extensive subsequent covers, include:
"29 Ways" – Marc Cohn, Willie Dixon, The Blues Band
"300 Pounds Of Joy" – Howlin' Wolf, Tom Jones & Jools Holland
"After Five Long Years" – Willie Dixon
"As Long as I Have You" – Led Zeppelin
"Back Door Man"[9] – Howlin' Wolf, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Shadows of Knight, Bob Weir
"Big Boss Man" – Jimmy Reed, Elvis Presley, The Animals, The Grateful Dead
"Bring It on Home" – Sonny Boy Williamson II, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, Dread Zeppelin, Johnny Thunders
"Built for Comfort" – Howlin' Wolf, Canned Heat, UFO
"Crazy For My Baby" – Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Willie Dixon
"Crazy Love" – Buddy Guy
"Crazy Mixed Up World" – Little Walter
"Close to You" – Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Doors
"Dead Presidents" – Little Walter, The J. Geils Band
"Diddy Wah Diddy" – Bo Diddley, Captain Beefheart, The Blues Band
"Do Me Right" – Lowell Fulson
"Do the Do" – Howlin' Wolf
"Don't Go No Farther" – Muddy Waters
"Don't Tell Me Nothin´" – Willie Dixon – used in the movie The Color of Money
"Down in the Bottom" – Howlin' Wolf, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
"Earthquake and Hurricane" – Willie Dixon
"Eternity" – Grateful Dead
"Everybody Needs Something" – Little Walter
"Everything But You" – Jimmy Witherspoon
"Everything's Got a Time" – Willie Dixon
"Evil" – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Canned Heat, Captain Beefheart, Monster Magnet, Derek and the Dominos, Gary Moore, Cactus, The Faces, Steve Miller, Koko Taylor
"Flamin' Mamie" – Willie Dixon
"Help Me" – Sonny Boy Williamson II
"Gone Daddy Gone" - the Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano incorporated elements of "I Just Want To Make Love To You" into his track; the former was later covered by Gnarls Barkley
"Grave Digger Blues" – Willie Dixon
"Groanin' the Blues" – Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton
"Hidden Charms" – Howlin' Wolf, Link Wray
"Hoochie Coochie Man"[6] – Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Shadows of Knight, Eric Burdon, The Nashville Teens, Dion, The Allman Brothers Band, Alexis Korner, Steppenwolf, Chuck Berry, Motörhead, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Healey, Manfred Mann
"Howlin' For My Baby" – Howlin' Wolf, George Thorogood
"I Ain't Superstitious" – Howlin' Wolf, The Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, Megadeth, The Jeff Beck Group, Chris Spedding
"I Can't Quit You Baby" – Little Milton, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Gary Moore, Dread Zeppelin, Nine Below Zero
"I Can't Understand" – Los Lobos (co-written with Cesar Rojas)
"I Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" – Willie Dixon
"If the Sea Was Whiskey" – Chris Thile
"I Got What It Takes" – Koko Taylor
"I Just Want To Make Love To You"[6] – Muddy Waters, The Animals, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Shadows of Knight, Mungo Jerry, Grateful Dead, Foghat, The Rolling Stones, Etta James, Van Morrison, Paul Rodgers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, April Wine, Robben Ford, Meat Puppets, Cold Blood
"I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love" – Muddy Waters, Willie Nelson
"I'm Ready"[6] – Muddy Waters, Humble Pie, Buddy Guy, Aerosmith, Long John Baldry, Eric Burdon, George Thorogood, Albert King
"Insane Asylum" – Koko Taylor, Kathy McDonald and Sly Stone, Diamanda Galás, Asylum Street Spankers, The Detroit Cobras, Oxbow feat. Marianne Faithful
"I Don't Play" – Robben Ford
"I Got My Brand on You" – Muddy Waters
"It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" – Styx
"I Want To Be Loved" – Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones
"Let Me Love You Baby" – Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters, B. B. King
"Little Baby" – Howlin' Wolf, The Rolling Stones
"Little Red Rooster"[6] – Howlin' Wolf, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Luther Allison, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Mama Thornton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Love, Life & Money" – Johnny Winter
"Mellow Down Easy" – Little Walter & His Jukes, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Black Crowes, Carey Bell, ZZ Top, Jimmy Reed, Holly Golightly
"Million Dollar Baby" – Dizzy Gillespie
"My Babe"[6] – Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Spencer Davis Group, John P. Hammond, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Othar Turner & The Rising Star Fire and Drum Band
"My Baby's Sweeter" – Little Walter, Fleetwood Mac
"My Captain" – Muddy Waters
"My John the Conqueror Root" – Muddy Waters
"Nervous" – Willie Dixon
"Oh Baby" – Little Walter
"One More Chance With You" – Little Walter
"Pain In My Heart" – Willie Dixon, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, Grateful Dead
"Pie in the Sky" – Willie Dixon
"Pretty Thing" – Bo Diddley, Pretty Things, Canned Heat
"Seventh Son" – Willie Mabon, Mose Allison, Bill Haley, Johnny Rivers, Sting, Climax Blues Band, Long John Baldry
"Same Thing" – The Band
"Sin And City" – Buddy Guy
