Every Sperm is Sacred

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Every Sperm is Sacred is a song from the movie Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, later released on the album Monty Python Sings, which deals with Catholicism and Catholic views on sex.

The song is a tongue-in-cheek take on the mis-represented Catholic teachings which supposedly stress that sex is exclusively for procreation and not for pleasure (When in actual fact, the teachings only stress that one should not use contraception, and that every act of sexual union must be open to conception). The song starts with a man and his family of many, many children. So many, in fact, that they fill the entire first story of their small terraced house (rowhome) and the (pregnant) mother calls one of them to 'get the others', implying that there are many more outside. Whilst she washes the dishes, she gives birth--the baby falls out of her womb and lands on the floor; whereupon she asks one of her older childeren to "please pick that up". The man comes home from work to tell his family that he has lost his job at the mill, and must sell his kids for medical experiments. The kids ask why he couldn't wear a condom, but the man says that to do so would go against their Catholic faith. One child suggests to his father that he have his testicles surgically removed, but the father explains that God would know. He then explains, through song, that in the eyes of God, every sperm is sacred and can't be wasted. If sperm were to be wasted, God would seek revenge just like on Onan according to Genesis 38:7-9.

The song itself is one of the most famous songs Monty Python ever did. The song in The Meaning of Life was quite visually elaborate, with many long dance numbers during it.