Wild Man From Borneo
Kinky Friedman gelesen von Wiglaf Droste Lyrics
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I'm the star of Captain Midnite's travelin' show
Came to this circus many moons ago.
My mother's in your storybooks, she loved a jungle king,
Left me standin' here alone inside the center ring.
A livin' page torn clean from history.
A hairy, scary, legendary screamin' souvenir,
Now don't you come too close to me, don't you come too near.
I'm the wild man from Borneo,
The wild man from Borneo.
You come to see what you wanna see,
Ah, you come to see but you never come to know.
The tattooed lady left the circus train
Lost all of her pictures in the rain.
I wonder if you're happy, I wonder if you're free
I wonder if you'll ever know the mark you left on me.
I'm the wild man from Borneo, The wild man.
You come to see what you wanna see,
Ah, you come to see but you never come to know.
We come to see what we want to see,
Oh, we come to see, but we never come to know.
The song "Wild Man from Borneo" by Kinky Friedman tells the story of a man who is the star of Captain Midnite's traveling show. The singer claims to be a living page torn clean from history, a screaming souvenir that crossed the raging sea in a bamboo cage. He is the wild man from Borneo, living inside a bamboo cage in the center ring of the circus. He wonders if the audience is happy, free, and if they will ever know the mark they left on him.
The song has a deeper message about the exploitation of human beings as entertainment for profit. The wild man from Borneo is not a wild man at all but a human being who has been captured and put on display for the audience's amusement. He is not free and is trapped inside his bamboo cage, screaming for his life. The tattooed lady, another captive performer, has lost all of her pictures in the rain and also wonders if she will ever be free.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the star of Captain Midnite's travelin' show
I am the main attraction of the travelling show run by Captain Midnite
Came to this circus many moons ago.
I arrived at this circus a long time ago
My mother's in your storybooks, she loved a jungle king,
My mother is a character in storybooks who fell in love with a king from the jungle
Left me standin' here alone inside the center ring.
She left me alone inside the circus ring
In a bamboo cage I crossed the ragin' sea,
I was transported across the sea in a bamboo cage
A livin' page torn clean from history.
I am a living symbol of a forgotten era
A hairy, scary, legendary screamin' souvenir,
I am a frightening and legendary souvenir that screams
Now don't you come too close to me, don't you come too near.
Do not approach me too closely
I'm the wild man from Borneo,
I am the wild man from Borneo
The wild man from Borneo.
I am the wild man from Borneo
You come to see what you wanna see,
You come to see what you want to see
Ah, you come to see but you never come to know.
But you never truly know what you see
The tattooed lady left the circus train
The woman with tattoos left the circus train
Lost all of her pictures in the rain.
She lost all of her pictures in the rain
I wonder if you're happy, I wonder if you're free
I wonder if she is happy and free
I wonder if you'll ever know the mark you left on me.
I wonder if she realizes the impact she had on me
We come to see what we want to see,
We come to the circus to see what we desire
Oh, we come to see, but we never come to know.
However, we never really know what we see
Contributed by Bella O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
William Dearth
He also did supporting roles in later short films, like in the Three Stooges Short: Three Missing Links, he portrayed a medicine man in Africa called Dr. Ba Loni Sulami.
Curly Howard: Hey...What's this? 🍬
Medicine Man Dr. Ba Loni Sulami (John Lester Johnson): Yum. Love candy. Make big strong love! 💪 ❤️
Curly: Love candy? Oh, boy, Mirabelle! Maybe it'll make her love me! takes a handful then pays him a half-dollar coin 🪙
Dr. Ba Loni Sulami: Big thanks, customer always right!
Sammy Jo
I'm 70 and will NEVER forget the first time I saw this as a child !! After my younger sisters were born my brother and I would chase them around the house going " yum yum, eat em up!' it was great to see this once again for old times sake.
D Sloop
70 here also. The Little Rascals were the best thing on tv.
M P
I’m 110 and I was in my twenties when this came out. I was looking for a job during the Great Depression. All that I owned was the clothing off my back, a cup and a spoon that a hobo sold me for a nickel apiece.
chopsddy3
Yes! 👍
Betty Stowe
Oh my yes. I saw this as a child. Reruns on Saturday morning we're the best things!.. we used to chase each other too screaming '"yum yum eat'em up"!
Great memories
Gina DiBella
Spanky had the greatest adorable laugh! Always made me smile and feel great
The Mr. Dan
I’m 26 going on 27 and I remember my mom buying the little rascals box set from a garage sale when I was maybe 5 years old and this episode had me rolling on the floor laughing every time I’d watch it. Wonderful memories!
Brooke London
save it forever and if it's on video have it transferred to DVD because these reels won't be around.
Pamela Nadel
😂 thank you for this lovely memory. I’m 60 and my father is 92. He watched Our Gang and I did too. So wonderful. Every child loved and cared for every other child. ❤️🙏🏻✝️
Joseph A
It's so wonderful dancing🗿