Lyrics
Well, I had a little monkey; he had a long, long tail,
I put him in a cage, to the monkey it was jail,
How he rattled on those bars without giving me a rest,
‘Til I opened up that cage and saw my monkey at his best.
He went swinging on the lampshades, climbing on the chairs,
Swinging on the curtains and climbing up the stairs,
Squeezing out the toothpaste and climbing on my desk,
Ripping up my papers; the house was sure a mess!
Well, I caught my little monkey, put him back in his cage,
But he looked so very sad, and then he showed his rage,
How he rattled on those bars without giving me a rest,
‘Til I opened up that cage and saw my monkey at his best.
He went swinging on the lampshades, climbing on the chairs,
Swinging on the curtains and climbing up the stairs,
Squeezing out the toothpaste and climbing on my desk,
Ripping up my papers; the house was sure a mess!
Well, my monkey wasn’t happy; I knew where he should be,
But the jungles were too far, many miles across the sea,
So, I took him to the zoo, ‘cause I needed a little rest,
Now I visit once a week and see my monkey at his best.
He goes swinging through the branches, climbing up the trees,
Sliding down the ropes, making funny faces at me,
Hanging by his tail, while he chats with all his friends,
I know that he is happy. Now this monkey tale can end!
This song is a mostly true story about a monkey named Chico. He was a pet living on my cousin’s farm. When our family visited the farm, I watched with amazement how the mischievous Chico roamed freely, often riding pigs’ backs and throwing eggs at the chickens!
Rosalie Moscoe