The Blow Monkeys is a British pop and blue eyed soul group that is best kno… Read Full Bio ↴The Blow Monkeys is a British pop and blue eyed soul group that is best known for its 80s work, particularly the international top 20 pop hit "Digging Your Scene". With their snappy dress sense and androgynous image, the band drew comparisons to new wave and art rock contemporaries such as The Style Council and Roxy Music. Fronted by lead singer and songwriter Dr. Robert (born Bruce Robert Howard, in Haddington, Scotland, on 2 May 1961), the group formed in 1981 upon Howard's return to the U.K. after spending his teen years in Australia. The group gets its unusual name from an offensive term used in Australia, referring to Aboriginals playing the didgeridoo.

In 1984, they released their debut album, 'Limping For A Generation', which took on issues such as the Cold War and the AIDS epidemic, unusually for a pop band. Their first hit was in 1986 with "Digging Your Scene" from their second album, 'Animal Magic'. The single peaked at number 14 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart listing and number 7 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. To the band's delight, the parent album also hit number 35 on the Billboard 200,

In January 1987, 'She Was Only A Grocer's Daughter' was released. The album's biggest hit, "It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way", reached the top 10 in the U.K., although it never charted in the U.S. The band called it quits in late 1990 as the musical scene shifted away from them. Lead singer Dr. Robert then went solo. The band reformed in 2007 and has sporadically toured.

It Doesn't Have to Be This Way
The Blow Monkeys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It doesn't have to be this way
Just counting the hours
'Cause when your bed it's made
Then baby it's too late

There's no hope for a hungry child
Whose joker is wild
They take all hope away

By the end of the day

Well I just about have enough of the sunshine
Hey What did I hear you say?
You know, it doesn't have to be that way
You When you walk out the door
You gonna ask for more

It doesn't have to hurt that way
Just counting the pain
You've only got yourself to blame
For playing the game

There's no hope for a hungry child (no wonder)
Whose joker is wild
And they take all hope
And I just can't see the sense
And my mind's a haze

Well I just about have enough of the sunshine
Hey What did I hear you say?
You know, it doesn't have to be that way
You When you walk out the door
You gonna ask for more

Do you want it?
Do you want it?
Don't you know that I got it baby?
Don't you know I got it baby?

And I just about have enough of the sunshine
Hey What did I hear you say?
You know, it doesn't have to be that way

You When you walk out the door
You better ask for more

Overall Meaning

The Blow Monkeys’s song “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way” is a reflection of the contrast between wealth and poverty, hope and despair. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes that life doesn’t have to be so difficult, but the verses depict a very different reality. The opening lines suggest that time wasted lamenting a situation is pointless because the damage has already been done. The lines “There's no hope for a hungry child / Whose joker is wild” illustrate how societal issues are so deeply ingrained in some people’s lives that it seems almost impossible to overcome them.

The bridge provides a glimmer of hope with the lines “It doesn't have to be that way / You When you walk out the door / You gonna ask for more,” suggesting that it is possible to change one’s circumstances. The song is a poignant reminder of the ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots and how difficult it can be to bridge that divide. However, it also shows that change is possible if we demand it and fight for it.

Line by Line Meaning

It doesn't have to be this way
Things don't have to continue as they are, there's a way out

Just counting the hours
Boredom and anticipation of what's to come

'Cause when your bed it's made
When you've committed, it's too late to change things

Then baby it's too late
It's too late to make any changes, you're stuck now

There's no hope for a hungry child
When you're lacking basic needs, it's hard to hold onto hope

Whose joker is wild
When things are out of control and unpredictable

They take all hope away
The situation is so bad that it's hard to hold onto hope

By the end of the day
At the end of the day, nothing has changed

Well I just about have enough of the sunshine
I'm getting sick of the good times

Hey What did I hear you say?
What are you trying to tell me?

You know, it doesn't have to be that way
Things can be different, there's hope for change