Feed Jake - wikipedia Feed Jake `` Feed Jake '' Single by Pirates of the Mississippi from the album Pirates of the Mississippi Released February 25, 1991 Format CD single, cassette single Genre Country Length 4 : 00 Label Capitol Songwriter ( s ) Danny `` Bear '' Mayo Producer ( s ) Rich Alves, James Stroud Pirates of the Mississippi singles chronology `` Rollin ' Home '' ( 1990 ) `` Feed Jake '' ( 1991 ) `` Speak of the Devil '' ( 1991 ) `` Rollin ' Home '' ( 1990 ) `` Feed Jake '' ( 1991 ) `` Speak of the Devil '' ( 1991 ) `` Feed Jake '' is a song written by Danny `` Bear '' Mayo, and recorded by the American country music band Pirates of the Mississippi. It was released in February 1991 as the third single from the band 's self - titled debut album. The song is also the band 's highest chart peak, having reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks ( now Hot Country Songs ) charts. Contents 1 Content 2 Music video 3 Critical reception 4 Chart performance 5 Other versions 6 References 7 External links Content `` Feed Jake '' is a mid-tempo accompanied mainly by guitar and synthesized strings. In the chorus, the male narrator reminisces on his childhood friend, a dog named Jake ( `` If I die before I wake / Feed Jake... '' ). The narrator also addresses societal stereotypes toward homeless people and homosexuals, of whom the latter are addressed in the final verse. Guitarist Rich Alves said of the song that it `` means something different to everyone who hears it. '' Music video Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV, both of whom lead the film and video production team of Deaton Flanigen, directed the song 's music video, which was one of the first of its kind in the country music industry to not feature the artist at all. Most of the music video was filmed southwest of Nashville, Tennessee on Tennessee State Route 100 as well as on Highway 70 in White Bluff, Tennessee. It tells the song 's story through two men, who are childhood friends, as shown in flashbacks. Later on, one of the men is attending the other 's funeral, and the surviving man goes to meet his dog, which he and the deceased friend adopted together, at the cemetery. Upon its release, the music video was believed by some members of the gay community to have a gay theme ; the two men were said to be lovers, one of whom dies from AIDS at the end. Kimberly Lansing, then the executive producer of Deaton - Flanigen Productions, said that the video was `` not meant one way or another '' regarding the back story or the one man 's death. Lansing also said that the video is about returning home and not fitting in anymore. Additionally, because of the Persian Gulf War, some people have also assumed that the man 's death is war - related. Critical reception In the book The Encyclopedia of Country Music, Tom Roland wrote that the final verse, with its theme of tolerance towards homosexuals, showed a shift in political beliefs for the typically conservative country music audience. Chart performance `` Feed Jake '' debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 16, 1991. It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks ( now Hot Country Songs ) charts, peaking at number 15. Chart ( 1991 ) Peak position Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) 12 US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) 15 Other versions A live recording appeared on the band 's 1995 album Paradise for Giant Records. This version was produced by David Malloy. References ^ Jump up to : Pirates of the Mississippi ( Media notes ). Pirates of the Mississippi. Capitol Records Nashville. 1990. C2 - 94389. ^ Jump up to : Smith, Russell ( 4 July 1991 ). `` '' Feed Jake '' video clip gives rise to questions ``. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 21 August 2009. Jump up ^ Asker, Jim ( 6 April 1991 ). `` Pirate Power : After a rough start, it 's smooth sailing for band ''. The Free - Lance Star. Retrieved 21 August 2009. Jump up ^ `` Inventive images on the increase ''. USA Today. 17 April 1991. Retrieved 21 August 2009. Jump up ^ Kingsbury, Paul ; et al. ( 2004 ). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Sourcebooks, Inc. p. 417. ISBN 0 - 19 - 517608 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Country Tracks : Issue 1544. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. June 15, 1991. Retrieved August 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Pirates of the Mississippi Chart History ( Hot Country Songs ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ Paradise ( CD booklet ). Pirates of the Mississippi. Giant Records. 1995. 24603. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Pirates of the Mississippi Studio albums Pirates of the Mississippi Walk the Plank A Street Man Named Desire Dream You Paradise Heaven and a Dixie Night Compilation albums The Best of Pirates of the Mississippi Notable singles `` Honky Tonk Blues '' `` Feed Jake '' `` Speak of the Devil '' `` Til I 'm Holding You Again '' `` Too Much '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feed_Jake&oldid=789217712 '' Categories : 1991 singles Music videos directed by Deaton - Flanigen Productions Pirates of the Mississippi songs Songs written by Danny Mayo Song recordings produced by James Stroud Capitol Records Nashville singles LGBT - related songs Song recordings produced by David Malloy 1991 songs Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Canadacountry Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Billboardcountrysongs Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 6 July 2017, at 02 : 13 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sings the song if i die before i wake feed jake
Answer: Pirates of the Mississippi