Olive and Gray
"In 1990, widespread fear of vanishing genitalia sweeps through the country of Nigeria. It seems that incidental contact causes the victim to suddenly grab their genitals while accusing the contacting person of being a genital thief."
— from the outtake track "Vanishing Genitalia"
"Olive and Gray" (previously titled "Valley Wind", then "Vanish", then "Vanishing Genitalia") is the second song from The Residents' 2005 album, Animal Lover, released by Mute Records. It depicts a public stoning, and the accompanying narrative tells the story from the point of view of a stray dog.
History
The song was first previewed on December 28th, 2004 when a brief sample was posted on The Residents' official BOG news site, along with an excerpt from the accompanying narrative:
The street was alive with tension ...tension he should be avoiding, but still, it grabbed and pulled him, compelling the dog right to the edge of a nasty and jeering mob.
Lyrics
He wasn't dreaming when he started screaming, "He touched my penis, And it went away." Removing his pants, he held in his hand the shriveled up gland he said was a fake. "He silently traded mine for this hated lump that is shaded olive and gray." Pointing his finger right at the stranger, he said that the danger will escalate. Unless we kill it, torture and spill its blood without guilt, it won't go away. The stranger was shocked when rocks began flocking around him knocking his senses away. Like a mad hound he was pounded and pounded 'til he was dead.
The Dog
It was a hot day - like the day before and the day before that, as far back as the dog could remember. But, if the pounding oppression of dog days was not enough, the milk of human kindness always seemed to sour with the rising heat. Early in the morning the dog could usually beg a few scraps of food, and always in the evening, when the cool breeze had taken the edge away from the afternoon's long and relentless roast. But during the middle of the day, he knew his place. The kicking feet, screaming voices and rocks thrown in his direction had delivered their message too many times. The cur was a street dog, and street dogs always avoid shuffling feet and rising tempers when the sun turns asphalt into black butter. But today was different. Despite a feeling that the crowd was even more aggressive and restless than usual, the dog was still attracted to its odd and manic energy. The street was alive with tension ...tension he should be avoiding, but still, it grabbed and pulled him, compelling the dog right to the edge of a nasty and jeering mob. Two men were in the center: one cowering into a corner and the other angrily pointing at him. Curiously enough, the angry man would point, then grab his crotch, then point again, shouting louder and louder each time. Growing increasingly hostile, he suddenly threw a rock at the fallen man, then another and another. Quickly the fever of destruction infected the entire crowd and the air exploded into stones, relentlessly pounding one particular spot into a pupal and no longer protesting pulp. When the first rock arrived, the man had screamed and, empathetically, the dog howled along with him. But now, as the scene suddenly became still, and the crowd nervously looked around, the little mutt decided it was time to find a hole, and crawl in. At least this time it wasn't him.
Appearances
- Animal Lover (2005) [Version 1]
- Animal Lover Instrumental (2008) [Version 2]
- Animal Lover (Evolution Edition) (2026) [Version 1] [Version 3]
- The track "Vanishing Genitalia (Mania)" is a completely different track that seems to have been intended to present contextual information to the story in this song.