Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Cover me when I run
Cover me through the fire
Something knocked me out' the trees
Now I'm on my knees
Cover me, darling please, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know when you're going to shock the monkey
Fox the fox
Rat the rat
You can ape the ape
I know about that
There is one thing you must be sure of
I can't take any more
Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey, hey, hey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
(Monkey) Wheels keep turning
(Monkey) Something's burning
(Monkey) Don't like it but I guess I'm learning
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Cover me when I sleep
Cover me when I breathe
You throw your pearls before the swine
Make the monkey blind
Cover me, darling please, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey, hey, hey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
(Monkey) Too much at stake
(Monkey) Ground beneath me shake
(Monkey) And the news is breaking
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey hey, hey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life
Cover me through the fire
Something knocked me out' the trees
Now I'm on my knees
Cover me, darling please, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know when you're going to shock the monkey
Fox the fox
Rat the rat
You can ape the ape
I know about that
There is one thing you must be sure of
I can't take any more
Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey, hey, hey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
(Monkey) Wheels keep turning
(Monkey) Something's burning
(Monkey) Don't like it but I guess I'm learning
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Cover me when I sleep
Cover me when I breathe
You throw your pearls before the swine
Make the monkey blind
Cover me, darling please, hey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey, hey, hey
Shock the monkey, hey yeah
(Monkey) Too much at stake
(Monkey) Ground beneath me shake
(Monkey) And the news is breaking
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock, shock, shock
Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey hey, hey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey
Shock the monkey to life
Lyrics submitted by magicnudiesuit, edited by Rickdickulous420
Shock The Monkey Lyrics as written by Peter Gabriel
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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As someone else wisely pointed out, many specific/linear interpretations of this song will work. It could definitely be related to things like drug use, masturbation, etc. But I get much more out of the song when I think of it metaphorically and relate it to the human psyche, which is what the video is trying to bring out imo.
In the video for Shock The Monkey, we see a business man in a suit trapped in a very dark, uncomfortable room with lights flashing in from the outside. This room represents the physical/material world. The lights are very invasive, which indicates feelings of paranoia/fear. We also see a few quick flashes of a statue of a human head with stones underneath the skin. This is symbolizing the split between modern man and his inner psyche (i.e. his connection to the spiritual realm is frozen or cut off... in other words, it has turned to stone).
The man sits down at a desk, opens his briefcase, and takes out some paper with the words "shock the monkey" written on it in different languages. There's also a projector playing a movie showing monkeys. The man becomes increasingly frustrated and scared, as he can't seem to keep his desk from violently shaking and disrupting his work. This represents his inability to control his repressed inner demons which are now bubbling to the surface in a disruptive way.
His specific "demons" are difficult to identify from the video alone, but the lyrics of the song (and other comments made by Peter Gabriel) definitely indicate that these are feelings of jealousy in relation to a woman (that's why he specifically says "darling" in a few lines). But again, the main idea is that this man cannot control his fear because he keeps trying to repress it instead of dealing with it in a healthy manner. So we see the man become exhausted trying to push these feelings back down, as he slumps back into his chair.
The camera then fades over to the same man in a similarly-structured room. Only now, the man and the room look much different. He's dressed in white, and his skin is also painted white. This represents the man as a spiritual being... a being of light and energy who is not living in constant fear because in the spiritual realm, nothing is repressed... so there's nothing to really be afraid of (or to be jealous of, to be addicted to, to covet, etc.). You'll notice that he's sitting comfortably at his desk, and lets white chips fall from his hands. This shows that he is not afraid to "let the chips fall where they may". He's able to comfortably work around the things in his environment that he cannot control.
In this room, we also see that the lights are located on the inside this time, rotating around and making the room much brighter and dynamic than the previous one (indicating that this spiritual being understands that his fears come from within himself and they are malleable, just like the physical world). He sits cross-legged on the floor in a meditative position, holding two red sticks that he apparently uses to create a spark. I'm not sure of the exact significance of the sticks, but I think they're generally symbolic of the initial spark (or "shock") that ignites man's desire to reconnect with his spirit (or his unconscious, or whatever you wanna call it). This might also be referred to as "the process of individuation", "alchemical transformation", "rehabilitation", etc. These are all essentially the same idea that this song is describing.
