Best known for their raucous live performances, the band became one of the most commercially successful Canadian rock bands of the 1990s. Over their career the band enjoyed nationwide radio-play in Canada and had several Juno Award nominations. Their musicianship is typically tight and energetic, their music usually heavy and rough; lyrics range from break-ups to addiction, damnation to necrophilia.
The band signed to MCA Records in 1993 and released Picture of Health, with the original drummer Mark Gibson, but he left the band after touring for Picture of Health was over. Dale Harrison was recruited for the follow-up Teeth and Tissue in 1995. The band broke more ground in 1996 with Juno Award nominations for Best Group and Best Rock Album, while releasing Smile and Wave that same year. Three years passed before Nickels for Your Nightmares was released, in which time Carr and Harrison became fathers and Dillon recovered from a drug addiction. The band would release one more album, on BMG, entitled The Oracle of Hi-Fi, before a break up in 2003
Frontman Hugh Dillon has appeared in several films, including the mockumentary Hard Core Logo. He has also played a main role as one of the police officers in the popular show, Flashpoint, shown on CBS/CTV. He heads the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir.
The original band members reunited in February 2011 for a mini tour. They released the album, titled Love + Fury, on 14 May 2013.
Tweeter And The Monkey Man
Headstones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They stayed up all night selling cocaine and hash
To an undercover cop who had a sister named Jan
For reasons unexplained she loved the Monkey Man
Tweeter was a Boy Scout, 'course he went to Viet Nam
Found out the hard way nobody gives a damn
Thought that they'd find freedom just across the Jersey line
Hopped into a stolen car, took Highway 99
And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they standin'
Never saw them when they fell
The undercover cop, he never liked the Monkey Man
Even back in high school, wanted to see him in the can
Jan got married at fourteen to a racketeer named Bill
Made secret plans with the Monkey Man from a mansion on the hill
It was out on Thunder Road, Tweeter at the wheel
Pulled into paradise, you could hear the tires squeal
It was Jan who'd told him many times, "It was you to me who'd taught:
In Kingston everything's legal as long as you don't get caught"
And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they standin'
Never saw them when they fell
Some place by Rahway prison they ran out of gas
The undercover cop cornered 'em, said, "You didn't think that this could last"
Jan jumped up out of bed, said, "There's some place I gotta go"
She took the gun out of the drawer, and said, "It's best that you don't know"
An ambulance rolled up, State Trooper close behind
Tweeter took his gun away and messed up his mind
The undercover cop was found face down in a field
The Monkey Man was on the bridge, using Tweeter as a shield
And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they standin'
Never saw them when they fell
The town of Jersey City is quieting down again
I'm sitting in a gambling club called The Lion's Den
The TV set is blown up, every bit of it is gone
Ever since the night when they showed that the Monkey Man was on
Maybe I'll go to Florida, get myself some sun
There ain't no more opportunity here and everything's been done
Sometimes I think of Tweeter, sometimes I think of Jan
Sometimes I don't think about nothin' but the Monkey Man
And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they standin'
Never saw them when they fell
The lyrics to Headstones's song "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" tell the story of two men, Tweeter and the Monkey Man, who are in desperate need of money. They take to selling drugs and end up selling them to an undercover cop who is the brother of a woman named Jan. Jan becomes romantically involved with the Monkey Man, much to the chagrin of the cop, who has always harbored a dislike for him. Jan was previously married to a man named Bill, who was involved in racketeering. She keeps secret plans with the Monkey Man from her wealthy mansion on the hill.
Tweeter, who was a Boy Scout and Vietnam War veteran, thought he could find freedom just across the Jersey line. He steals a car, and they take Highway 99, hoping to make a new start. However, they run out of gas near Rahway prison, and the undercover cop corners them, highlighting that they didn't believe their actions would have any consequences. Jan pulls a gun from the drawer, and the situation quickly spirals out of control. The Monkey Man uses Tweeter as a shield, and the cop is found face down in a field. The story concludes with the singer sitting in a gambling club called The Lion's Den, contemplating his future and the memories of Tweeter, Jan and the Monkey Man.
