The baby was born and it looked like me and it looked like Angie, and the s… Read Full Bio ↴The baby was born and it looked like me and it looked like Angie, and the song came out like—if you’re gonna stay with us, you’re gonna grow up bananas.

David Bowie, promotional sheet for Hunky Dory.

On the last day of May 1971, David Bowie was sitting at home listening to a Neil Young record when someone from the hospital rang to tell him he had become a father. Angela Bowie, after a 30-hour labor, had given birth to a son, who would be named Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones. Over the next day or so Bowie wrote a song about his son—he debuted it at a BBC session less than a week after Duncan’s birth. It was Bowie’s Neil Young piece, or so he said. “For Small Z.,” he wrote on the LP sleeve.

“Kooks” is the obverse of “Oh! You Pretty Things,” in which parenthood is something odd and catastrophic, an unavoidable pre-determined obsolescence. “Kooks” is awkward, warm, funny and welcoming, and its lyric captures the bewilderment that many people (I’m assuming, not being a father) face upon becoming a parent—I’m such a complete mess myself, how on earth can I raise another human being?* With classic lines like:

Don’t pick fights with the bullies or the cads
‘cos I’m not much cop at punching other people’s dads.

The song is basically a set of choruses occasionally broken up by four-bar “intros,” while the two verses serve more as bridges. “Kooks” opens with Bowie alternating between the D and Dsus4 chords on his guitar (just moving the middle finger between two frets)—this continues into the chorus until Bowie finally breaks the pattern by moving to C on “we believe in you.”

The song’s harmonic stasis (both choruses and verses start in D, with Bowie moving up a step finally in the fourth chorus repeat) is masked by a dense arrangement: Trevor Bolder doubles on bass (a very busy performance, full of runs and octave leaps) and trumpet—the latter mainly bridges the intros and choruses, with Bolder playing the vocal line of the chorus, though he gets a tiny solo when Bowie mentions the trumpet in the lyric. Rick Wakeman’s piano dominates the verses, veering between the cutesy and the slightly abrasive, while Mick Ronson’s string arrangements, a typically lovely, melodic accompaniment, sweeten the choruses.

Ken Scott, Bowie’s producer, loved the track and thought Bowie should do a whole album of children’s songs—Bowie allegedly considered the idea but sadly never followed through on it.

First performed 3 June 1971 at the BBC; recorded June-July 1971 (the early mix linked above was done for a promo version of Hunky Dory issued in August). Duncan Jones managed to have a fairly normal life, as lives go, and went into the film industry: his first picture, Moon, is worth viewing.

* Well, that’s not the only interpretation. James Perone offers the theory that “Kooks” is about a couple offering an invitation to a ménage à trois to “an individual of indeterminate gender.” If so, that would make lines like “we bought you…a funny old crib on which the paint won’t dry” a bit perverse.

Top: The three Bowies, June 1971.

Kooks
David Bowie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Will you stay in our lovers' story?
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of kooks
Hung up on romancing

Will you stay in our lovers' story

If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of kooks
Hung up on romancing

We bought a lot of things
To keep you warm and dry
And a funny old crib
On which the paint won't dry
I bought you a pair of shoes
A trumpet you can blow
And a book of rules
On what to say to people
When they pick on you
'Cause if you stay with us
You're gonna be pretty kooky, too

Will you stay in our lovers' story?
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of kooks
Hung up on romancing

And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up
This old fool
Don't pick fights
With the bullies or the cads
'Cause I'm not much cop
At punching other people's dads
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown

Will you stay in our lovers' story
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of kooks
Hung up on romancing

Will you stay in our lovers' story
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance

With a couple of kooks
Hung up on romancing

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to David Bowie's "Kooks" expresses parental love and support for their child. This song is Bowie's ode to his new son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, who was born in 1971. The song's lyrics are almost like a conversation between the parents and their child, with the parents offering advice, encouragement, and even some humor to help their child navigate through life.

Bowie's use of the words "kooks" and "hung up on romancing" suggests eccentricity and being unconventional, which is a reflection of Bowie's own personal style and artistic expression. Bowie assures his son that it is okay to be different from others and to take a chance with those who are also considered eccentric by society. Throughout the song, Bowie also provides some comedic relief, such as the line "And if the homework brings you down, then we'll throw it on the fire and take the car downtown".

Line by Line Meaning

Will you stay in our lovers' story?
Are you willing to be a part of our romantic journey?

If you stay you won't be sorry
We promise that you won't regret staying with us.

'Cause we believe in you
We have faith in your potential and abilities.

Soon you'll grow so take a chance
You will soon mature and develop, so give yourself a chance.

With a couple of kooks
You'll be in the company of two eccentric, unconventional people

Hung up on romancing
Who are obsessed with the idea of love and romance.

We bought a lot of things
We have shopped a lot for your comfort.

To keep you warm and dry
To ensure that you are always comfortable and warm.

And a funny old crib
We bought you an amusing, peculiar cot.

On which the paint won't dry
A cot that is hard to paint and decorate with perfection.

I bought you a pair of shoes
I bought shoes for you to wear.

A trumpet you can blow
I gifted you a trumpet for you to play.

And a book of rules
I provided you with a set of guidelines and instructions.

On what to say to people
The book contains suggestions on what to say to others.

When they pick on you
If someone bullies or teases you, these rules may come in handy.

'Cause if you stay with us
By staying with us, you'll inherit our unique qualities.

You're gonna be pretty kooky, too
You too will be unconventional and idiosyncratic like us.

And if you ever have to go to school
In case you have to attend school.

Remember how they messed up
Remain aware of how the system can fail you.

This old fool
Referring to himself as the foolish older person.

Don't pick fights
Do not start a fight.

With the bullies or the cads
Avoid fights with either the bullies or the sneaky troublemakers.

'Cause I'm not much cop
He's not good at fighting.

At punching other people's dads
Specifically, he's bad at fighting adult male authority figures.

And if the homework brings you down
If the load of homework becomes overwhelming.

Then we'll throw it on the fire
They will burn the homework to signify its futility.

And take the car downtown
They'll run away and have fun instead of stressing over the homework.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Bowie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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