Anyways, this "spark" ignites a circle of flames that surrounds the spiritual man sitting on the floor (showing that he is in perfect balance), while the paranoid material-man runs frantically through a forest (completely unbalanced, and victimized by his unconscious). As the spiritual man meditates in the fire ring, we see the paranoid material-man jump through the ring after being submerged in water. This shows us that the man is starting to become in-touch with his spiritual self. His unconscious spirit is shocking his conscious self, which initially makes things even more uncomfortable for him in the physical realm ("don't like it, but I guess I'm learning"). That's why it starts to rain in his dark room, and the ceiling starts to fall.
Then we see the spirit-man in the white room letting chips fall on the table again, while he laughs at a shadow of a monkey on the wall. He's laughing because he is in touch with his shadow-self. His shadow doesn't weigh him down, as opposed to the paranoid material-man whose monkey is much more than just a shadow on the wall. It comes in the form of midget people who literally hang on his back and arms, pulling him down and rendering him virtually immobile.
The spirit-man then flips one of the white chips as if it's a coin-toss, and then we enter a new room with a "gabriel" sign on the door. This new room is the material-man's new office. This new room is much more spacious and comfortably lit from the inside. You can also notice the statues on his desk, which are the same statues that we got quick flashes of in the beginning of the video. These statues represent his former paranoid, fearful self that is now dead. The material-man appears much more relaxed as he flips a coin just as his spirit-self did.
Finally, we flash back to the paranoid version of the material-man who has his head down on his desk. This means that he's been dreaming of the scene we just saw in his ideal, comfy office where he's a much calmer version of himself. This tells us that he's had a vision of a better life for himself because he's becoming more in-touch with his whole psyche, not just his ego-self. That's why when he wakes up from the dream, we see that his face is painted white just like the spirit-man. He has "shocked the monkey to life", and is on his way to becoming a more enlightened human being who can live a richer, fuller life.
Wow! Amazing,I love it because you have alot of what I had suspected about the song too. Best line to me is;"Fox,the fox. Rat,the rat. You can ape the ape".
Hi Rejesterd, I agree with you 100%. I totally admire Gabriel and think he's a genius. I've always been moved by his songs as multi-layered inferential narratives into the subconscious mind.... If only I understood some of the more deeper psyche meanings as clearly as I do now!
@rejesterd <br /> Wow. <br /> Analyze much?<br /> And I don't mean that badly
@rejesterd Nice analysis
@rejesterd
I agree with most of what you see here. However, I feel it is definitely possible that it is more a reference to Evolution and that at times he feels the struggle beteween animal man and modern "Freudian" man or Super Ego vs ID. That it is more about faith he wantss to believe in spiritual man but has come to know only APE man that is really in control. He has tried to find refuge in the love or lady of his life and only feels all is well when she "covers" him...here no matter what none of that matters because he finds refuge in her love or acceptance. This only provides him with temporary relief though...in the end youare what you are fox the fox..ape the ape he cannot force the ape to be as civilized or spiritual as he wishes
@rejesterd First off, you put a lot of thought into this and for that A+. Just so you know this was inspired by Jealousy. I know first hand where that came from but promised never to share but again, you are a gem. Good day Mate
@rejesterd <br /> Consider the lyrics below with the interpretted context in [brackets] beneath each respective line: <br /> <br /> Cover me when I run<br /> [Drug run- when he is running to get the cocaine, or when he is high and speeding from the high]<br /> Cover me through the fire<br /> [Either when he's using a flame to cook the coke into crack or using the flame to smoke it, or both ]<br /> Something knocked me out the trees<br /> [Trees referring to where and when he was high AF on crack]<br /> Now I'm on my knees<br /> [Figuratively in agony and in submission from the cravings, or literally on his knees carpet creeping hoping to find any last tiny little bits he had dropped, desperate for the rush from just one more crack hit, or both]<br /> Cover me, don't you monkey with