The song is full of imagery and metaphors, creating a vivid and emotional story for the listener. It references iconic figures like Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road and works as a tribute to George Harrison and Bob Dylan, making it a must-listen for rock fans. The song has been interpreted as a commentary on corruption and the American Dream, as well as a nod to classic film noir.
Line by Line Meaning
Tweeter and the Monkey Man were hard up for cash
Tweeter and the Monkey Man were broke and needed money badly
They stayed up all night selling cocaine and hash
They sold illegal drugs all night to make money
To an undercover cop who had a sister named Jan
They sold drugs to an undercover police officer whose sister was named Jan
For reasons unexplained she loved the Monkey Man
For unknown reasons, Jan had feelings for the Monkey Man
Tweeter was a Boy Scout, 'course he went to Viet Nam
Tweeter was a former Boy Scout and Vietnam War veteran
Found out the hard way nobody gives a damn
He learned the hard way that no one cares about him
Thought that they'd find freedom just across the Jersey line
They believed they could find freedom by crossing the state border into New Jersey
Hopped into a stolen car, took Highway 99
They stole a car and took Highway 99
And the walls came down
Something drastic happened that caused a significant change
All the way to hell
The situation became incredibly chaotic and destructive
Never saw them when they standin'
No one paid attention to them when they were doing well
Never saw them when they fell
No one helped them when they were facing difficulties
The undercover cop, he never liked the Monkey Man
The undercover cop never had a positive opinion of the Monkey Man
Even back in high school, wanted to see him in the can
Even in high school, the undercover cop wanted to see the Monkey Man in prison
Jan got married at fourteen to a racketeer named Bill
Jan got married at a young age to a criminal named Bill
Made secret plans with the Monkey Man from a mansion on the hill
Jan and the Monkey Man made secretive plans from a large house on the hill
It was out on Thunder Road, Tweeter at the wheel
They were driving on Thunder Road with Tweeter as the driver
Pulled into paradise, you could hear the tires squeal
They arrived at a great destination, with the sound of the tires screeching
It was Jan who'd told him many times, 'It was you to me who'd taught:
Jan often told him that he was the one who taught her about Kingston's lenient laws
In Kingston everything's legal as long as you don't get caught'
In Kingston, basically everything is allowed if one doesn't get caught
Some place by Rahway prison they ran out of gas
They ran out of gas near Rahway prison
The undercover cop cornered 'em, said, 'You didn't think that this could last'
The undercover cop caught them and said they wouldn't get away with it forever
Jan jumped up out of bed, said, 'There's some place I gotta go'
Jan abruptly got out of bed, saying she had to leave
She took the gun out of the drawer, and said, 'It's best that you don't know'
She took out a gun and said it was better if they didn't know what she was up to
An ambulance rolled up, State Trooper close behind
An ambulance arrived, followed by a state trooper
Tweeter took his gun away and messed up his mind
Tweeter took the cop's gun and confused him
The undercover cop was found face down in a field
The cop was found dead in a nearby field
The Monkey Man was on the bridge, using Tweeter as a shield
The Monkey Man used Tweeter as a shield while on the bridge
The town of Jersey City is quieting down again
Jersey City is becoming more peaceful again
I'm sitting in a gambling club called The Lion's Den
The singer is at a casino named The Lion's Den
The TV set is blown up, every bit of it is gone
The TV set is broken beyond repair
Ever since the night when they showed that the Monkey Man was on
Since the night when they showed the Monkey Man on TV, things changed
Maybe I'll go to Florida, get myself some sun
The singer is considering going to Florida for some sunshine
There ain't no more opportunity here and everything's been done
There are no more opportunities where the singer is and everything has been tried already
Sometimes I think of Tweeter, sometimes I think of Jan
The singer thinks of Tweeter and Jan sometimes
Sometimes I don't think about nothin' but the Monkey Man
Sometimes the singer only thinks about the Monkey Man
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michelle Cassar
on Nickels For Your Nightmares
Oops - that's "Lacks AN educated edge". :)
Michelle CassarMichelle Cassar
on Nickels For Your Nightmares
I'm pretty sure it's "Lacks and educated edge" rather than "That's an educated edge".