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Monkberry Moon Delight Lyrics

So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose
And the wind played a dreadful cantata (cantata, cantata)
Sore was I from a crack of an enemy's hose
And the horrible sound of tomato (tomato, tomato)

Ketchup (Ketchup)
Soup and puree
Don't get left behind (get left behind)
Ketchup (Ketchup)
Soup and puree (Soup and puree)
Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)

When a rattle of rats had awoken
The sinews, the nerves and the veins
My piano was boldly outspoken
In attempts to repeat this refrain

So I stood with a knot in my stomach
And I gazed at that terrible sight
Of two youngsters concealed in a barrel
Sucking, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah) ho
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)

Oh

Well, I know my banana is older than the rest
And my hair is a tangled beretta (beretta, beretta)
And when I leave my pajamas to Billy Budapest
And I don't get the gist of your letter (your letter, your letter)

Catch up, (catch up)
Catch some kittens (Catch some kittens)
Don't get left behind (get left behind)
Catch up, (catch up)
Catch kittens (catch kittens)
Don't get left behind (get left behind, get left behind, get left behind)

Oh, monkberry moon delight, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, yeah, yeah, yeah, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Oh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight oh-oh, (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Suckin' monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight, (om pah om pah pah)
(om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
(om pah om pah pah)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
(om pah om pah pah)

Try some of this, honey (om pah om pah pah)
What is it? (om pah om pah pah)

Monkberry moon delight, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
(Om pah om pah pah)
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
(Om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Uh, monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight (om pah om pah pah)
Monkberry moon delight na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
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25 Meanings

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Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

This song is one of the most unpolished, raw songs off 'Ram'. You can hear the fun Macca and Linda had when recording it. I love it. Macca doesn't make 'em like this anymore. Nowadays they go through the polishing machine first.

@Krtski I always liked this tune. The lyrics are more like John Lennon's, very abstract and poetic.Raw? Oh yeah, and thats part of its charm.

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

Great song. Not sure if this is obvious or just my take on the song, but Monkberry Moon Delight is home-brewed whiskey, like White Lightning. And all of the other nonsense is seen thru a drunken haze.
There's a spoken part at the end (I think) where something is said like: Hey, hey, take a sip of this. What is it? Monkerry Moon De-li-i-i-ight. As far as a meaning, that's the best I can come up with. I love the song.

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

A lot of the other songs on RAM are directed towards John Lennon and their famous public slanging match using messages coded in songs ("Dear Boy", "How Do You Sleep" etc.) Because of this I thought some of these lines were part of that.

The pajamas and Billy Budapest could possibly be some sort of sideways comment in reply to John's "Giving all your clothes to charity" and the letter that Paul fails to get the jist of could be a personal note from John or something along those lines.

Also, I thought "Ketchup" was a sort of pun when coupled with "Don't get left behind" (i.e. Catch Up).

Slightly off the wall - Monkberry Moon Delight could be "fame" and the Paul gazed at the terrible sight of two youngsters trapped in a confined space (Beatlemania) and grabbing as much fame as possible despite the fact that it would ultimately destroy their friendship.

Paul is excellent at hiding the intended meaning in imagery and convoluted reference. This is a brilliant example of why he's a genius.

I have to say, for 30+ years I've had a real nasty concept of what this song was about, because of two words I misunderstood. I thought the lyrics were:

"Sore was I from the crack of AN ENEMOUS hose".... "Catsup...SUPER PUREE..."

ROFLMAO.... I thought this song was about someone using ketchup as a TOMATO ENEMA, and that was the real meaning of "Monkberry Moon Delight". So, with that in mind, the the lines "So I stood with a knot in my stomach, And I gazed at that terrible sight OH, DO YOU STAND concealed...

Not Valid

I suspect here some low irony at a bad English speaker, an underpayed piano player at a cheap restaurant. "Wind" is wind band which is louder than piano by far. "Attic" is a narrow place where the piano player has to fit. Yes, he can't tell a "ketchup" from a "catch up", and he mixes other words, too. "Letter" may be some Eastern Europe alphabet of Billy Budapest... But one must speak English well to see the narrator's failours...

Not Valid

@betch252 "dear boy" is NOT about John but Linda's ex husband.

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

Definitely about how fame ruined Paul and John's friendship. Monkberry Moon Delight = Fame Which Paul McCartney views as a drink that makes you sick.

I think this is a hidden sadness on the album about the rivalry. "Sore was I from the crack of an enemy's hose, and the horrible sound of tomato." John's attacks and others criticism (throwing tomatoes).

The two youngsters are of course John and Paul, sucking down the addictive substance.

"Catch up cats and kittens, don't get left behind." Paul misses the innocence he had before being famous.

"I don't get the gist of your letter." He doesn't understand what John wants from him, or what he is saying about Paul in his songs.

I think the reason these meanings are so veiled is that Paul was too stubborn/embarrassed to back down from the rivalry.

what's the line "don't get left behind" all about?

Not Valid

it's a cut at John

Not Valid
Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

I think it's about fucking a chick while she's on the rag.

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

I've followed McCartney (The Beatles) since they first hit the airwaves. I'll add my opinion of Monkberry Moon Delight for posterity. I don't think it is about drugs. Sorry, druggies. It's abstract. Paul M. is a long time fan of abstract art. It's his lyrical contribution (many others as well) to this art genre. He has a great book out some years ago filled with his own abstract art.

My Opinion
Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

I love these remarks, they remind me of my young days when we would take apart all Beatles lyrics looking for the hidden message. I don't think this has any hidden meanings at all. Just a fun silly song. I read that this was written about his children and their play on words. Who knows? I just know I love this song

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

Tripped up song

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

This is so song is fuckin' off the wall. Especially when you listen to it high.

Cover art for Monkberry Moon Delight lyrics by Paul McCartney

This is so song is fuckin' off the wall. Especially when you listen to it high.