the monkey<br /> [Lie for him, and don't mess with him in his monkey mind state, or mess with the monkey, crack]<br /> <br /> Monkey, monkey, monkey<br /> Don't you know when you're going to shock the monkey<br /> [Make the crack or mess with him in his withdrawing, craving, animalistic state]<br /> <br /> Fox the fox<br /> [Have to be sly]<br /> Rat on the rat<br /> [If he gets caught, he'll flip and give up his coke dealer]<br /> You can ape the ape<br /> [A person can fool a person]<br /> I know about that<br /> [Because he's already done so (fooled people)]<br /> There is one thing you must be sure of<br /> I can't take anymore<br /> [Can't take any more of the crack experience, specifically him running out, or can't take any more of her chastising or lecture]<br /> Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey<br /> [Don't mess with him or the crack]<br /> <br /> Monkey, monkey, monkey<br /> [Him withdrawing, the crack]<br /> Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey<br /> [She's going to mess with him or succumb to the temptation and cook crack for herself, or cook crack for him]<br /> <br /> Wheels keep turning<br /> [Thinking how can he get more]<br /> (Monkey)<br /> Something's burning<br /> [The cooking, the smoking, or the desire for more crack]<br /> (Monkey)<br /> Don't like it but I guess I'm learning<br /> [Doesn't like the severe cravings and is learning that whoever had warned him about the cravings from smoking crack was right]<br /> <br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey<br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey<br /> <br /> Cover me, when I sleep<br /> Cover me, when I breathe<br /> You throw your pearls before the swine<br /> [The person who turned him onto crack telling him, "Oh, once you try this crack, you'll think snorting it is a waste moving forward, because the high is SO MUCH MORE INTENSE AND BETTER!"]<br /> Make the monkey blind<br /> [Peter is already a snorter coke head, and the temptation to feel what is a "snort coke buzz to the tenth power" when smoked as crack is absolutely irresistible, despite knowing the risk of deep addiction]<br /> Cover me, don't you monkey with the monkey<br /> <br /> Monkey, monkey, monkey<br /> Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey<br /> <br /> Too much at stake<br /> (Monkey)<br /> [Addiction]<br /> Ground beneath me shake<br /> (Monkey)<br /> [Realizing that crack is so good that he may have an addiction]<br /> And the news is breaking<br /> [E.g., "Gabriel was found smoking crack," or "Gabriel checked into rehab," as reported by the media.]<br /> <br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey<br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Shock!<br /> Watch the monkey get hurt, monkey<br /> <br /> Shock the monkey<br /> Shock the monkey<br /> Shock the monkey<br /> <br /> Shock the monkey to life<br /> [Pouring cold water over the still hot cocaine oil is the last step in processing cocaine into crack. This last step is bringing "the monkey" that will be on Gabriel's back into reality and bringing this potential to life]<br /> (Shock the monkey to life)<br /> Shock the monkey to life, hey, hey<br /> (Shock the monkey to life)<br /> Shock the monkey to life<br /> (Shock the monkey to life)<br /> Shock the monkey to life, hey, hey<br /> (Shock the monkey to life)<br /> Hey, hey, hey<br /> <br /> Shock the monkey<br /> Shock the monkey<br /> Shock the monkey<br /> Shock the monkey to life
I agree with the comments that many interpretations possible. Never knew Gabriel had given his intended meaning as it being about jealousy, but the earlier comments have well described some interpretations along those lines, some of which work for me.
I like Isaac Asimovs comment (elsewhere) about interpretation of creative writing by the author not being sacrosanct. The words mean what they are read to mean, and that can be vastly different to what was intended when written. Although, I am pretty sure Gabriel would have been quite deliberately allowing himself many meanings along with his original personal focus for the song about jealousy.
Just a small correction about the lyrics - I think the song actually says "rat on the rat" - a familiar animal metaphor for some human behaviour, similar to the other adjacent ones, "fox the fox", "ape the ape" and "dont ... monkey with the monkey" - whereas its quoted above as "rat the rat" (which is meaningless without the preposition, unless you are introducing 3 animals a fox, a rat, and an ape, whose names are fox, rat, and ape, which is inconsistent with the monkey phrase shortly after, which correctly includes the preposition "with").
