The Story Behind “Au Pays Du Cocaine” by Geese and Its Inspiration From a 16th Century Painter

Since they released their third album, Getting Killed, last year, Brooklyn-based rock band Geese has been gaining more attention. That attention has culminated in their debut appearance on sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live over the weekend. They performed the tracks “Au Pays du Cocaine” and “Trinidad,” but it’s the former which has some interesting inspiration.

The title “Au Pays du Cocaine” was inspired by Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1567 painting Het Luilekkerland. That title literally translates to “The Lazy-Tasty Land.” In English, the painting is known as The Land of Cockaigne. Cockaigne was an imaginary medieval utopia, often depicted in art and folk tales as a place brimming with excess and hedonism, where people had no need to work. Essentially, it was the exact opposite of a medieval peasant’s difficult daily life.

Bruegel’s painting depicts a small group of men relaxing after having overindulged, perhaps waiting to recover before doing it all again. They are surrounded by what’s left of their previous meal. But Bruegel wasn’t necessarily presenting Cockaigne in a positive light. An inscription at the bottom of the painting makes his intention clear: “The lazy and gluttonous farmers, soldiers, and clerks get there and taste all for nothing.” Bruegel’s view of Cockaigne also depicts sloth and gluttony, two of the seven deadly sins.

Geese Modernized a Few Concepts From the 16th Century Painting and Brought Them Into the Modern Age

The song, however, changes “Cockaigne” to “Cocaine,” in effect updating the concept of Cockaigne for modern audiences. As described by SongFacts, “Au Pays du Cocaine” alludes to “a place where abundance becomes excess, pleasure becomes compulsion, and the magic roast goose is replaced by a substance that ruins far more lives than it improves,” or “Cockaigne rewritten for an age of self-destruction.”

With that in mind, “Au Pays du Cocaine” could be comparing a relationship to an addiction. It’s a familiar theme throughout music history. Or the singer could be assuring a potential partner he’ll always be there, even during struggles with addiction. Or could be presenting a relationship as its own version of Cockaigne, especially as Bruegel may have seen it: Something damaged by too much of a good thing.

Photo by Griffin Lotz/Rolling Stone via Getty Images