While Taupin was still a boy, his father decided to try his hand at independent farming, and the family relocated again, this time to a run-down property called Maltkiln Farm in the north-Lincolnshire village of Owmby-by-Spital. Here a third brother, Kit, was born 11 years junior to Bernie. The family attended Holy Rood Catholic Church in the town of Market Rasen, where Bernie and Tony served as altar boys. Bernie attended school at Market Rasen Secondary Modern. Unlike his older brother, he was not a diligent student, although he showed an early flair for writing. At 15 he dropped out of school. He spent his teenage years hanging out with his friends, hitchhiking the country roads to attend youth club dances in the surrounding villages, playing snooker in the Aston Arms Pub in Market Rasen, and drinking ale well before his eighteenth birthday. He had worked at several part-time, dead-end jobs when, at the age of 17, he answered an advertisement that led to his collaboration with Elton John.
In 1967, he answered an advertisement for a lyric writer placed in the New Musical Express by Liberty records A&R man Ray Williams. Thus began the famous and well-loved songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The pair have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date, though John worked with other lyricists between 1977 and 1983. Taupin's lyrics include such memorable tunes as "Rocket Man", "Tiny Dancer", "Candle in the Wind", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", and 1970's "Your Song", their first hit.
In 1971, Taupin recorded a spoken-word album entitled Taupin, in which he recites some of his early poems against a background of impromptu, sitar-heavy music created by some members of Elton's band, including Davey Johnstone and Caleb Quaye. Side One is entitled "Child" and contains poems about his early childhood in southern Lincolnshire. The first poem, "The Greatest Discovery," which looks at his own birth through the eyes of his older brother, was also set to music by Elton John and included on the Elton John (album). There are poems about Taupin's first two childhood homes, Flatters and Rowston Manor, and others about his relationship with his brother and grandfather. Side Two includes a variety of poems of varying obscurity, from a marionette telling her own story to a rat catcher who falls victim to his prey. While the lyrics to Side One provide interesting insights into Taupin's childhood, the album makes for a tedious listening experience, and Taupin stated in interviews that he wasn't pleased with the results.
In 1980, Taupin recorded his first album as a singer, He Who Rides the Tiger. Although he demonstrated a more-than-adequate vocal ability, the album failed to make a dent in the charts. Taupin later suggested in interviews that he didn't have the creative control he would have liked over the album.
In 1987, he recorded another album entitled Tribe. The songs were co-written with Martin Page. "Citizen Jane" and "Friend of the Flag" were released as singles. Videos of both singles featured Taupin and then-wife Toni Russo, and the "Citizen Jane" video also included Toni's sister, actress Rene Russo. Once again, neither the album nor the singles made much of a dent in the charts.
In 1996, Taupin pulled together a band called Farm Dogs, whose two albums were conscious (and successful) throwbacks to the grittier, earthier sound of Tumbleweed Connection. While Taupin wrote the lyrics, the music was a collaborative effort among the band members. Their first album, 1996's Last Stand in Open Country, received critical praise but little airplay. As mentioned above, the title track was later recorded by Willie Nelson and Kid Rock for Nelson's 2002 album The Great Divide.
In 1998, Farm Dogs released its second and final album, Immigrant Sons. Again a respectable effort, the album went nowhere despite a tour of small clubs across America.
Monkey on My Back
Bernie Taupin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laid on the back of my hand
Temptation lies in the ocean
And I'm laid out in the sand
There's blood on my rear-view mirror
And a siren in the street
There's a fog out here in Malibu
There's a mobile home in Carmel
Stranded in a trailer park
A teenage mother hides herself
From the eyes of the loan shark
She's beggin' me, "Honey, don't go
It's not worth the pain
You can't go on playin'
This dangerous game"
This monkey on my back
Left me stranded in LA
With a busted truck and a chewed up arm
And a craving in my veins
There's a chopper with a searchlight
Whirlin' overhead
The LAPD's on the beach
And this bust's been put to bed
Buried deep the white fire heats
The slug stuck in my side
Runnin' bags for crooked cash
Took me one too many miles
It's gotta be over, poor boy
Their sights were set on me
Never figured sand turned red at night
Don't want no sheet over me
They chased me clear down from Monterey
But I lost them on the freeway
I ran a speedtrap and, hell, I almost got away
So I took Ventura through the mountains
And Sunset to the sea
They winged me out in the Palisades
When I stopped to get some change
But I never got to use the phone
They was like Apaches 'round a wagon train
There's moonlight on the crystals
Laid on the back of my hand
Temptation lies in the ocean
And I'm laid out in the sand
There's blood on my rear-view mirror
And a siren in the street
There's a fog out here in Malibu
And a needle at my feet
The song "Monkey on My Back" by Bernie Taupin depicts a scene of restlessness and chaos in the singer's life. As he reflects on his surroundings, he starts by describing the moonlight on the crystals on his hand, setting the tone of the night he's been having. The temptation of the ocean has led him to be laid out in the sand, but instead of peace, he's surrounded by a scene of violence, with blood on his rear-view mirror and a siren in the street. The fog in Malibu adds to the surreal atmosphere, and the needle at his feet hints at the possibility of drug use.