I read the song to be about coping with life in the world as it is, with lots of stuff going on that we would rather not be a party to, or not even aware of, nor to suffer the consequences ("cover me"). But just as the electro-shock experiments done on monkeys are a vile corruption of ANY serious concept of human decency, by scientists who are self absorbed and/or self serving, all sorts of things are continuing to happen (wheels keep turning) and no matter how painful it is for a decent person to absorb the influences of those things, eventually we realise, if we are sentient, that a lot of what goes on is important and is something we are part of ("too much at stake", "and the news is breaking") and those things make us realise we need to act to bring wrongs to an end ("shock the monkey to life").
Hard not to like a song that speaks so powerfully about ethics as the lyrics of this one can be interpreted to do, regardless of whether the main intention of the songwriter was about jealousy.
masturbation? are you kidding me? why is it everyone thinks every song written is either about masturbation, drugs, or satan worship? fuck!
Media dictates the way people in today's society think. Sex sells, didn't you know?<br /> I am not saying that I agree with this song being about masturbation. However, I do agree with Putinsolitary in regard to hedonism. Monkeys are lower on the evolution scale... yet we can be compared to the animalistic behaviour, or hedonistic pleasure of a monkey.
It's about jealousy.
@division2ronin "something knocked me out of the trees, now I'm on my knees" ...we were aggressive, murderous apes only a hundred thousand years ago, but some mutation occurred which metaphorically knocked us out of our arborial habitats, and made us see truth and feel guilt...
He had left Genesis and quit drugs and alcohol. Started a new life. Years had passed.
He left a lot of things behind and moved on. One of the things that kept him grounded was his relationship.
Early in the video, he is a detective. He thinks his girl has been cheating on him. Evidence is piling up.
He's on the run again. Like he was in the 70's. Through the woods. The relationship that kept him grounded is now eroding, and he sees it.
He's thinking about going back to drugs and alcohol, but holds on. After all he has been through, his girl cheating on him is the thing that might shock the monkey that had been on his back.
In the later stages of the video, his head is on the desk. He now knows it's true and is in despair. Should he turn to intoxicants to escape? That is the question...
@pinscher777 excellent!
As always I look at lyrics in a poetic sense; so this is my analysis of the symbolisms.
I think that the monkey is a symbol for the basic mamalian self and the hedonistic desires. The shocking of the monkey represents multiple things: first the shock is the semi-literal sence of electricution (semi-literal, meaning that the humanity hates and hurts itself for taking part in hedonistic behaviors). Another meaning for shock is for the surprise that the "monkey" feels when it finds that it's needs are not being met in the culture.
Hedonism: an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good.
so technically the idea that the song is about masterbation fits into the symbalism.
Might it be referring to people with no individuality? "Shock the monkey to life" meaning trying to get through to such a person.
Peter said in a somewhat recent live performance (one you can stream from his site, I think) that this is a song about jealousy.
It makes sense if the shock is finding out about a lover, particularly given the expression "spank the monkey", so this time it's not about masturbation, the monkey's been shocked by something a partner has done. "Don't like it but I guess I'm learning" is nice because it relates both to animal experimentation & discoveries about a relationship.
Rock(ed) and Now Rolling again!
If this song is indeed about jealousy, couldn't it actually be referring to "shocking" the monkey on your partner's back? After all, don't we all have a monkey on our backs? I personally like the inner self shocking the world around him. "Watch the monkey get hurt" says to me that from a spiritual standpoint the monkey has been upset by this person's real self. I think you could apply jealousy to that animalistic instinct inside us all. I love this song and how you can really feel a sense of strong emotion taking hold. It will always be a classic no matter how many interpretations are made.
@Rbeals76 <br /> I'm never exactly sure what this song's true meaning is. I think it speaks to his psychopathy, his frustration and his need to fuel a fire, shake things up. Question the status quo. I dig