"Monkey Gone to Heaven" was released as the first single from Doolittle in the United States and United Kingdom. As the band had signed to Elektra Records shortly before, the single also marked their first American and major label release. It was critically well-received; Rolling Stone's David Fricke said "Monkey Gone to Heaven" was "a corrosive, compelling meditation on God and garbage". In the years since its release, the song has received several accolades from music publications.
"Monkey Gone to Heaven"'s main theme is environmentalism. The song mainly deals with man's destruction of the ocean and "confusion of man's place in the universe". "On one hand, it's [the ocean] this big organic toilet. Things get flushed and repurified or decomposed and it's this big, dark, mysterious place", Black Francis later said, "It's also a very mythological place where there are octopus's gardens, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, and mermaids." Black Francis came up with the song's hook, "this monkey's gone to heaven", long before the song itself was written. The line itself forms a basis for the song, which revolves around man's relationship with the divine and environmentalism. After Black Francis set the developing lyrics to music, he rushed to lead guitarist Joey Santiago's apartment to play it to him. Joey Santiago later commented on the nascent performance: "It was early in the morning, I was still so tired. [Francis said] 'Hey Joe, I need to come over. I need to show you something.' [...] It was awesome, really good. He had the 'If man is five' part there, and he was laughing. [...] It was hilarious".
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" includes references to numerology in the lyrics "If man is five/then the Devil is six/and God is seven". Francis later expanded on the significance of the lyrics in an interview to Alternative Press, saying "It's a reference from what I understand to be Hebrew numerology, and I don't know a lot about it or any of it really. I just remember someone telling me of the supposed fact that in the Hebrew language, especially in the Bible, you can find lots of references to man in the 5th and Satan in the 6th and God in the 7th. [...] I didn't go to the library and figure it out". The song's numerology is alluded to on the single's cover, which features figures of five, six and seven, and also a monkey with a halo.
Ben Sisario, author of Doolittle 33β , offers a slightly different interpretation of the song: "Neptune, the god of this realm [in reference to Francis' ocean comment], the 'underwater guy who controlled the sea,' hung out down there, the personification of man's relationship with the earth. And what happens to Neptune? He gets 'killed by ten million pounds of sludge from New York to New Jersey.' Same thing with the "creature in the sky," who gets stuck up there in a hole in the ozone layer. Man the divine manifestation effectively dies, and what remains is his degraded animal nature; the chintzy halo stuck on the primate's head is the symbol of that unhappy fall".
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Pixies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An underwater god who controlled the sea
Got killed by ten million pounds of sludge
From New York and New Jersey
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
The creature in the sky
Got sucked in a hole
Now there's a hole in the sky
And the ground's not cold
And if the ground's not cold
Everything is gonna burn
We'll all take turns, I'll get mine too
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
Rock me, Joe
If Man is five, if Man is five, if Man is five
Then the Devil is six, then the Devil is six
Then the Devil is six, the Devil is six
And if the Devil is six
Then God is seven, then God is seven, then God is seven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
This monkey's gone to Heaven
The lyrics of "Monkey Gone to Heaven" by Pixies is a complex blend of themes, ranging from environmental issues to religious beliefs. The song starts with a reference to a man who was a guardian of the sea but was killed by ten million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey. This image sets the tone for the song's main theme - man's mistreatment and abuse of the natural world leading to disastrous consequences. The lyrics depict a scenario where the earth is damaged beyond repair, and there is a hole in the sky. The singer references the devil and God in the song, suggesting that heaven is full, and the earth realm is facing the consequences of man's actions. The chorus, "This monkey's gone to heaven," alludes to the innocence of the animal kingdom compared to the destruction caused by humans.
The song's environmental consciousness is reinforced by the lyrics describing the hole in the sky and the impending doom of everything burning. The underlying message is that humans must take responsibility and take care of the natural world. The lionization of the monkey character can be seen as an acknowledgment in the lyrics of the value of these creatures and their essential role in the ecosystem. The biblical references suggest that humans can control their fate and can choose between good and evil - either taking care of their planet or destroying it. The repeated lyrics of the song's chorus create a hypnotic effect, emphasizing the inevitability of humanity's fate.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a guy
A person who lived underwater, controlling the sea.
An under water guy who controlled the sea
A person who had the ability to control the sea from underwater.
Got killed by ten million pounds of sludge
This person died due to the massive amount of pollution in New York and New Jersey.
From New York and New Jersey
The location where the pollution came from.
This monkey's gone to Heaven
The death of the underwater guy has resulted in his spirit ascending to heaven and becoming a part of the divine.
This monkey's gone to Heaven
The chorus is repeated to emphasize the idea of the spirit of the underwater guy going to heaven.
The creature in the sky
A divine being that exists in the sky.
Got sucked in a hole
The divine being was pulled into a void.
Now there's a hole in the sky
A void exists where the divine being once was.
And the ground's not cold
The world is not as it should be.
And if the ground's not cold
If the world is not as it should be.
Everything is gonna burn
All of humanity will suffer the consequences of their actions.
We'll all take turns, I'll get mine too
All members of humanity will eventually face the consequences of their actions, including the singer.
If man is five, if man is five, if man is five
Humans are intrinsically flawed.
Then the devil is six, then the devil is six
The flaws of humans are only slightly better than that of the devil.
The devil is six, the devil is six and if the devil is six
Repeating the idea that humans are only slightly better than the devil.
Then God is seven, then God is seven, the God is seven
God is the ultimate being and is one level above humans and the devil.
This monkey's gone to Heaven
The chorus is repeated once again to emphasize the idea that the underwater guy has gone to heaven.
This monkey's gone to Heaven
Repeating the same idea once more.
This monkey's gone to Heaven
And once again to finally bring the song to a close.
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Charles Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@americanbuffalo7802
"The reason we don't use guitar so much anymore now is because, you know, there are only a handful of Pixies albums and you can't keep copying them....which is what we've done for so long." Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead.
@fasuto8656
Did he actually say that?
@americanbuffalo7802
@@fasuto8656 Yes. Watch whole video, Radiohead bang on about the Pixies. Quite short, 6 mins or so. But he says it at the 2 min 27 second mark in the linked video.
"The Pixies opening for us is like The Beatles opening for us. I won't allow it." - Thom Yorke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8CnE9dBrNw&ab_channel=MattWright
@nicoldanser1116
Really?? He said that??
@godloveszaza
You quoted that like radiohead led zeppelin or something
@georgeforeman7431
@@godloveszaza I mean, they are at that level at this point
@shrimpflea
"Everything is gonna burn. We'll all take turns. I'll get mine too."
Pretty powerful lines.
@ASandiegoChargers619
shrimpflea
@absentiabenertia5204
If man is 5 and the devil is 6 than god is 7 has always been very powerful. what is lower than 5? what is higher than 7? because those numbers are real too. Also probably most likely fleas stuck to shrimp.
@williamm4812
Ben Kaplan huh?