Line-up
Peter te Bos: vocals
John Cameron: guitar
Marcus Bruystens: bass
Marc Lamb: drums
Other musicians
Allard Jolles drums
Arno Kooy bass guitar
Bobbie Rossini bass guitar
Geert de Groot bass guitar
Lya Spykstra bass guitar
Marius Schrader drums
BIOGRAPHY
1983 - Punk rock group Suspenders splits up in 1981 and several members form rock group L'Attentat. In the spring of 1983 L'Attentat guitarist/singer Allard Jolles, forms a second band: Claw Boys Claw. Other members of the band are ex-Suspenders singer Bobbie Rossini on bass, and on guitar (Jolles plays the drums) John Cameron (ex-Odorex). Shortly afterwards singer/graphic designer Peter te Bos joins Claw Boys Claw. The band plays garage rock with influences of psychedelics, acid punk and rock 'n' roll.
1984 - Shocking Shades Of Claw Boys Claw is recorded and released on the band's own Hipcat label.
1985 - In May 1985 Jolles leaves Claw Boys Claw in favour of his other band L'Attentat. He is replaced by Pilots drummer Marius Schrader.
1986 - Claw Boys Claw signs to Polydor. The band makes its first appearance at the Pinkpop festival. During this show frontman Te Bos throws apples, oranges, beer cans, his shoes and his socks into the crowd. In June the album With Love From The Boys, produced by Vic Maille, comes out. The band plays at the Roskilde festival in Denmark.
1987 - Claw Boys Claw records the album Crack My Nut. Shocking Shades is re-released on Polydor. Additionally, the album Claw Boys Claw comes out, a compilation of the band's self-released material (the mini album Now!, the single So Mean and the 12" Indian Wallpaper). Also released is the Christmas single Blue Bells.
1988 - Claw Boys Claw performs at the New Music Seminar in New York where they meet John Cale who promises to produce the band's next album. They sign to Megadisc and release the new album Hitkillers, a collection of covers of Dutch rock classics.
1989 - Bobbie Rossini and Marius Schrader leave the band. Rumours about a new album (produced by John Cale) are again surfacing.
1990 - The album Angelbite comes out. It is not produced by John Cale, but by Steve Parker (engineer with The Fall and Dutch vocalist Mathilde Santing). The band goes on - another - successful tour.
1991 - Late June the band plays the Parkpop festival in The Hague. In the meantime, Kooy joins La La Heaven and Geert de Groot (ex-Fatal Flowers) takes over on bass.
1992 - Late 1992 the album Sugar, a highlight in the band's career so far, comes out. The change in musical direction, that was already apparent on Angelbite, has now become permanent: The garage punk style has had to make way for the more melodic and sultry swamp rock. This has much to do with the fact that the album is produced by Urban Dance Squad drummer Michel Schoots, alias Magic Stick. The subdued single Rosie is the band's first Top 40 hit.
1993 - For the second time Claw Boys Claw is on the bill of the Pinkpop festival. Former bass player Rossini turns up in girl group Chicas del Rock that releases the album Neverneverland.
1994 - The new album Nipple, produced by Luc Suèr, largely follows the line of Sugar, but is less successful.
1995 - Marc Lamb plays the drums on Get Well Soon the second album of Soft Parade.
1997 - Claw Boys Claw release the new album Will-O-The-Wisp. The band also tours the Netherlands (by boat) with Scram C Baby and other bands.
1999 - All band members occupy themselves with various other projects: Te Bos concentrates on his career as graphic designer. Together with Henk Hofstede from Nits he designs the Media Centre of the Dutch Rock & Pop Institute. Drummer Marc Lamb wins the X3M remix award for his work with dance project Patriot Hills. Bassist Geert de Groot plays with Solex.
2002 - Peter te Bos en John Cameron work on a new album.
2005 - Former Claw Boys Claw drummer Marius Schrader alias Mars Radar independently releases an electro/synth album under the Wat moniker.
2006 - Te Bos and Cameron have written about 60 songs. Together with drummer Marc Lamb they start working on the new material. Lya Spykstra (ex-Bitchcock) is the new bass player. With Lamb she's also part of the trio Tomix.
