Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down) - Live

This is a song about a child suffering painful spinal meningitis, a disease that is hard to detect and can kill a person if left unchecked. The lyrics "smile on, mighty Jesus" and "am I gonna see God, Mommy?" imply that Ween might be angry at religion.

This song features a triangle as its main instrument. If you listen during the guitar solo, you can hear the haunting screams of the child. Voice synthesizers are used for both the child's voice and the deep mimicking voice.

The line "smile on, mighty Jesus" is a play on words - it sounds very much like "Spinal Meningitis." Many rural folk refer to the deadly infection as "The Smilin' Mighty Jesus" or a similar name.