Original artwork, not a still
Pardon me for being rude. It was not me, it was my food. It just popped up to say hello, and now it’s gone back down below.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the film's gross-out joke at its most Austin: a spy of the swinging sixties handling a bodily accident with gentlemanly verse, so that the apology is funnier than the offence. The rhyme became a quotable playground-and-pub poem for anyone belching at the table, and the cheery 'that's beautiful' reaction is half the gag.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Austin Powers: International Man of MysteryShow the scene
In Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin has been sent to Las Vegas by British Intelligence to find out what Virtucon is planning with Project Vulcan. He calls on Alotta Fagina, Number Two's secretary, in her penthouse, posing as a visitor named Mr. Cunningham, and she gives him a Japanese-style bath and sake. When he breaks wind, she is outraged that he did it before her, and he answers with an apology and this rhyme about his food popping up to say hello. She finds the poem beautiful, and the visit leads him to the secret of Project Vulcan.
Sources (4)
- Springfield! Springfield! script for Austin Powers: International Man of MysteryAlotta Fagina penthouse sceneReference checked
- Wikipedia: Austin Powers: International Man of MysteryPlot and releaseReference checked
- Wikiquote: Austin Powers: International Man of MysteryAustin Powers sectionReference checked
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) transcriptAlotta Fagina's penthouseReference checked
Context reviewed
