Echo & the Bunnymen is a British Post-punk band formed in Liverpool in 1978… Read Full Bio ↴Echo & the Bunnymen is a British Post-punk band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of Ian McCulloch (of The Crucial Three), Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson. There are many stories, probably apocryphal, that the quartet was completed by a drum machine known as "Echo".

By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas. Their next, the critically-acclaimed Heaven Up Here, reached the Top Ten in 1981, as did 1983's Porcupine and '84's Ocean Rain. Singles like "The Killing Moon" (later used in the soundtrack to Donnie Darko, a film whose imagery owed much to the artwork of the band's early records.), "Silver," "Bring on the Dancing Horses," and "The Cutter" helped keep the group in the public eye as they took a brief hiatus in the late 1980s. Their 1987 self-titled LP was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.

McCulloch quit the band in 1988. De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident one year later. The others decided to continue, recruiting Noel Burke to replace McCulloch on vocals in Reverberation (1990), which did not generate much excitement among fans or critics. Burke, Sargeant and Pattinson split after that, but the surviving three fourths of the original band reformed in 1997 and released Evergreen (1997), What are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001) , Siberia (2005), and the latest addition, The Fountain (2009). The group's old audience liked the return to their classic sound, and they also managed to gain a number of new, younger listeners.

Echo and the Bunnymen were managed early on by Bill Drummond, who went on to be a founder member of The KLF.

Monkeys
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics

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I bagsy yours
If you'll bagsy mine
I'll take a chance
If you'll take the blame
Forget it
Forget it

Keymon

Keymon

Boys are the same
Brains in their pockets
Girls are the same
Knock it and rock it
Remember
Remember

Keymon
Keymon

I'm not a holy man
I'm too lowly for that
I'm not a praying man
I'm not ready for that

Keymon
Keymon

I bagsy yours
If you'll bagsy mine
I'll take a chance
If you'll take the blame
Forget it
Forget it

Keymon
Keymon

Keymon
Keymon

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Monkeys" are open to interpretation, but some possible meanings can be inferred. When the singer says "I bagsy yours if you'll bagsy mine," he could be referring to a mutual agreement or understanding between two people. This phrase is British slang and means "I claim yours if you claim mine." The following line, "I'll take a chance if you'll take the blame," suggests that the singer wants to take a risk, but he wants the other person to take responsibility if things go wrong.

The repetition of the word "keymon" throughout the song is unclear, but it could be a made-up word or a reference to a specific thing or person. It could also represent an idea, like a key to understanding life or relationships. The line "boys are the same, brains in their pockets" implies that men are predictable and unemotional, while "girls are the same, knock it and rock it" suggests that women are assertive and sexually confident.

The last verse, "I'm not a holy man, I'm too lowly for that, I'm not a praying man, I'm not ready for that," could indicate that the singer is not religiously inclined or does not have a strong moral compass. Overall, the lyrics to "Monkeys" remain somewhat enigmatic and encourage individual interpretation.

Line by Line Meaning

I bagsy yours
I claim ownership of your belongings

If you'll bagsy mine
If you claim ownership of my belongings

I'll take a chance
I'm willing to take risks

If you'll take the blame
If you'll take responsibility for any negative consequences

Forget it
Let's abandon this idea

Keymon
Untranslatable word, possibly a reference to a person or place

Boys are the same
Males are predictable or behave similarly

Brains in their pockets
They think only about material things

Girls are the same
Females are predictable or behave similarly

Knock it and rock it
Have fun and enjoy life

Remember
Don't forget this advice

I'm not a holy man
I'm not a religious or spiritual person

I'm too lowly for that
I'm not worthy or humble enough

I'm not a praying man
I don't pray or seek divine intervention

I'm not ready for that
I'm not prepared or willing to do that

Keymon
Untranslatable word, possibly a reference to a person or place

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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