During Funkadelic's first appearance on PBS back in 1971, the great George Clinton declared, "Soul is a hamhock in your cornflakes." George proclaimed this wisdom while fronting this fantastic, crazy-looking band on their first big syndicated television appearance. For me, the hamhock represented plantation-era food somehow now being integrated right into Middle America, straight into the land of cornflakes. I still stick to Funkadelic's excellent theory.
I've been listening to this song for almost twenty years (the first time was while rolling down I-55 on my way to New Orleans in summer 1993.) I always took that line as a bit of stony nonsense/incongruity, but of course, Questlove's interpretation is exactly right.
I'm still not sure what a "joint rolled in toilet paper" means. Perhaps it's psychedelic culture being integrated into every day life? Or it relates to the idea on "One Nation Under a Groove" that music is an enema for the brain?
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