Look at All Those Monkeys!

Look at All Those Monkeys! - meaning Summary

Playful Social Satire

Spike Milligan's poem stages a child's literal reading of animals to expose social absurdities. A boy suggests monkeys should "go out to work" and earn wages, prompting his parent to ridicule the idea while the poem folds in transport rules for Pekinese and a comic image of an elephant raising its hat. The poem treats adult conventions and class concerns with playful nonsense, turning a child's observation into a gentle social satire.

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Look at all those monkeys Jumping in their cage. Why don't they all go out to work And earn a decent wage? How can you say such silly things, And you a son of mine? Imagine monkeys travelling on The Morden-Edgware line! But what about the Pekinese! They have an allocation. 'Don't travel during Peke hour', It says on every station. My Gosh, you're right, my clever boy, I never thought of that! And so they left the monkey house, While an elephant raised his hat.