Gabriel has been a champion of world music for much of his career. He co-founded the WOMAD festival in 1982. He has continued to focus on producing and promoting world music through his Real World Records label. He has also pioneered digital distribution methods for music, co-founding OD2, one of the first online music download services. Gabriel has also been involved in numerous humanitarian efforts. In 1980, he released the anti-apartheid single "Biko". He has participated in several human-rights benefit concerts, including Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour in 1988, and co-founded the Witness human rights organisation in 1992. Gabriel developed The Elders with Richard Branson, which was launched by Nelson Mandela in 2007.
Gabriel has won three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1987, six Grammy Awards, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, the first Pioneer Award at the BT Digital Music Awards, the Q magazine Lifetime Achievement, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Polar Music Prize. He was made a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his "influence on generations of music makers". In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2006, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. AllMusic has described Gabriel as "one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010, followed by his induction as a solo artist in 2014. In March 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia in recognition of his achievements in music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel
Studio albums
Peter Gabriel (1977; known as Peter Gabriel 1 and Car)
Peter Gabriel (1978; known as Peter Gabriel 2 and Scratch)
Peter Gabriel (1980; known as Peter Gabriel 3 and Melt)
Peter Gabriel (1982; known as Peter Gabriel 4 and Security)
So (1986)
Us (1992)
Up (2002)
Scratch My Back (2010)
New Blood (2011)
Shock the Monkey
Peter Gabriel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cover me through the fire
Something knocked me out' the trees
Now I'm on my knees
Cover me, darling please, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know when you're going to shock the monkey
Rat the rat
You can ape the ape
I know about that
There is one thing you must be sure of
I can't take any more
Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey, hey, hey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
(Monkey) Wheels keep turning
(Monkey) Something's burning
(Monkey) Don't like it but I guess I'm learning
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Cover me when I sleep
Cover me when I breathe
You throw your pearls before the swine
Make the monkey blind
Cover me, darling please, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey, hey, hey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
(Monkey) Too much at stake
(Monkey) Ground beneath me shake
(Monkey) And the news is breaking
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey hey, hey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life
Peter Gabriel's song "Shock the Monkey" is a mysterious and cryptic track that alludes to various ideologies and ideas, including the destructive impulses of humanity and the struggle for power. The lyrics "Cover me when I run, cover me through the fire" suggest that the singer is on the run or in danger and needs protection. They also imply that he has a close and trusting relationship with someone who is willing to provide that protection.
The song then shifts to a chorus that repeats the title phrase "Shock the monkey" along with other animal imagery, such as "fox the fox, rat the rat, you can ape the ape." This imagery suggests a struggle for power and survival as the singer tries to avoid being "shocked" or hurt. The lyrics also suggest a metaphorical blindness of the monkey to the dangers around it.
The final lines of the song repeat the phrase "Shock the monkey" as if to suggest that the struggle for power and survival is ongoing and that it is a defining aspect of human experience.
Overall, "Shock the Monkey" is a haunting and thought-provoking track that speaks to the human experience and the struggle for survival.
Line by Line Meaning
Cover me when I run
Protect me when I flee
Cover me through the fire
Protect me during the inferno
Something knocked me out the trees
An unknown entity caused my fall from the trees
Now I'm on my knees
I am kneeling
Cover me, darling please, hey
Offer me protection, my love
Monkey, monkey, monkey
A reference to the monkey, an agent of chaos in the song
Don't you know when you're going to shock the monkey
Be aware of the monkey's susceptibility to external stimuli
Fox the fox
Manipulate the manipulator
Rat the rat
Betray the betrayer
You can ape the ape
Imitate the imitator
I know about that
I am aware of this tactic
There is one thing you must be sure of
Keep one thing in mind
I can't take any more
I am at my limit
Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey, hey
My love, do not provoke the monkey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
Stimulate the monkey
(Monkey) Wheels keep turning
The metaphorical gears of an unknown process continue to turn
(Monkey) Something's burning
Something is on fire
(Monkey) Don't like it but I guess I'm learning
I dislike the situation, but I am adapting
Shock, shock, shock
Perform a jolting action
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Observe the monkey's suffering
Cover me when I sleep
Protect me while I am asleep
Cover me when I breathe
Protect me while I am taking in air
You throw your pearls before the swine
You are sharing something precious with those who do not value it
Make the monkey blind
Obstruct the monkey's vision
Too much at stake
The consequences are too great
Ground beneath me shake
The ground beneath me is shaking
And the news is breaking
Current events are unfolding
Shock the monkey to life
Jolt the monkey into action
Shock the monkey
Stimulate the monkey
Shock the monkey hey, hey
Perform a jolting action repeatedly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER GABRIEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@evanevans1843
Frankly Peter Gabriel was 10-20 years ahead of his time both visually and musically. These videos still stand up very well, even in 2023.
@brandonmoore7497
I’m listening to Peter Gabriel Shock The Monkey early February 2023
@evanevans1843
@Brandon Moore I remember first hearing Shock the Monkey in the early 80's, still listening to it now and then in the 2020's - that says something! I really liked his Salisbury Hill and Modern Love back in the late 1970's and picked it up as a result. Really like Games with out Frontiers and the album it came off. Peter Gabriel is some sort of performer... 🙃
@chriswaye5212
So true such a well put together song for its time..great jam definatly shocked the monkey.
@mysticaltyger2009
It's a brilliant song. Too bad most people have no idea what it's about. It has a dual meaning. Gabriel says it's about jealousy, which it may be on the surface, but there's a deeper double meaning that is much more disturbing.
@evanevans1843
@mysticaltyger49 dual meanings, often like many good songs. :)
@biffsmallberries5344
Gabriel's voice sits perfectly on the line between Tenor and Baritone, and causes a warbling, a strain that at times sounds so primal - like the howl of a wolf. I think that flexion adds an emotional quality that I find in many of his songs - as if he's 'reaching for it' - and as if he really 'means it.' It's a unique voice for sure. From Genesis to his solo work, his voice adds a definitive touch to the songs that would not be there if a different singer were singing the song.
@devolve42
NPR doesn't need any more music critics, thank you.
@krisscanlon4051
That beautiful reedy nature to that voice...you nailed it ! Keep posting away...love it.
@jtlanci
Yes but what about the monkey?