Abba Zaba

Abba Zaba is one of three compositions on Safe as Milk credited to Van Vliet alone, under his real name. It is named for the Abba-Zaba candy bar, supposedly a favorite of the young Beefheart. The band planned to name the whole album after it, but the maker, the Cardinet Candy Co., refused permission. The black and yellow checkerboard on the back sleeve, designed by Tom Wilkes, is a relic of that idea.

A review of the track noted that Cooder's influence can be heard in its chiming, intricate guitar lines. In his 2010 Washington Post obituary Matt Schudel said Van Vliet's lyrics owed a great deal to surreal poetry, and quoted lines from Abba Zaba such as "Abba Zabba go-zoom Babbette baboon" as ones fans had struggled to analyze.