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Home»News»The Language of the Blues: MONKEY MAN
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The Language of the Blues: MONKEY MAN

Debra DeviBy Debra DeviApril 17, 2015No Comments2 Mins Read
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This is the latest installment of our weekly series, The Language of the Blues, in which author/rocker Debra Devi explores the meaning of a word or phrase found in the blues.


Grab a signed copy of Devi’s award-winning blues glossary The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to ZuZu (Foreword by Dr. John) at Bluescentric.com. Also available as an eBook from Amazon Kindle.

When a woman is in a marriage or committed relationship with a good man, but she keeps fooling around with someone else, that someone else is called her monkey man.LOTB_MonkeyMan

Country blues singer Charley Lincoln (also known as Laughing Charley and Charley Hicks) made his feelings about this situation clear in “Hard Luck Blues”:

Two kind of people in this world, mama, that I can’t stand
That’s a two-faced woman, baby, and a monkey-man

Then there’s the haunting, driving Rolling Stones song “Monkey Man,” which has been covered by Phish and Gov’t Mule. Jagger sings that he’s looking for a “lemon squeezer” and adds:

Well, I am just a monkey man
I’m glad you are a monkey woman, too

Some critics have said the Stones song is about drug addicts, but given what blues fanatics the Stones were, I’ll bet they knew what a monkey man really was. What do you think?

To learn a lot more, pick up a copy of The Language of the Blues today!

 

Pick up a copy of Language of the Blues

 

Songs:
“Chicago Monkey Man”- Ida Cox
“Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues”- Ida Cox
“Big Feeling Blues”- Ma Rainey (Gertrude Pridgett Rainey)
“I’m a Steady Rollin’ Man”- Robert Johnson
Video:
Charley Lincoln – “Hard Luck Blues”

Rolling Stones – “Monkey Man”

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Debra Devi
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Debra Devi is a rock musician and the author of the award-winning blues glossary The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu (foreword by Dr. John). www.debradevi.com

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