Lyrics Signifyin' Monkey - Billy Butterfield, Oscar Brown Jr., Osie Johnson

Signifyin' Monkey

Said the Signifyin' Monkey to the lion one day
«There's a great big elephant down the way
Goin' round talking, I’m sorry to say
About your mama in a scandalous way
Yes, he’s talking 'bout your mama, and your granma too
And he don’t show too much respect for you
Now you weren’t there and I sure am glad
'Cause what he said about your mama made me mad.»
Signifyin' Monkey, stay up in your tree
You are always lying and signifyin'
But you better not monkey with me
The lion said, «Yeah?
Well I’ll fix him
I’ll tear that elephant limb from limb»
Then he shook the jungle with a might roar
Took off like a shot from a .44
He found the elephant where the tall grass grows
And said, «I come to punch you in your long nose»
The elephant looked at the lion in surprise
And said, «Boy, you better go pick on somebody your size»
The lion wouldn’t listen, he made a pass
The elephant slapped him down in the grass
The lion roared and sprung from the ground
And that’s when that elephant really went to town
I mean he whipped that lion for the rest of the day
And I still don’t see how the lion got away
But he dragged on off, more dead than alive
And that’s when that monkey started his signifyin' jive
Signifyin' Monkey, stay up in your tree
You are always lying and signifyin'
But you better not monkey with me
The monkey looked down and said, «Ooh-wee!
What is this beat up mess I see?
Is that you, lion?
Ha-ha!
Do tell
Man, he whipped your head to a fare-thee-well
Give you a beating like it wasn’t nothing
You supposed to be king of the jungle, ain’t that some stuff?
You big overgrown pussycat, don’t you roar
I’ll hop down there and whoop you some more»
The monkey got to laughing and jumpind up and down
But his foot missed the limb and he plunged to the ground
The lion was on him with all four feet
Ground that monkey to hamburger meat
The monkey looked up with tears in his eyes
And said, «Please, Mister lion, I-I apologize
I meant no harm, please let me go
And I’ll tell you something you really need to know»
Signifyin' Monkey, stay up in your tree
You are always lying and signifyin'
But you better not monkey with me
The lion stepped back to hear what he’d say
And that monkey scampered up a tree and got away
«What I wanna tell you,» the monkey hollered then
«Is if you fool with me, I’ll sic the elephant on you again»
The lion just shook his head and said, «You jive
If you and your monkey children want to keep alive
Up in them trees is where you better stay.»
And that’s where they are to this very day
Signifyin' Monkey, stay up in your tree
You are always lying and signifyin'
But you better not
No you better not
You are always lying and signifyin'
But you better not monkey with me