THE BALLAD OF MR. BONKERS
Aquabats Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mr. Bonkers in the shade
Under a rock he starts his day
Not moving much with
Not too much to say
Mr. Bonkers leads a simple life
No motor car no house no wife
It's cold, he thinks
As he washes up in the sink
While the spiders go bananas
He slips into his new pajamas
And waits to be king

Mr. Bonkers the silent one,
Thinks of times when he was young
He could run so fast
He could win the prize

He tried and tried
To dial correctly,
But the President's number's
Not listed in the directory...
Directory....
Directory......

Look inside the door
You'll never hear him snore
Not a lot to do
But sit and stare at you
Something you should know
Before you say "Hello"
Motionless like lead
He sits, he must be dead!
But wait! He's's alive.
He's alive! He's alive!
Chomping on the bits
Of crickets in his mitts
In the dark he's lost
Oh my gosh it's lost!
In black light he's great
His legs, they number eight
He must have got his paws
From his Grandpapa
Holding, Crushing bait
Under pincers weight
But the one thing unforgetable,
Don't forget the mandible. . .

No probascis here!
It's Mr. Bonkers' year!
He's sick sick sick
With the bicycle kick
You can't see his eyes or ears
Woah yeah, yeah
Woah yeah, yeah
Can you see him tonight?!
Woah yeah, yeah
Woah yeah, yeah
Under the hot rock light!
Woah yeah, yeah
Woah yeah, yeah
Can you see him tonight?!
Woah yeah, yeah
Woah yeah, yeah
Under the hot rock light!

Woah yeah yeah
Woah yeah yeah
Woah yeah yeah
Woah yeah yeah




Woah yeah yeah
Woah yeah yeah

Overall Meaning

"The Ballad of Mr. Bonkers" by The Aquabats has an eccentric and absurd essence that cannot be parsed easily. The song is a humorous tribute to Mr. Bonkers, a spider who is leading a simple life in peaceful seclusion. Mr. Bonkers represents the kind of person who is content with his life and does not feel the need to possess material things to be happy. Though he is always silent, he thinks about his youth when he could run and race.
As the song continues, we see that Mr. Bonkers has a curious personality. He likes to observe things and perhaps admits that he is envious of the Presidents because he can't figure out how to contact them. Despite his stillness, Mr. Bonkers is alive and well, and he enjoys munching on the crickets he finds. His excellent reflexes help in catching them. Even better, he has eight legs, something he has likely been passed down from his grandpa. Mr. Bonkers is a special spider because rather than having a proboscis, he has a mandible in his mouth. It's Mr. Bonkers' year, and his airplane kick is sick, sick, sick.


Line by Line Meaning

Mr. Bonkers in the shade
Mr. Bonkers is lounging in the shade


Under a rock he starts his day
Mr. Bonkers begins his day under a rock


Not moving much with
He is not very active


Not too much to say
He is not a chatterbox


Mr. Bonkers leads a simple life
Mr. Bonkers has a simple lifestyle


No motor car no house no wife
He has none of the common things that people might have


It's cold, he thinks
Mr. Bonkers considers the temperature chilly


As he washes up in the sink
Mr. Bonkers is getting cleaned up


While the spiders go bananas
The spiders around him are getting very excited


He slips into his new pajamas
He puts on some new sleepwear


And waits to be king
He's waiting for something great to happen


Mr. Bonkers the silent one,
Mr. Bonkers is very quiet


Thinks of times when he was young
He reminisces about his youth


He could run so fast
He used to be very quick


He could win the prize
He could take home the trophy


He tried and tried
Mr. Bonkers made an effort repeatedly


To dial correctly,
He was trying to make a phone call


But the President's number's
The phone number he wants to dial is


Not listed in the directory...
But he can't find it in the phone book


Directory....
The directory is the phone book


Look inside the door
Check behind the front door


You'll never hear him snore
Mr. Bonkers is not a loud sleeper


Not a lot to do
There isn't much to keep Mr. Bonkers occupied


But sit and stare at you
He might just sit and gaze in your direction


Something you should know
There is some important information you need to be aware of


Before you say "Hello"
Before you greet him


Motionless like lead
He is very still


He sits, he must be dead!
He appears deceased


But wait! He's's alive.
But he is, in fact, still alive


He's alive! He's alive!
He is, no doubt, among the living


Chomping on the bits
Mr. Bonkers is eating some small pieces


Of crickets in his mitts
He has a few crickets in his hands


In the dark he's lost
When it is dark, he is unable to find his way around


Oh my gosh it's lost!
He is no longer aware of its whereabouts


In black light he's great
He looks really impressive when illuminated with a black light


His legs, they number eight
Mr. Bonkers has eight legs


He must have got his paws
He must have inherited his legs


From his Grandpapa
He has his grandfather to thank for his legs


Holding, Crushing bait
He is using his pincers to grip and squash something


Under pincers weight
Something is under the pressure of his pincers


But the one thing unforgettable,
One thing you can't forget


Don't forget the mandible. . .
Are Mr. Bonkers' mandibles


No probascis here!
He doesn't have a proboscis


It's Mr. Bonkers' year!
This is the year of Mr. Bonkers


He's sick sick sick
He is ill, ill and ill


With the bicycle kick
He's doing the bicycle kick dance move


You can't see his eyes or ears
Mr. Bonkers' eyes and ears are not visible


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Can you see him tonight?!
Will you be able to observe him this evening?


Under the hot rock light!
Glowing in the light beneath a warm rock


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow


Woah yeah, yeah
Wow




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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