Focusing primarily on instrumental composition and playing, Kottke also sings sporadically, in an unconventional yet expressive baritone described by himself as sounding like "geese farts on a muggy day".[1] In concert, Kottke intersperses humorous and often bizarre monologues with vocal and instrumental selections from throughout his career, played solo on 6- and 12-string guitars.
Monkey Lust
Leo Kottke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the hobo jungle
Underarms ain't always clean [?]
Santa Fe woman is soulful
Gotta watch they have ... [?]
She smiles like a ... [?]
And stands like a ... [?] queen
And scrubbed my ... [?] clean
[grunts etc]
She a lady don't let us ... [?] down
... [?]
Before we turn around
... [?] saving grace
From time is always wrong
Peachfuzz stared from the bathroom and said what's going on?
If you have monkey lust you don't need nothing else
But if you don't have monkey lust nothing else will help
Well, all right.. I say yeah! [scream etc]
It's the fastest moving zombie show
The police have every seen
The policemen were ... [?]
... [?]
Well citizens eating and sleeping [?]
Watertank ... [?]
Well all I need is a little bread [?]
Monkey lust
The song Monkey Lust by Leo Kottke is a curious mixture of humorous and perplexing lyrics that border on the bizarre. It is a song that speaks about experiences of a person in a hobo jungle – a world where personal hygiene is not a priority. The song describes a Santa Fe woman who is soulful and beautiful but also someone to watch out for. The woman is painted as a queen-like figure, who knows her power and uses it to her advantage. She unwinds the bandages of the singer, cleans his underarms, and insinuates a sexual encounter through her actions.
The song takes a surreal turn when the singer starts to grunt and howl, and the woman is described as a saving grace from time, which is always wrong. Peachfuzz, one of the hobos, enters the scene, and the singer exclaims that if you have monkey lust, you don't need anything else. The song ends with the singer screaming that it is the fastest moving zombie show that the police have ever seen, and the citizens are eating and sleeping.
Line by Line Meaning
In the hobo jungle
In the homeless encampment
Underarms ain't always clean
Personal hygiene is often neglected in the poverty-stricken area
Santa Fe woman is soulful
A woman from Santa Fe has a profound soul or spirit
Gotta watch they have ...
You must be cautious of their behavior
She smiles like a ... queen
Her regal smile is like that of a queen
And stands like a ... queen
Her upright posture is like that of a queen
She unwound my bandages
She removed my physical injuries
And scrubbed my ... clean
She cleansed my wounds
[grunts etc]
Unintelligible sounds indicating a physical struggle
She a lady don't let us ... down
She is a woman of class and will not let us disappoint her
...
Unknown/ambiguous line
Before we turn around
Before we know it or realize it
... saving grace
The one good thing or hope
From time is always wrong
Time never seems to work in our favor
Peachfuzz stared from the bathroom and said what's going on?
An observer with peach-colored facial hair looked on from the bathroom and questioned the situation at hand
If you have monkey lust you don't need nothing else
If you have a strong sexual desire, you don't require anything else to fulfill yourself
But if you don't have monkey lust nothing else will help
Without a sexual desire, no other pleasure will be satisfying or fulfilling
Well, all right.. I say yeah! [scream etc]
An expression of excitement or approval
It's the fastest moving zombie show
It's a frenzied or chaotic situation
The police have every seen
That the police have ever encountered
The policemen were ...
The law enforcement officers were
...
Unknown/ambiguous line
Well citizens eating and sleeping
The people were occupied with basic necessities of consuming food and rest
Watertank ...
A water tank served a practical purpose in some way
Well all I need is a little bread
All I require is a small portion of funds
Monkey lust
A strong sexual desire
Contributed by Eli N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@philturner6642
Interesting tune .her smile is like a boxcar lid...
@karl-heinzbiermann3321
I bought this fantastic Leo Kottke album when it was released...and sold it later in the '90s. His best imho! Gotta get it again...like now! Here's the late great
Kim Fowley @ the microphone...Ha!
Thanxxx for uploading the whole album
UKMikey :)
@BryanBetts
such a great tune! the vocals are credited to the "jukebox phantom". it almost sounds like Captain Beef Heart belting it out.
@saucerfull1
...just great!!!
@jawshchevyvan
Its not Beefhart singing, its Kim Fowley who cowrote the song.
@bennydemario4624
"peachfuss stared from the bathroom"
@HammyTechnoid
Today's Dilbert comic brought me here. A coworker was mentioned as having monkey love... so.. why not "Monkey Lust"?
@dhicks137
fell in love with this album 45 yrs ago... some of his best work! and yes..that IS Capt. Beefheart singing
@UKMikey
It's Kim Fowley, not Beefheart. See previuos comment.
@fporretto
"If you have monkey lust, you don't need nothin' else. / If you don't have monkey lust, nothin' else will help!"
Words to live by, my friends; words to live by.