In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Once upon a time at the foot of a great mountain
There was a town where the people known as happy folk lived
Their very existence a mystery to the rest of the world
Obscured, as it was, by great clouds
Here they played out their peaceful lives
Innocent of the litany of excessive violence that was growing in the world below
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough
Then one day, strange folk arrived in the town
They came in camouflage, hidden behind dark glasses, but no one noticed them
They only saw shadows you see, without the truth to the eyes
The happy folk were blind
Falling out of aeroplanes and hiding out in holes
Waiting for the sunset to come, people going home
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head
Now everybody dancing, the dance of the dead
The dance of the dead, the dance of the dead
In time, the strange folk found their way into the higher reaches of the mountain
And it was there that they found the caves of unimaginable sincerity and beauty
By chance, they stumbled upon the place where all good souls come to rest
The strange folk, they coveted the jewels in these caves above all things
And soon they began to mine the mountain
It's rich seam fueling the chaos of their own world
Meanwhile, down in the town, the happy folk slept restlessly
Their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls
Every day, people would wake and stare at the mountain
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the strange folk mined deeper and deeper into the mountain
Holes began to appear
Bringing with them a cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of the Monkey
For the first time, the happy folk felt fearful
For they knew that soon the monkey would stir from it's deep sleep
Then there came a sound, distant first, that grew into castrophany so immense
That it could be heard far away in space
There were no screams, there was no time
The mountain called Monkey had spoken
There was only fire, and then
Nothing
Oh little town in USA, the time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you when it all came down on me?
Did you call me out?
There was a town where the people known as happy folk lived
Their very existence a mystery to the rest of the world
Obscured, as it was, by great clouds
Here they played out their peaceful lives
Innocent of the litany of excessive violence that was growing in the world below
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough
Then one day, strange folk arrived in the town
They came in camouflage, hidden behind dark glasses, but no one noticed them
They only saw shadows you see, without the truth to the eyes
The happy folk were blind
Falling out of aeroplanes and hiding out in holes
Waiting for the sunset to come, people going home
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head
Now everybody dancing, the dance of the dead
The dance of the dead, the dance of the dead
In time, the strange folk found their way into the higher reaches of the mountain
And it was there that they found the caves of unimaginable sincerity and beauty
By chance, they stumbled upon the place where all good souls come to rest
The strange folk, they coveted the jewels in these caves above all things
And soon they began to mine the mountain
It's rich seam fueling the chaos of their own world
Meanwhile, down in the town, the happy folk slept restlessly
Their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls
Every day, people would wake and stare at the mountain
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the strange folk mined deeper and deeper into the mountain
Holes began to appear
Bringing with them a cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of the Monkey
For the first time, the happy folk felt fearful
For they knew that soon the monkey would stir from it's deep sleep
Then there came a sound, distant first, that grew into castrophany so immense
That it could be heard far away in space
There were no screams, there was no time
The mountain called Monkey had spoken
There was only fire, and then
Nothing
Oh little town in USA, the time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you when it all came down on me?
Did you call me out?
Lyrics submitted by adamr, edited by Spacebutters
Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head Lyrics as written by Jamie Hewlett Damon Albarn
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is an EXTREMELY well put together narrative. Here is my take on it:
To me this song seems like the idealistic fantasies that we all have. In essence we either all want to be Happyfolk or we feel like we already are. The Strangefolk represent reality, in that, there's always going to be someone or something that comes along to ruin happiness for everyone else.
The Happyfolk were innocent and completely blind to the evil the Strangefolk brought b/c they couldn't see their eyes. This is a lot like life itself in that we often can't see when bad things are going to happen even if we have multiple signs (shadows, nightmares, etc.). Its that whole “ignorance is bliss” concept, only amplified.
Ultimately greed leads to the downfall of mankind, and that’s why in digging for the precious jewels, the Strangefolk woke the spirit of the mountain.
There are two ways to interpret the mountain (IMO). You could say that it has always been just a volcano that became active once disturbed, or that there is some true spiritual meaning behind it, in that God punishes those who are evil. But unfortunately, the Happyfolk were caught up in all this, just b/c they couldn't see the eyes of the Strangefolk...
As depressing as it is, I think this song may just be saying, there never can nor will be a land of Happyfolk b/c Strangefolk will always come to inevitably destroy it.
“Oh little town in USA, the time has come to see There's nothing you believe you want But where were you when it all came down on me? Did you come it down on..."
I can’t be sure about this last line, but I think it’s a statement about the U.S. and how we as Americans may feel we have it all over here, but then again we do so little to help foreign nations (Although I don’t really agree with that). Or maybe, just maybe, 2-D is saying that Americans are the Strangefolk and somehow this song ties back to our going to war b/c of 9/11, and the “mining for gems” being one big metaphor for us “digging for oil”.
Also I agree with JeffKaos71 in that castrophony is just catastrophe and cacophony mixed together. While it is indeed a made up word, I think it really works well with the song and gives a more powerful description of the noise and the chaos. For those of you who don’t know, a cacophony is a “harsh discordant sound, or a very loud noise, or group of noises.”
wow well I have been listening to the song and relate it to bp
Agreed. Although you, RTBRAND1, don't think you americans have it all and isn't selfish, it's the image you have to the rest of the world. - Yes a bad image, i have experienced.<br /> But you know. It's only the bad stuff people notice. The good isn't as interesting.<br /> <br />