2007 - After an initial session in 2006 in February and March Claw Boys Claw start recording the new album at Amsterdam's Eiland Studio's.
2008 - January 30th the release of Pajama Day is celebrated with a showcase at the DeSmet studios in Amsterdam, in presence of members of Johan, Moke and Hallo Venray.
Monkeyride
Claw Boys Claw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A gun, a knife, killing alive, roses stay behind
Under my shower, where I get wet, I never hear a word
Stuck in the middle I look my day, create a finer
Uncle Joey is working so hard, paying of his dream
Some are in a sweaty room, the bride is on the groom
Singing along is all you do, there's no way to turn
Smoking in bed with two old feet, oh, what a way to burn
Stuck in the middle I look my day, create a finer
Gonna get myself a monkey, baby, the last night you are free
Gonna get myself a monkey, baby, rollin' over wailing from the side
Rollin' over, give me a monkey ride
Gonna get myself a monkey, baby, the last night you're free
Gonna get myself a monkey, baby, that's what I'll do
I get out and get the sound of the tiger, yeah
Kids wanna try to get her just because they wanna get rich
Rollin' over wailing from the side, rollin' over, get a monkey ride
Rollin' over wailing from the side, rollin', rollin' over I got myself a monkey ride
The lyrics of "Monkeyride" by Claw Boys Claw are enigmatic and somewhat surreal. It seems to describe a world of danger, where guns and knives are present, and the singer is stuck in the middle of it all, yet trying to create his own destiny. The song opens with a sense of urgency, as if there is chaos all around, but then it slows down to describe more everyday situations, like being in the shower or smoking in bed. The chorus repeats the phrase "Gonna get myself a monkey, baby," which seems to be a way of expressing a desire for freedom or escape from the world in which he's trapped.
The rest of the lyrics are cryptic and difficult to interpret. "Uncle Joey is working so hard, paying off his dream" could be a reference to someone who is working to achieve something they want, but it's not clear what that dream is. "Some are in a sweaty room, the bride is on the groom" suggests a wedding or some kind of sexual encounter, but it's unclear why that would be significant. Perhaps the most intriguing line is "I get out and get the sound of the tiger, yeah," which seems to suggest that the singer is looking for some kind of wild, primal experience that will allow him to break free.
Overall, "Monkeyride" is a song about feeling trapped and trying to break free. The monkey might be a symbol of freedom or escape, and the singer seems to be yearning for something more than the world he's currently stuck in.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to the knockhouse, baby, wailing from the side
This is an introduction to the place where the song takes place, where people are suffering and making noise
A gun, a knife, killing alive, roses stay behind
There's violence happening here, people are dying, but there's still beauty in the world
Under my shower, where I get wet, I never hear a word
The singer is in a place where he's isolated from the chaos outside, he's not affected by it
Stuck in the middle I look my day, create a finer
Despite the difficult situation, the singer is trying to come up with a positive outlook on life
Uncle Joey is working so hard, paying of his dream
There's someone working hard to follow their dreams, despite the challenges they face
Some are in a sweaty room, the bride is on the groom
There's a wedding happening, but it's not necessarily a happy occasion, as people are sweating and uncomfortable
Singing along is all you do, there's no way to turn
People are stuck in this situation and can only sing along to distract themselves
Smoking in bed with two old feet, oh, what a way to burn
Someone is smoking in bed and not taking care of themselves, which is a sad way to live
Gonna get myself a monkey, baby, the last night you are free
The singer is going to get a monkey and enjoy their last night of freedom
Rollin' over, give me a monkey ride
The singer wants to ride on the monkey's back, to escape their own troubles
Kids wanna try to get her just because they wanna get rich
People only want to befriend the singer to benefit from their wealth
Rollin' over wailing from the side, rollin' over, get a monkey ride
The singer is still seeking escape, rolling over and hoping for a ride on the monkey's back
Rollin', rollin' over I got myself a monkey ride
Finally, the singer has achieved their goal of getting a monkey ride and is rolling over, enjoying the freedom it brings them
Contributed by Micah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.