 When Homer is escorted by the hired goons into what appears to be Burns ' conservatory , a Burns @-@ headed bird is sitting in front of the screen , which then flies away . This is a reference to the cockatoo in Citizen Kane . The episode features an incidental music , a sample of " Classical Gas " by Mason Williams on a request from Lenny . Before Mr. Burns shuts off the power to the town in response to the strike , he says , " From Hell 's heart I stab at thee " which is a reference to Captain Ahab 's curse , from the novel Moby @-@ Dick . The workers ' resistance to the power outage , and Mr. Burns 's response , is a parody of How the Grinch Stole Christmas . 
