The moniker Paul & Linda McCartney was used just once for the album Ram in … Read Full Bio ↴The moniker Paul & Linda McCartney was used just once for the album Ram in 1971. Set against the backdrop of the legal action taking place in Britain's High Court with the dissolution of The Beatles partnership, following their break-up the year before, Ram was the second of two albums McCartney released between quitting The Beatles and forming Wings, whose future drummer Denny Seiwell played on the record, alongside the McCartneys and session musicians.

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 - Liverpool, England) is a British singer, musician and songwriter, who first came to prominence as a member of The Beatles. Linda McCartney established herself as a professional photographer in the rock and roll scene, and met her second husband, Paul McCartney, while photographing groups for a book titled Rock and Other Four Letter Words in 1967. They met at a night club called the Bag o' Nails in May of 1967 and married in 1969. After the breakup of the The Beatles in 1970, Paul began teaching Linda to play keyboards, and included her in the lineup for his new band, Wings. Although Linda was shunned by music critics for her amateur singing and playing skills, Wings garnered several Grammy Awards for their music, and became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s.

Monkberry Moon Delight
Paul & Linda McCartney Lyrics

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So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose
And the wind played a dreadful cantata (cantata, cantata)
Sore was I from a crack of an enemy's hose
And the horrible sound of tomato (tomato, tomato)

Catch up (catch up)
Super fury
Don't get left behind (get left behind)

Catch up (catch up)
Super fury (super fury)
Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)

When a rattle of rats had awoken
The sinews, the nerves and the veins
My piano was boldly outspoken
In attempts to repeat this refrain

So I stood with a knot in my stomach
And I gazed at that terrible sight
Of two youngsters concealed in a barrel
Smoking monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) ho
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)

Oh

Well, I know my banana is older than the rest
And my hair is a tangled beretta (beretta, beretta)
But I leave my pajamas to billy budapest
And I don't get the gist of your letter (your letter, your letter)

Catch up, (catch up)
Cats and kittens (cats and kittens)
Don't get left behind (get left behind)
Catch up, (catch up)
Cats and kittens (cats and kittens)
Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)

Oh, monkberry moon delight, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, yeah, yeah, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight oh-oh, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Suckin' monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah)
(om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
(om pah om pah pah)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
(om pah om pah pah)

Try some of this, honey (om pah om pah pah)
What is it? (om pah om pah pah)

Monkberry moon delight, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
(Om pah om pah pah)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Uh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)

Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Monkberry Moon Delight" by Paul & Linda McCartney are a surreal, nonsensical journey that takes listeners through strange imagery and bizarre scenarios. The opening lines, "So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose, and the wind played a dreadful cantata," set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is experiencing strange and uncomfortable situations, such as being hit with a hose and hearing the sound of a tomato. The piano that is up the singer's nose becomes a focal point, as it tries to repeat a refrain that it cannot master. The chorus encourages listeners to "catch up" and not "get left behind," adding to the overall sense of urgency and confusion.

As the song progresses, the imagery becomes even more surreal, with rats awakening sinews and nerves, and two youngsters smoking monkberry moon delight out of a concealed barrel. The singer's banana and hair become points of focus, and a letter is received that the singer doesn't understand. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "monkberry moon delight," as if it's the only constant in this strange world.

Overall, the lyrics to "Monkberry Moon Delight" are open to interpretation, but they seem to be a reflection of the nonsensical nature of life. The song encourages listeners to embrace the strange and unexpected, and to keep moving forward.

Line by Line Meaning

So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose
I was feeling down and out, like I had a piano stuck in my nose

And the wind played a dreadful cantata (cantata, cantata)
The howling wind outside was so discordant, like a terrible cantata

Sore was I from a crack of an enemy's hose
I was feeling physically hurt from a hit by my enemy's weapon

And the horrible sound of tomato (tomato, tomato)
The sound of a tomato hitting me was so awful, like someone saying 'tomato' over and over again

Catch up (catch up) Super fury Don't get left behind (get left behind) Catch up (catch up) Super fury (super fury) Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)
Don't fall behind, keep up with the rest and be full of energy

When a rattle of rats had awoken The sinews, the nerves and the veins My piano was boldly outspoken In attempts to repeat this refrain
The noise of rats in the attic scared me and made my heart race, but my piano still bravely tried to play the same tune

So I stood with a knot in my stomach And I gazed at that terrible sight Of two youngsters concealed in a barrel Smoking monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) ho Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
I felt sick to my stomach when I saw two young people hiding in a barrel smoking an unknown substance, called monkberry moon delight, that made a strange noise

Well, I know my banana is older than the rest And my hair is a tangled beretta (beretta, beretta) But I leave my pajamas to billy budapest And I don't get the gist of your letter (your letter, your letter)
I may be older and different from others, but I don't care much about fashion or understand the message in your letter

Catch up, (catch up) Cats and kittens (cats and kittens) Don't get left behind (get left behind) Catch up, (catch up) Cats and kittens (cats and kittens) Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)
Once again, don't fall behind, keep up with the others, and stay energized like a cat or kitten

Oh, monkberry moon delight, yeah, (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight, yeah, yeah, yeah, (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah) Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight oh-oh, (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Suckin' monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) (Om pah om pah pah) (Om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) (Om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah) (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (om pah om pah pah) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (om pah om pah pah)
The phrase 'monkberry moon delight' is repeated over and over again, but its exact meaning is never clear. It may refer to an unknown substance or experience that has a strange and somewhat intoxicating effect

Try some of this, honey (om pah om pah pah) What is it? (om pah om pah pah)
One person offers the other a taste of something called monkberry moon delight, but the recipient is unaware of what it is

Monkberry moon delight, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Om pah om pah pah) Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Uh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) Monkberry moon delight na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
The song ends with more repetitions of 'monkberry moon delight' and nonsensical sounds, perhaps indicating the overwhelming, confusing effect of the substance or experience referred to in the song

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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