Monkberry Moon Delight: what's it all about?

Ok...let me state that I absolutely love this song musically. Great off-kilter chord changes, instrumentation, clever backing vocals. But what in the world are the lyrics about. Is it just gibberish attached to a great tune, or is there some story behind the pianos up my nose and the sound of tomato's? Is it the soundtrack to a bad drug experience (a rattle of rats have awoken???)

Again, I love it, but do any Macca experts know what inspired the song?

 

This might help:

Paul McCartney: Monkberry Moon Delight | The Beatles Bible »

 

Paul was likely speaking with Tom Waits prior to putting together the lyrics.

 

I think it just means that he and Linda were really freakin stoned when he wrote it.

 

Excellent ! No further discussion is needed.
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I have no idea but it always gave me a vibe of 'withdrawal' from drugs or alcohol. There's just something about that language that is very hellish and nightmarish, surreal and confused.

 

Thanks! Explains it all. I never knew it was covered by Screamin' Jay Hawkins!

 

I love this song.

 

Special kudos to the poster in the comments section on Beatles Bible who suggests that "Billy Budapest" is actually "Bully, boo the pest" and is a reference to the press picking on Paul.

 

More than that: it was written for Hawkins.

 

I always felt from first hearing this song when it first came out that it had a very sexual connotations, hidden by use use if the absurd. Reading that the McCartney's used monk as a word for milk, only conveys to me my feeling about the song. For those of you who may of had small children around, You may be able to relate about conveying feeling yo your partner, that are not apprioate for litte ears.

I now return you to the "Back Seat Of My Car" .

 

You had a fascinating take on that song in your recording sessions book Luca. I've re-read that entry 3 or 4 times. It's the best, most in-depth breakdown I've yet read or heard. Though you mention he's never explained the lyrics fully, it's still fun to make up our own interpretations.

 

Forum member @Veech had a great interpretation:

Sell me on Paul McCartney's Ram »

 

I was looking for that recently, thanks for tracking it down. For me, MMD is Paul letting loose some anger and frustration at the forces and events that drove him to leave the band. More than any of the other three (probably combined) McCartney loved the group and wanted it to continue. He put so much effort in to trying to keep the thing together that for him to walk away from it he had to be hurting hard. Ram was his first album recorded after the break-up announcement and MMD - along with a couple other tracks - are Paul just getting it out of his system. He likely was influenced by and may have been responding to Lennon's POB in this regard.

 

Veech, that's an awesome interpretation. I think you're right about all of it. For the parts you question, I'll give it a shot off of your assumptions (or truths) cause I like the challenge...

'Crack of enemies' hose'= that's Klein's whip, or it could be the Beatles whip or the critics who bashed 'McCartney'.

'Horrible sound of tomato'= combine the lyric of 'played a dreadful cantata' and 'tomato' and I can picture a poor performer hearing tomatoes splat around him. Off that reference he used the wordplay of ketchup/catsup/catchup for the Beatle reference. It's the only time a tomato can sound horrible-if it's coming at you from the angry audience.

'Well I know that my banana is older than the rest and hair is a tangled beretta'- I always think 'banana' is a dirty reference to him sleeping with more women than the other Beatles. 'Older' being more experienced in this case. He's used goods! LOL

Anyway, great interpretation, even the John/Yoko/bag was interesting, still I think he did have children in mind as well and perhaps he really meant children hiding in a barrel. Paul did mention a 'milk' 'monk' connection involving kids drinking milk-he may have just made up the name.
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Anyone notice Macca's love for the moon in the early 70's?
Monkberry Moon Delight
C Moon
Loup (First Indian on the Moon)
Blue Moon of Kentucky (played live)

 

No idea what its about, but what a fantastic barnstorming song it is!
Better energy and drive than anything on Back To The Egg...sorry BTTE lovers, I know its a personal favourite of many

 

Thanks! I just think that he was trying, at least at a subconscious level, to say something. As I wrote, it's no coincidence that in one verse he says "I stood with a knot in my stomach" which is exactly the words he choose in an interview to define his psycological state in the summer of 1970: "I stood all summer with a knot in my stomach".

 

I don't know half the words in this sing and got no idea what its about. If I want to enjoy a story I will read a book. If I want to enjoy some music I will play RAM. Especially MMD. Oh, and LHL as well. Heck, and the rest of RAM as well. I love everything on this album. Who cares about the words?

 

I love the lyrics. It's nonsensical poetry at his best. McCartney's unbeatable on it. I'm a big fan of his pop imagination. I bet he was just inspired that day and made it up on the spot.

 

Well if he did make it up on the spot, he did a better job than he did on Mumbo a year later but hey I love Wild Life regardless!

 

I was listening to Jay's version for like a year before I even noticed McC wrote it. It fit right in with the rest of his material at the time.

 

It's my favorite ice cream flavor.

 

Well of course the only connection MBMD and BTTE have in common is its writer and performer. Both are from opposite sides of musical environments of which they were conceived. Neither have any other connection and 1979 was a lot different then 1971 coming out of the 60's. Your comparison is like comparing Please Please Me to Let it Be.

 

I think a harder edged 'barnstormer' like Spin It On sounds contrived compared to the spontaneous sounding, freewheeling drive of Monkberry Moon Delight. 1979 must have been a drag man. Unless you were a Punk. But yeah, I get your point. The only connection between Please Please Me and Let It Be is the fact they were both by The Beatles.

 

One of my favorite Macca vocals. I have asked this before, but does anyone know the circumstances whereby Norman Smith recorded a cover of this, with Paul and Linda evident on backing vox?