"Shake For Me" – Stevie Ray Vaughan
"Sit and Cry (The Blues)" – Buddy Guy (co-written with Buddy Guy)
"Spoonful"[6] – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Shadows of Knight, Dion, Paul Butterfield, Cream, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Ten Years After, The Who, Etta James Salty Dog
"Study War No More" – Willie Dixon
"The Same Thing" – Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, George Thorogood, The Allman Brothers Band, Sue Foley, Marc Ford, Grateful Dead
"The Seventh Son" – Willie Dixon
"Study No More" – Willie Dixon
"Third Degree" – Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton, Leslie West
"Tollin' Bells" – Lowell Fulson, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Robert Cray
"Too Late" – Little Milton, Little Walter
"Too Many Cooks" – Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Mick Jagger
"Violent Love" – Otis Rush, The Big Three, Oingo Boingo, Dr. Feelgood
"Walkin' The Blues" – Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, John Kay
"Wang Dang Doodle"[6] – Koko Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, Grateful Dead, Savoy Brown, Box Tops, PJ Harvey, Rufus Thomas, The Pointer Sisters, The Blues Band, Widespread Panic
"Weak Brain, Narrow Mind" – Willie Dixon, Widespread Panic
"When My Left Eye Jumps" – Buddy Guy
"When The Lights Go Out" – Jimmy Witherspoon, Kim Wilson
"Who" – Little Walter
"Wigglin' Worm" – Willie Dixon
"You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At Its Cover" – Bo Diddley, Shadows of Knight, Cactus, The Yardbirds, Beat Farmers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tim Hardin, The Merseybeats, Elliott Murphy, Long John Baldry, The Monkees, Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan.
"You Don't Love Me" – Booker T. & the M.G.s, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills
"You Know My Love" – Otis Rush, Gary Moore
"You'll Be Mine" – Howlin' Wolf, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dr. Feelgood
"You Need Love" – Muddy Waters, Mick Clark Band
"Whole Lotta Love" – Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was appropriated, without credit, from Dixon's "You Need Love". Although the main guitar riff was composed by Jimmy Page himself, Robert Plant based the lyrics on Dixon's song. Dixon and his music publisher received credit and royalties, after a 1985 lawsuit was settled out of court.
"You Need Loving" recorded by The Small Faces in 1965, is another uncredited loose version of the song
"You Shook Me"[9] – Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Dread Zeppelin
"Young Fashioned Ways" – Muddy Waters
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
You may also see Willie Dixon & The Allstars and Chicago Blues Allstars on Last.fm.
Signifying Monkey
Willie Dixon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You call yourself the jungle king
You call yourself the jungle king
I found out you ain't a doggone thing
Said the Monkey to the Lion on the bright summer day,
"There's a big, bad cat livin' down the way
He talked about your folks in a heck of a way
The Lion jumps up all full of rage
Like a Harlem cat that's blown his gauge
He meets the Elephant in the front of the tree
He says, "Now big boy it's you or me"
The Elephant looks him from the corner of his eyes
"You better find someone to fight your size"
The Lion jumps up and makes a fancy pass
But the Elephant knocks him over in the grass
They fought all night and they fought all day
I don't know how the Lion, well he got away
He come back through the jungle more dead than alive
And that's when the Monkey really started his jive
You call yourself the jungle king
You call yourself the jungle king
You call yourself the jungle king
I found out you ain't a doggone thing
Well he waked up his temper when he jumpin' up and down
And his foot missed the limb and his head hit the ground
Like a bolt of light'ning and a streak of heat
The Lion was on him with all four feet
But the Monkey looks up from the corner of his eye
Says, "Now Mr. Lion, I apologize"
The Monkey on his back studies up a scheme
He's tryin' to trick that jungle king
"Be bad with me, I wish you would
I'd tear you up all over the wood"
The Lion jumps up, squares off for a fight
But the Monkey jumped completely out of sight
"So if you bother me again
I'll turn you over to my Elephant friend"
You call yourself the jungle king
You call yourself the jungle king
You call yourself the jungle king
I found out you ain't a doggone thing
The song "Signifying Monkey" by Willie Dixon is about a monkey who uses his wit and trickery to outsmart the lion, who claims to be the jungle king. The monkey tells the lion that there is a big bad cat talking badly about their families, and the lion gets angry and confronts the cat. However, the cat tells the lion that he is not the right size to fight with him and suggests the elephant. The lion then fights with the elephant but gets knocked down in the grass. When the lion returns to the jungle, the monkey starts making fun of him, calling him the jungle king and saying that he is not really a king because he got beat up by the elephant.
The monkey then tricks the lion into thinking that he wants to fight with him and makes the lion angry, but then apologizes and tells him that he was just joking. The monkey then threatens the lion by saying that he will turn him over to his friend, the elephant, if he bothers him again. The song is a metaphorical tale that teaches a lesson about the consequences of arrogance and the importance of using wit and intelligence to outsmart opponents.
Line by Line Meaning
You call yourself the jungle king
The Monkey is belittling the Lion, who fancies himself as the king of the jungle, questioning his claim.
I found out you ain't a doggone thing
The Monkey has discovered that the Lion is not as powerful as he pretends to be.
Said the Monkey to the Lion on the bright summer day,
The Monkey initiates a conversation with the Lion on a summer day.
"There's a big, bad cat livin' down the way
The Monkey tells the Lion that there is a menacing cat in their vicinity and implies that the cat has made disparaging comments about the Lion's family.
He talked about your folks in a heck of a way
The Monkey tells the Lion that the cat insulted his family in a very disrespectful manner.
A lot of other things I'm afraid to say"
The Monkey admits to holding back details that he deems too unpleasant to describe to the Lion.
The Lion jumps up all full of rage
The mention of the cat's insult has enraged the Lion and made him jump up aggressively.
Like a Harlem cat that's blown his gauge
The Lion's reaction is compared to that of a reckless, explosive Harlem street cat.
He meets the Elephant in the front of the tree
The Lion meets an Elephant on his way to confront the cat.
He says, "Now big boy it's you or me"
The Lion confronts the Elephant and challenges him to a fight.
The Elephant looks him from the corner of his eyes
The Elephant sizes up the Lion with a skeptical look from the corner of his eyes.
"You better find someone to fight your size"
The Elephant advises the Lion to fight someone his own size.
The Lion jumps up and makes a fancy pass
The Lion jumps up and attempts to impress the Elephant with a flamboyant move.
But the Elephant knocks him over in the grass
The Elephant easily overpowers the Lion and sends him crashing to the ground.
They fought all night and they fought all day
The Lion and the Elephant fought each other fiercely for an extended period of time.
I don't know how the Lion, well he got away
The Monkey is unsure how the Lion managed to escape from his fight with the Elephant.
He come back through the jungle more dead than alive
The Lion returns to the jungle badly beaten and barely alive.
And that's when the Monkey really started his jive
The Monkey begins to mock the Lion after his defeat by the Elephant.
Well he waked up his temper when he jumpin' up and down
The Monkey further inflames the Lion by jumping up and down, taunting him with his antics.
And his foot missed the limb and his head hit the ground
The Monkey accidentally falls down while jumping on a tree limb.
Like a bolt of light'ning and a streak of heat
The Lion pounces on the Monkey aggressively, like an unstoppable bolt of lightning or a streak of heat.
The Monkey looks up from the corner of his eye
The Monkey slyly looks at the Lion from the corner of his eye.
Says, "Now Mr. Lion, I apologize"
The Monkey apologizes to the Lion for his behavior, but with a hint of insincerity.
The Monkey on his back studies up a scheme
The Monkey, while pretending to be submissive, devises a cunning plan while lying on his back.
He's tryin' to trick that jungle king
The Monkey hopes to deceive the Lion with his scheme.
"Be bad with me, I wish you would
The Monkey taunts the Lion again, daring him to be aggressive.
I'd tear you up all over the wood"
The Monkey brags that he would out-fight and overpower the Lion if provoked into a fight.
The Lion jumps up, squares off for a fight
The Lion assumes a fighting stance in preparation for the Monkey's challenge.
But the Monkey jumped completely out of sight
The Monkey disappears before the Lion can react, avoiding the confrontation.
"So if you bother me again
The Monkey warns the Lion not to provoke him again.
I'll turn you over to my Elephant friend"
The Monkey threatens to have his powerful ally, the Elephant, take revenge on the Lion if he is bothered again.
Contributed by Lincoln H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.