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Rockman

Would Mick and Keith know about that?

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Redhotcarpet
Its the Stones answer to Everybody got something to hide except for me and my monkey.

...and light years better than it, as much as I like that song.

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stanlove

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Rockman

Would Mick and Keith know about that?

That bathtub scene in Performance comes to mind.

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stanlove

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Rockman

Would Mick and Keith know about that?

Of course, they were blues fanatics. And Ida Cox, Ma Rainey, and Robert Johnson aren't exactly obscure.

«We loooove to sing the blues...»

"Monkey Man" is a song about a man and woman with a 'monkey on their back' (problem - see below).

The monkey is a vice, problem, burden, bad habit or addiction as in the old saying, "You have a monkey on your back." ExileStones




monkey on your back
To have some very burdensome nuisance you have to put up with--in a sense wider than just a drug or other addiction.

a monkey on your back
a serious problem that you cannot forget

The expression is mostly used in informal contexts to mean to get rid of a major problem or source of irritation.

Another expression that is frequently used is ‘have a monkey on your back’; it means that you are carrying a burden or a problem that you find difficult to get rid of.




What's a Lemon Squeezer?

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exilestones
"Monkey Man" is a song about a man and woman with a 'monkey on their back' (problem - see below).

The monkey is a vice, problem, burden, bad habit or addiction as in the old saying, "You have a monkey on your back." ExileStones




monkey on your back
To have some very burdensome nuisance you have to put up with--in a sense wider than just a drug or other addiction.

a monkey on your back
a serious problem that you cannot forget

The expression is mostly used in informal contexts to mean to get rid of a major problem or source of irritation.

Another expression that is frequently used is ‘have a monkey on your back’; it means that you are carrying a burden or a problem that you find difficult to get rid of.




What's a Lemon Squeezer?

But he sings «I'm glad you are a monkey woman, too»

The «lemon» in this context is the thing between you legs..

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DandelionPowderman
«We loooove to sing the blues...»

I would have included the two preceding lines in the quote as well, making it

"Well, I hope we're not too messianic
Or a trifle too satanic
We love to play the blues".

Maybe asking their listeners not to receive their music as too ambitious or pretentious. Because what they essentially want to do, is to play the blues. And in addition live the lives of persons who play the blues.

One thing's for sure - it's one of Keith's finest guitar moments.

To me the lyrics feel like a self-description self-confession by Keef about his life at the time (1969).
It's likely Mick rewrote the lyrics to give them a more surrealistic meaning but the lines "Well, I hope we're not too messianic Or a trifle too satanic We love to play the blues" sound like a Keef statement.

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Harlem Shuffler
Who knows what this track is all about?

I remember asking a friend at school and he said it's about a monkey man wanting a monkey woman - in other words, two of a kind.

Is it as simple as that?

No marks for anyone failing to give reasons for their answer.

I think it's comparable to Jumping Jack Flash, a surrealist fairy-tail, rather bleak (more like Christian Andersen than the Grimm brothers), basically saying "I'm a freak, I'm weird, I'm a complete mess, but I'm doing alright anyway".

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dcba
It's likely Mick rewrote the lyrics to give them a more surrealistic meaning but the lines
"Well, I hope we're not too messianic Or a trifle too satanic We love to play the blues" sound like a Keef statement.

That's so interesting - "we love to play the blues" could be either Glimmer, of course,
but the rest of that triplet sounds 100% Jagger to me. Funny how differently we perceive things, innit -
I reckon the songwriters really laugh if they ever read our theories about which wrote what :E

In any case, of course Mick and Keith knew/know the meanings of the standard blues terms they use in lyrics
and I'm sure they were both well aware of the multiple meanings of "monkey man".
Being glad she is a monkey woman too was just a combination of youthful naivete and enjoyment of being contrary.

Nota bene: In 999, Keith can't shake it off of his back - damn monkey.
PS: Put me down as another one for whom this track is all about the instruments:
that radiant muscular guitar soaring in wonderful shadowy spaciousness



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-14 21:49 by with sssoul.

Mick onstage?

I don't like zoos, and I certainly would not throw cold Italian pizza to apes.

it's not really "about" anything-like mick said "brown sugar has sex, drugs and everything all thrown in there,who knows what i was going on about"

it's just a groove and a bunch of words-it means whatever it means to you,like every great song it creates an imagine in your head and it's probably a bit different for everyone.like most of the songs from the golden era it's a basic theme-i'm a wildman and a badass.

Looks like monkey man is about to become a monkey woman





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-17 15:51 by schillid.

too ...

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DandelionPowderman


But he sings «I'm glad you are a monkey woman, too»

Two junkies. Misery loves company.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-15 09:23 by exilestones.

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schillid
Looks like monkey man is about to become a monkey woman

Thanks for the laugh!

I'm a flea-bit peanut monkey / all my friends are junkies /


Mick Jagger - vocals
Keith Richards - guitars, backing vocals
Bill Wyman - bass guitar, vibes
Charlie Watts - drums
Nicky Hopkins - piano
Jimmy Miller - tambourine


Recorded in April 1969, the song's introduction features distinctive vibraphone, bass and guitar, as well as piano. Richards plays the main guitar riff as well as the slide guitar solo, Jagger provides vocals, producer Jimmy Miller plays tambourine, Nicky Hopkins plays piano, Charlie Watts provides drums, while Bill Wyman plays vibraphone and bass. Wyman's vibraphone is mixed onto the left speaker together with Hopkins' piano.

[en.wikipedia.org])

Robert Brown John

Mick would often slip the word ‘messianic’ into his conversations around that time according to Stanley Booth’s book so I’d be willing to bet at least that word is his. And it wouldn’t surprise me if the monkey speak at the end was entirely Mick’s idea as well.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post, Rockman in particular.

Deltics and schillid have been sent to their rooms because of their facetious comments. Tut tut!

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More Hot Rocks
I never listen to the words in this song. Just Keith guitar.

And Nicky's piano

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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I'm a cold Italian pizza
I could use a lemon squeezer
What you do?








ROCKMAN

Hard to surpass those lyrics, Rockee. Brilliant stuff!

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Rockman

Rockman, may I ask what book is this from?

VVVVVVVVVV.......'ere ya go z ----- VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV







ROCKMAN

Great thread!

Lots of other Stones lyrics I don't completely understand, would love to have more info from Rockman or others. (My English is poor for that)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-11-17 12:31 by 1962.

Thanks Rockman. Have to get it.