Donovan came to fame in the United Kingdom in early 1965 with a series of live performances on the television pop series, Ready Steady Go!. He first hit the charts in 1965 with his single "Catch the Wind", continuing on with a string of hits, most of them produced by Mickie Most. Donovan's 1966 Sunshine Superman marked not only a transition to the burgeoning psychedelic scene, but is also viewed as a formative album in its genre, inspiring countless contemporaries. His 1967 double album A Gift from a Flower to a Garden—the first major album released as a boxed set—completed the transition from beat poet folkster to hippie troubadour.
As a close friend of The Beatles, he traveled with them to India during their stay at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and taught them the "clawhammer" finger-picking style, which is featured on several tracks on their seminal 1968 double album The Beatles, better known as "The White Album."
The decline of Donovan's commercial popularity coincides roughly with his split from Most in 1969, as well as gradually lessened interest in psychedelics by artists and the record-buying public alike. With the advent of punk rock during the mid-'70s, Donovan, now viewed as a "nice boy" '60s relic, truly fell from favor. Music critics' tastes too had changed; Donovan's new product, while still quirky and experimental, earned little but scorn and derision. As the decades progressed, Donovan would record and perform only sporadically, often separated by several years.
Donovan's career went through a revival of sorts with the emergence of Britain's rave scene in the '90s. As a result, his most famous works were reissued, and once again viewed favorably by critics. With the release of the back-to-basics Rick Rubin-produced Sutras in 1996, Donovan's career settled into a comparatively steady stream of new releases, coupled with archival material and various reissues. He was inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame in 2012.
Riki Tiki Tavi
Donovan Lyrics
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Better get into it now, no slacking please
United Nations ain't really united
And the organisations ain't really organised
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Won't be coming around for to kill your snakes no more, my love
Everybody who read the Jungle Book
Will know that Riki Tiki Tavi's a mongoose who kills snakes
When I was a young man I was led to believe there were organisations
To kill my snakes for me
I.E. the church, I.E. the government, I.E. school
But when I got a little older I learned I had to kill them myself
I said, Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Won't be coming around for to kill your snakes no more, my love
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
People walkin' around, they don't know what they're doing
They bin lost so long they don't know what they've been looking for
Well, I know what I'm-a looking for but I just can't find it
I guess I gotta look inside of myself some more
Oh oh oh inside of myself some more
Come on now (baby)
Oh oh oh inside of myself some more (baby)
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
(Last time)
I saw you today
On the number twelve bus
You were going my way
Going my way
The lyrics of Donovan's song Riki Tiki Tavi are a commentary on the unreliable nature of institutions and the need for individual action. The first few lines suggest a sense of urgency and responsibility: "Better get into what you gotta get into / Better get into it now, no slacking please." The singer then goes on to say that the United Nations and other organizations are not really as united and organized as they claim to be. The mention of Riki Tiki Tavi, a mongoose from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book who kills snakes, serves as a metaphor for relying on external forces to solve one's problems. The singer implies that he used to believe that organizations like the church, government, and school would kill his "snakes" for him, but he eventually realized that he had to take matters into his own hands.
The repetition of "Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone" at the end of each verse emphasizes the idea that relying on external forces to solve problems is no longer an option. The final lines of the song suggest that the solution lies within oneself: "Well, I know what I'm-a looking for but I just can't find it / I guess I gotta look inside of myself some more." The mention of seeing someone on the bus could suggest that this realization has led the singer to seek connection with others who are also looking within themselves.
Overall, "Riki Tiki Tavi" is a call to action for individuals to take responsibility and seek solutions within themselves rather than relying on external institutions or forces.
Line by Line Meaning
Better get into what you gotta get into
You need to do what you have to do
Better get into it now, no slacking please
Don't procrastinate, start working on it now
United Nations ain't really united
The United Nations is not as united as it seems
And the organisations ain't really organised
Organizations are not really as organized as they claim to be
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi, the mongoose who kills snakes, is no longer around
Won't be coming around for to kill your snakes no more, my love
There won't be anyone to take care of your problems anymore
Everybody who read the Jungle Book
Everyone who has read the Jungle Book
Will know that Riki Tiki Tavi's a mongoose who kills snakes
Knows that Riki Tiki Tavi is a fearless creature who takes care of dangerous problems
When I was a young man I was led to believe there were organisations
As a young man, I was taught to believe that organizations would help me solve my problems
To kill my snakes for me
They would deal with my problems for me
But when I got a little older I learned I had to kill them myself
As I grew up, I realized that I had to solve my own problems
People walkin' around, they don't know what they're doing
People going about their lives without purpose and direction
They bin lost so long they don't know what they've been looking for
They have been lost for so long that they have forgotten what they've been searching for
Well, I know what I'm-a looking for but I just can't find it
I know what I want, but I am struggling to attain it
I guess I gotta look inside of myself some more
I need to introspect more deeply
Come on now (baby)
An expression of encouragement or enthusiasm
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi, the fearless mongoose, is no longer here
I saw you today
I saw you earlier today
On the number twelve bus
We were on the same bus number twelve
You were going my way
You were headed the same direction as me
Going my way
Traveling in my direction
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Donovan Leitch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind