Mad Dogs and Englishmen
The Easy Virtue Orchestra & Andy Caine Lyrics
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When all the citizens retire to take their clothes off and perspire
It's one of those rules the greatest fools obey
Because the Sun is far too sultry and one must avoid its ultra-violet rays
The natives grieve when the White Men leave their huts
Because they're obviously....definitely....Nuts!
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve till one
But Englishmen detest-a siesta
In the Philippines they have lovely screens to protect you from the glare
In the Malay States there are hats like plates which the Britishers won't wear
At twelve noon the natives swoon and no further work is done
But mad dogs and Englismen go out in the midday sun
It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see
That though the English are effete, they're quite impervious to heat
When the White Man rides, every native hides in glee
Because the simple creatures hope he will impale his solar topi on a
tree
It seems such a shame when the English claim the Earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Ho=ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho
He-he-he-he-he-he-he
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun
They put their Scotch or Rye down and lie down
In a jungle town where the Sun beats down to the rage of man and beast
The English garb of the English Sahib merely gets a bit more creased
In Bangkok at twelve o'clock they foam at the mouth and run
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this foolish habit
In Hong Kong they strike a gong and fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps there is peace from
twelve till two
Even caribous lie around and snooze for there's nothing else to do
In Bengal to move at all is seldom if ever done
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday sun
The Easy Virtue Orchestra's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" is a humorous take on the legacy of British colonialism, specifically the bizarre habit of English colonizers to venture out into the scorching midday sun in tropical climes. The opening verse sets the stage, describing the locals' custom of taking a midday break from the heat, contrasted with the English, who are "impervious to heat" due to their upbringing in a cooler climate. The chorus chides this behavior, noting that even "mad dogs" are smart enough to avoid this madness.
As the song continues, it takes on a gradually more sarcastic tone, as the singer describes the perplexed reactions of locals to the English, and how the English seem to revel in this. The song takes on a political undercurrent, as the singer points out how "mad" it is that England has been able to colonize so much of the world, despite their baffling behavior. The final moments of the song seem to suggest that the Europeans' obsession with conquering and dominating comes at a steep price, as the laughter of the locals echoing in the jungle seems to mock the English.
Overall, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" is a playful but subversive satire that pokes fun at the absurdity of colonialism and the arrogance of European conquerors.
Line by Line Meaning
In Tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire to take their clothes off and perspire
It's one of those rules the greatest fools obey
Because the Sun is far too sultry and one must avoid its ultra-violet rays
In tropical climates, people know to take breaks when it is hot outside. Some people may be dedicated to their work to the point they keep working in the heat. This is not advisable because the sun is too hot and it's best to avoid the UV rays that come with it.
The natives grieve when the White Men leave their huts
Because they're obviously....definitely....Nuts!
Natives in tropical climates are puzzled by white visitors who leave their huts during the hottest time of the day. They think those visitors must be crazy to do this.
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve till one
But Englishmen detest-a siesta
Only foolish people (like mad dogs and Englishmen) go out when the sun is hottest. Other cultures understand the importance of taking a break in the middle of the day. However, English people dislike taking a siesta and would rather be active even when it's hot outside.
In the Philippines they have lovely screens to protect you from the glare
In the Malay States there are hats like plates which the Britishers won't wear
At twelve noon the natives swoon and no further work is done
But mad dogs and Englismen go out in the midday sun
In the Philippines, there are screens to protect people from the sun's glare. In the Malay States, there are wide hats that English people won't wear. Locals understand it's best to take a break when the sun is too hot to work, but Englishmen continue to go out then anyway.
It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see
That though the English are effete, they're quite impervious to heat
When the White Man rides, every native hides in glee
Because the simple creatures hope he will impale his solar topi on a
tree
People in the East are surprised to see that even though Englishmen may seem weak, they are able to handle the heat. But when they see a white person out in the sun, locals are happy because they hope the person will accidentally hurt themselves.
It seems such a shame when the English claim the Earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Ho=ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho
He-he-he-he-he-he-he
Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm
It's ironic that English people have claimed much of the world but are still unable to deal with the heat. Other cultures find this amusing, which is reflected in the onomatopoeias of laughter.
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun
They put their Scotch or Rye down and lie down
Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the heat of the midday sun. Even the toughest Burmese bandit can't understand why someone would do this. Natives in Rangoon understand it's best to take a break during the heat of the day, so they stop work and relax with a drink.
In a jungle town where the Sun beats down to the rage of man and beast
The English garb of the English Sahib merely gets a bit more creased
In Bangkok at twelve o'clock they foam at the mouth and run
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
In a jungle town, English people's clothing gets sweaty and wrinkled because of the intense heat. In Bangkok, locals are driven crazy by the heat and run around frantically. But Englishmen don't let the sun's intensity stop them from going out in the middle of the day.
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this foolish habit
In Hong Kong they strike a gong and fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late
Only foolish people go out in the heat of the midday sun. Even the smallest Malay rabbit deplores this. In Hong Kong, they fire a gun at noon to remind those who are running late that they are foolish to be out in the heat.
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps there is peace from
twelve till two
Even caribous lie around and snooze for there's nothing else to do
In Bengal to move at all is seldom if ever done
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday
Out in the midday sun
Even in the swamps, animals and people know it's best to relax during the hottest time of the day. In Bengal, people rarely move around in the midday sun. But mad dogs and Englishmen are always out in the heat of the midday sun.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NOEL COWARD, NOEL PIERCE COWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind