"Monkey Gone to Heaven" as written by and Charles Thompson....
There was a guy
An under water guy 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
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 Joseph, Alberto, Santiago
If Man is five, if Man is five, if Man is five
Then the Devil is six, then the Devil is six
The Devil is six, the Devil is six and if the Devil is six
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
An under water guy 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
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 Joseph, Alberto, Santiago
If Man is five, if Man is five, if Man is five
Then the Devil is six, then the Devil is six
The Devil is six, the Devil is six and if the Devil is six
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
Lyrics submitted by numb, edited by McKean, gregory727
"Monkey Gone to Heaven" as written by Charles Thompson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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In the first verse some kind of underwater worker is killed by all the trash from N.Y and N.J being dumped in the sea. I think the line "this monkey's gone to heaven" refers to this fellow. Humans are 'monkeys' we evolved from them, and this one has died and gone to heaven.
The second verse continues on a broader note, refering to the depletion of the ozone layer ("there's a hole in the sky") and the global warming consequences thereof ("everything's gonna burn...") this is everybody's problem: ("we'll all take turns") and now I think that the line about the monkey going to heaven instead refers to the singer dying due to the collapse of the earths environment.
I've no idea how the final verse relates to this, although I like the interpretation given by tenniel above.
This is the most obvious example.
I think that they are actually referring to how we are destroying the planet and simply for power. Humans evolved from monkeys; evolved being the key word. However, we seem to have the comprehension and foresight of our hominid brothers. I am not saying that monkeys are not intelligent creatures, but you would think that our capacity of understanding would be better. It's kind of ironic really, humans are being referred to as monkeys-destroying the planet and killing each other and all-however, monkeys, as far as observations go, are more in tune with nature. Whereas we humans continually try to find new ways to destroy each other and further distance ourselves from nature.
I think that "the guy undersea" is the ecosystem of the hydrosphere.
As far as man is 5; devil is 6; god is 7 goes... I think that if we were to look at the biblical aspect, we would see that God is the greatest conceived being. Therefore, man starts out at 5, and since we have an obsession with linear time frames, he ends at 7. Man is a priori at birth because he is an innate being; he is 5. He then grows through life and becomes tainted and disillusioned by the want and the need of power. Power consumes man and he would sell his soul to attain as much power as he can consume; now man is at 6, the middle of his life. On man's death bed he realizes that power is not worth anything at the end of his life. Notice how this is all linear. He then dies, and lets go of all the power he has acquired throughout his life and he reaches a state of nirvana; now man is 7.
If God is the ultimate being, and nothing greater than God can be conceived, then it would make sense that on the linear scale, he is the highest and ultimate number. Perhaps the reason he is "7" instead of "10" is because "7" is the highest conceivable state of being.
I think it means something like a grease monkey or just a plain laborer.
The "10 million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey" refers to what became known as "Syringe Tide." Medical waste that was dumped illegally in the Atlantic and escaped from a landfill on Staten island. It then washed up all in various places around New York and New Jersey, particularly the Jersey Shore. A 50 mile slick made it way to NJ shore towns in the summers of 1997 and 1998, ruining both vacation seasons. Hypodermic needles, blood vials and discarded medicine was found among the debris.
As for the Creature in the Sky verse, it refers only to the hole in the ozone layer. That hole, which was found in the stratosphere over the Antarctic, was confirmed in 1985. There was widespread awareness of the hole and the effect if it spread to populated areas. The ozone layer absorbs UVB ultraviolet light from the sun. The cause was CFCs, which reacted with the sun to deplete the ozone. Without the layer, life on earth would be impossible. After the hole was discovered, many feared it could not be reversed, and that life on earth was under threat. A worldwide CFC ban was enacted in 1987. The Antarctic hole still develops every spring, and atmopsheric ozone levels aren't expected to return to pre-1980 levels till as late as 2075.
As for this verse also being a warning about climate change, back in the late 80s, the consensus on the threat posed by rising temperatures was just beginning to form. The possibility that carbon emissions could unnaturally raise the earth's temperatures was first discovered in 1896. It was not until 2001 that scientific debate on the existence of climate change and that it was caused by man ended. Knowledge of the threat posed by climate change in the late 80s was out there, but not widespread.
I believe the remark on the first line being written about Neptune is spot on, but what he was referencing was that we're no longer polytheists because all of our intelligent religion has lead us to another religion (that he thinks is garbage).
The "hole in the sky" is heaven, he's trying to show how ridiculous the prospect is.
The "ground's not cold" implies hell, which again is a sarcasm about "everything's gonna burn, we'll all take turns. I'll get mine too" (everyone burns in hell, right?)
The line "if man is 5, then the devil is 6, then god is 7" is the implication that there are beings beyond us, which again is a sarcasm, that because we're 5 clearly evil is greater, but good is greater than that. the alliteration in the bible of the 6 being the number of the devil and 7 being the number of god is clear, it's to suggest that good is greater than evil in a very primitive sense.
The obvious chorus "monkey gone to heaven" is a sarcasm which in itself alludes to evolution but suggests we still believe we're going to go to heaven.
That's how I see it all anyway. :)
The "monkey" could be the monkey that was on mankind's back for so many years, again, religion. Saying that the monkey is dead by saying it's "gone to heaven" could be another ironic way to mock the idea of religion and afterlife.
But I may be overthinking this. The environmental interpretation makes plenty of sense, too.
and thats great, since its about death to most people
also:
5=the Pentagram
the pentagram is the vehicle for making spiritual energy physical.
we are pentagrams (head, arms, legs)
thus man is 5, devil 6, the Eternal 7,
thats basic numerology
Track 6 - Dead (Devil)
Track 7 - Monkey Gone to Heaven (God)
The number part is supposed to be from Hebrew scriptures. Some kind of hierarchy in the Hebrew religion.
5=the Pentagram
the pentagram is the vehicle for making spiritual energy physical.
we are pentagrams (head, arms, legs)
thus man is 5, devil 6, the Eternal 7,
that's basic numerology, ancient ideas really...