it's funny cause my boyfriends name is jake :P

Teehee! That is funny! But let's get back to what's important: what does the song mean?

randyfloyd07
The dog is a metaphor for simpler times. When all you really had to worry about was who would feed your dog when you're gone.

And what a metaphor! To live in such simple times again...

GhostdadandPirates
This is the greatest song ever created I will never forget to feed jake.

Hmm, this person seems to take the song quite literally. I thought it was a metaphor?

fromthispoint
so what is the story he went back home to see his childhood boyfriends funural? yes music like this is very polular with humanity at all ages.

Well that clears things up. Okay, but what about the gay thing? That is addressed sporadically, but most people are offended by this notion.

Twinney94
Think about it. With him and his friend and the pup, it was in black and white. To be gay in 'those times' you would have been locked up. It's NOT about being gay. It's about FRIENDSHIP... Had it been a gay video, there probably would have been more.. hugging or something involved.

Not enough homo hugs. Case closed.

parke257
I want this song played at my funeral. It is very nice. I also love it because it is about Jake the dog. I love my dogs and will always will. It would be a perfect send off. The guy who said they are fags is one.

Burn! That last sentence is my favorite. My favorite commenter, however, is camizowner, who wrote a story so long it required multiple comment boxes to tell it all. If camizowner is to be believed, she's had enough drama to fill a whole country album.

camizowner
My son & I were always afraid if something happened to me, what would happen to our beloved dog Simba. My 2nd son, my son's little brother. We knew my younger brother would take care of my son-But would he be able to take Simba? We sadly lost Simba 1yr,4months, & 14 days ago-it emotionally KILLED us. Then my female bunny heard us crying so much that she went into depression & stopped eating spent 5 days in the hospital & almost died several times-She is still being fed by syringe, but feisty!!!

My nic is my bunny Cami's name. Some people NEVER get what's it's like to have NO family! My evil dad killed every pet we owned, beat us for NOTHING every night he got drunk, held loaded guns on us all night, my 17 yr old brother had to shoot & kill him in self-defense to save us in front of me at 10. Our mom died 3 yrs later. My brothers at 20 & 23 raised me & my younger brother. My 3 sexual abusers were protected to keep my dad then brother from killing them & going to prison..

Because I couldn't tell them, they assumed I was a bitch for NEVER going to see them, esp the one when they came in town. Even when the brother who was forced to kill our dad to save us demanded to know what he did that made me stay away, at 1st he was going to kill him, then my older brother somehow convinced him it wasn't true, he worshiped this man & tried to get me to LIE & say it wasn't true-his excuse was to keep our other brother from killing him, I can't believe they all turned on me...

I didn't want my brother to kill him or I would have told sooner! The man's wife knew my aunt-she use to beat me & literally made me her slave-until we moved. From the time we moved there after our dad was killed, she Forced us to get rid of the dog we had-the german shepherd that we got lucky our evil dad hadn't got the chance to kill before he died. Even a puppy-she forced my brothers to get rid of-which meant kill in Ky because she couldn't stand me being happy & they wonder why I hate her!!!

They HATE me more than they love my son-their ONLY nephew! The go out of their way to visit these ppl & when I shattered my leg Only my younger brother stepped in to take care of my son-but he was 5 minutes away from me carrying through my plan to kill myself-when I thought he was trying to steal my son. He doesn't have a clue to how close I was because of his actions! Losing Simba was the most heartbreaking thing my son & I went through!!! We still grieve for him!!!! We lost our ONLY family!!!!

I've been interested in publishing my autobiography, but I've never considered doing it via YouTube. Thanks for the idea, camizowner. You can find my life story in the comments section of "Da Butt" video.

Oh, and Garzas: Feed Jake.