As the song progresses, we learn more about the singer's circumstances. He's in the company of a teenage mother hiding from her loan shark and begs him not to play this dangerous game. The monkey on his back, a representation of addiction, has left him stranded in LA with a busted truck and a craving in his veins. He's on the run from the LAPD and has buried a slug in his side, highlighting the violent nature of his lifestyle. While he tries to escape, the world around him remains surreal and chaotic, with moonlight, crystals, and fog.
Overall, the song creates a vivid picture of a life immersed in danger and restlessness. The monkey on the singer's back is a powerful metaphor for addiction, and the lyrics reflect the danger, fear, and chaos that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
There's moonlight on the crystals
The singer is in a place where moonlight is reflecting off the crystals.
Laid on the back of my hand
The crystals are on the back of the singer's hand.
Temptation lies in the ocean
The singer is near the ocean and feels tempted by something within it.
And I'm laid out in the sand
The artist is lying down in the sand.
There's blood on my rear-view mirror
There is blood on the artist's rear-view mirror, possibly from a previous incident.
And a siren in the street
A siren can be heard from outside where the singer is.
There's a fog out here in Malibu
The singer is in Malibu and there is fog outside.
And a needle at my feet
There is a needle near the artist's feet, likely a reference to drug use.
There's a mobile home in Carmel
There is a mobile home located in Carmel.
Stranded in a trailer park
The mobile home is located in a trailer park, and possibly stuck there.
A teenage mother hides herself
There is a teenage mother nearby who is hiding from someone.
From the eyes of the loan shark
The teenage mother is hiding from a loan shark who is after her due to debt.
She's beggin' me, "Honey, don't go
The teenage mother is pleading with the singer not to leave her alone in this dangerous situation.
It's not worth the pain
The teenage mother warns the singer that the situation is not worth the pain that will come from it.
You can't go on playin'
The teenage mother believes that the singer cannot continue living this dangerous lifestyle.
This dangerous game"
The life the two are living is described as a dangerous game.
This monkey on my back
The artist is referring to their addiction or vice as a monkey on their back.
Left me stranded in LA
The singer is stuck in LA due to their addiction or vice.
With a busted truck and a chewed up arm
The singer's truck has been damaged and they have injured their arm, possibly due to their addiction or vice.
And a craving in my veins
The artist is experiencing an intense craving or desire for their addiction or vice.
There's a chopper with a searchlight
A helicopter with a searchlight can be seen or heard nearby.
Whirlin' overhead
The helicopter is hovering over the artist's location.
The LAPD's on the beach
The Los Angeles Police Department is present on the beach and may be after the singer.
And this bust's been put to bed
The authorities have ended their search and it is safe for the artist for the moment.
Buried deep the white fire heats
The singer's addiction or vice burns deep within them.
The slug stuck in my side
The singer has been shot or stabbed and the object is stuck in their side.
Runnin' bags for crooked cash
The singer is involved in illegal activities to earn money.
Took me one too many miles
The artist has gone too far in their illegal activities.
It's gotta be over, poor boy
The artist is in a dire situation and they feel that things might be coming to an end for them.
Their sights were set on me
Someone is after the singer and has targeted them specifically.
Never figured sand turned red at night
The singer is surprised to see the sand turn red, possibly indicating something ominous or violent.
Don't want no sheet over me
The artist does not want to die and be covered with a sheet.
They chased me clear down from Monterey
Someone has been chasing the artist from Monterey, likely a reference to the police or another authority figure.
But I lost them on the freeway
The artist was able to get away from those who were chasing them by driving on the freeway.
I ran a speedtrap and, hell, I almost got away
The singer attempted to outsmart their pursuers by running a trap, but was almost caught.
So I took Ventura through the mountains
The artist took Ventura, a highway in California, through the mountains in an attempt to escape their pursuers.
And Sunset to the sea
The singer then drove on Sunset Boulevard to reach the sea.
They winged me out in the Palisades
The singer was shot or injured in the Palisades area.
When I stopped to get some change
The singer stopped to get change for something and was ambushed by their pursuers.
But I never got to use the phone
The artist was not able to use the phone before their pursuers caught up with them.
They was like Apaches 'round a wagon train
The artist's pursuers closed in on them like a group of Apaches surrounding a wagon train.
Lyrics © TUFANO TUNES, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernie Taupin, Dennis Tufano
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind