Inspired by Paul McCartney’s children’s use of wordplay, ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ featured lyrics chosen more for their phonetic sound than their meaning.
The title was derived from an alternative word for milk that the McCartney children used. Further inspiration came from the 1959 Leiber and Stoller song ‘Love Potion No. 9’, recorded by The Searchers.
When my kids were young they used to call milk ‘monk’ for whatever reason that kids do – I think it’s magical the way that kids can develop better names for things than the real ones. In fact, as a joke, Linda and I still occasionally refer to an object by that child-language name. So, monk was always milk, and monkberry moon delight was a fantasy drink, rather like ‘Love Potion No. 9’, hence the line in the song, ‘sipping monkberry moon delight’. It was a fantasy milk shake.
‘Love Potion No. 9’ featured a similarly surreal tale as McCartney’s later song, in which a man looking for love speaks to a gypsy who sells him the titular potion. It causes him to fall in love with all he sees, including a policeman on the street.
‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ takes the surrealism a step further, defying interpretation and logic to present an Edward Lear-esque stroll through the lighter recesses of McCartney’s imagination. As with The Beatles’ ‘Glass Onion’, it was almost a direct challenge for those fans who looked avidly for hidden meanings in his songs to spend hours poring over his wild free-association in search of autobiographical clues.
Well I know my banana is older than the rest
And my hair is a tangled Beretta
But I leave my pyjamas to Billy Budapest
And I don’t get the gist of your letter
While the music is a light canter, McCartney’s vocals were strident and strained, recalling his classic rock ‘n’ roll performances in such songs as ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Oh! Darling’. Linda McCartney provided the perfect counterpoint with her backing vocals, delivered without affectation.
‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ was one of two Ram songs included in Blackbird Singing, McCartney’s 2001 collection of lyrics and poetry. It featured in the section headed The Business. The other Ram song in the book was ‘Heart Of The Country’.
‘Monkberry Moon Delight’ I liked, so much so that it’s in my poetry book.
Mojo, July 2001
McCartney’s gruff delivery was influenced by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, who recorded his own version of the song for his 1979 album Screamin’ The Blues. McCartney used Hawkins’ version in his pre-concert tape on his 1993 tour.
There are so many artists that influence anything I do. ‘Three Legs’ would have been influenced by blues artists, and ‘Smile Away’ would have been influenced by people like Jerry Lee Lewis. The vocals are always influenced by someone, that’s just the way it is, but Screamin’ Jay Hawkins definitely on ‘Monkberry Moon Delight’. I mean, when we first heard that record ‘I Put A Spell On You’, we couldn’t believe it, because he starts off relatively sane and then he totally just loses it! You can imagine us young kids hearing that and thinking it was fantastic.
paulmccartney.com
This Monkberry Moon Delight is clearly a song meant to please his kids. I remember Billy Budapest as a kids pajama design. There are kids references in every line, even the ones about the mice. It’s a wonderful play with words which builds on the fact that he had a great family life.
i’ve been searching for a long time for the answer to who is billy budapest. he designed pajamas? any more info?
Yes, as I read the history of Monk Berry Moon Delight, I have 2 sons & I don’t remember them having any
strange language or saying any words that sounded strange, but I guess I guess in England words are
pronounced differently.
But, the front of the song have some strange lyrics-So I sat in the attic, a piano up my nose. that I would really like too see, Paul put a piano up his nose, while being in the attic.
3-23-2023 U.S.A. Pa
I bought RAM when it was released; and I was in my late teens.
Now, I’m in my late 50’s, and a couple of weeks ago I started playing RAM again, on CD in my car. It’s still great fun to be tapping along to this music as I drive around. I feel like a teenager again!!
My feelings exactly, M. Walsh. I have had the songs singing in my head for a few days now. I first bought it on an LP when it came out, then a tape, replacing that with a DVD. Now I have it downloaded to my personal device and it still sounds great. Maybe not artistically mature or perfected, but I LOVE IT!!
Soon, you’ll have it just chipped into your brain.
It already is, in a manner of speaking.
Great song.; A little weird and wild but sheer genius.
I live in north central MD where there is a town of Monkton. Walking through the wine section of a local store, a bottle caught my eye. I snickered then started laughing. No one had any idea what I was on about. I had spotted a selection of local wines, “Monkton Moon Delight.”
Had to buy a bottle. Not bad either.
Outstanding!!!!! (-Rich, formerly from Pikeville)
I love ram.brilliant!! great then great now.
Sounds just like John in this one!
Its all about JL his acidic letters to The Melody Maker slagging off McCartney..”Don`t get the gist of your letter”…(after The Beatles split)…1970`s onward. “Catch up SUPER FURY,don`t get left behind”…Monkberry Moon Delight ex Strawberry fields…replay with backchat to JL in mind…it all fits!!
I thought it said “catch up super fury” too, but the lyrics posted by Genius Lyrics sat “Ketchup, soup and puree,” so which one is right? I would SWEAR I hear “catch up, super fury…” but MetroLyrics has “catch up, soup and puree” if these were indeed childrens’ lyrics and especially considering the McCartney’s vegetarian slant, this would make sense. There are no lyrics in my cd jewel case.
It is “soup and puree”. However all the lyrics I’ve seen on the internet so far lack several corrections. Like “piano up my nose” is actually “a killer overdose” and the horrible sound of “tomato” should be “tabutta”. I used to have the songbook for RAM years ago, and from memory I know it said “ta-but-ta” which could be a reference to French oboe teacher “Tabuteau”. Also “Catch up.. cats and kittens” is actually “catch a, nest of kittens” .. there’s more, but I’m not going to list it all.
Thousand thanks for this article.
I was 16 years when I heard this song for the first time. Now I am 56 (and I am still a Beatles fan;… since 1970).
I am French. My english level is medium, every time I listen a Beatles song I try to understand the lyrics.
But this song was very very hard to me :(. … until today !
Your explanations are clear and, I could say that it’s obvious for me now (in the nonsense for non-children)
Thanks again.
Your site is more than good
Oh, well I am American so my English is below medium level. I thought I read somewhere it was “catsup, soup and puree”, three things made from tomatoes. But then a Scotsman/Englishman wouldn’t know what Catsup was.
Thank you for this article! I am fourteen years old and a hardcore Beatlemaniac. Having memorized most of the Beatles’ songs, I recently branched out into their solo work, Paul’s in particular. Listening to Ram for the first time was semi-shocking and very exhilarating, and I was left deeply in love with this song, but also quite confused. This clears the whole thing up, so thank you again!
well after giving this a listen again, I still don’t get the lyrics, but still as always love this song!
I always said if I had 1question to ask Sir Paul, it would be what were you thinking. Question is answered. Now I can ask another question. Thanks.
Reminds me of the type of wordplay that Squeeze often uses.
Real poetry!
Why is Jimmy Savile in this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrthE_waCV8
Around 3:25 into it
Music is a drug for me, I use it to help me cope with life, Monkberry Moon Delight has never failed to pick me up, in fact it may be the song I want played when I die.
Thanks Paul & Linda!
This was the literal a 2X4 plank of wood across the forehead for me. At that time (i dont know I was like 14-15) it wasnt as easy as to Google it and find 40 million fans so you listen and re-listen just to get ONE word. It was a miracle i got CANTATA (I thought it was ZAPATA) later reading the lyrics I realized . “It is POETRY” may be nonsensical as a whole but every stanza makes sense . Keeping the meter while the subject is totally free flowing and the stanza is so TIGHT its an exercise in PURE poetic genius. That a melody was aded and that the singing reflected the gritness of the poem , goes beyond genious . Imagine Edgar Allan Poe putting a melody to “The Raven” singing it with throat wrenching delivery and recording it. In this comparison , Here, Paul BLOWS away Poe as far as poetry goes. “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,” ….. Yeah okay can you be any more formulaic Mr. Poe.? Now Paul :
“When a rattle of rats had awoken
The sinews, the nerves and the veins.
My piano was boldly outspoken
In attempts to repeat this refrain.
THAT is one intense and complicated rhyme.
So THAT is why there will never be any talent like McCartney’s ’cause there was not any talent ever of this caliber BEFORE McCartney
Mick Forcell, I agree with you completely! McCartney is a pure musical genius… will never be another like him, and the most unique voice with incredible range and versatility. Who else can go from singing Yesterday or I Will, to Oh Darling or Monkberry Moon Delight, or Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? No one!!!
Beautiful song! But many questions still remain.
Very cheerful, happy go lucky song, I love it now as much as when it came out 44 years ago.
I’m glad you love the song, as do I. However, if you listen carefully, this song is not happy-go-lucky. It is quite the opposite. It is a rollicking ride, wonderfully sorrowful, cautionary tale told while crying in your beer, about enormous, massive fame, bitter break ups, getting left behind, pelted by the press, and fans alike with tomatoes (like vaudeville days when the audience didn’t like you) McCartney sings about “leave my pajamas” (I kinda think PaulJohnmas,(dramas) Billy Budapest, my mind hears Bully, BooThePest!, when the music press and fans raked him over the coals for “quitting the Beatles, breaking up the band (the lawsuit)
The genius of McCartney was to camouflage the bitter hurt and pain with a rollicking jolly tune and make the sad times feel fun filled and happy with this masterfully funny and delightful song. I can’t express how much I love this song and the pure genius of McCartney who can turn hurt and pain on it’s head and give us all a good time and a good laugh while doing it.
Omg thank you.. I got all the lyrics and their (somewhat) hidden or fanciful meanings but the TOMATO part was driving me nuts. The vaudeville/throwing tomatoes reference I believe nails it. Good job man!
I agree with you, I think the lyrics are meaning full and very personal for Billy, I don’t think the emotions are one dimensional or just unrelated pieces of a child’s cartoonish variations on words. If you just listen to the tone of the lyrics, there is some emotion there that I believe is meaningful and is a statement in itself. I believe we will never be able to work out the meaning of all these metaphors in motion unless he tells us what it really mans for him.
Paul always gets a raw deal. When Lennon wrote nonsense lyrics to I Am The Walrus he was hailed as a genius. Paul pens this and the critics slam him. Who cares I like it. A lot.
Me too Paul izzo. Back then, the critics were idiots.
I heard this song first by Exuma – Reincarnation. Was an awesome version. Look for it!
Was surprised McCartney wrote it.
I don’t know if this subject is still active, but I’d like to weigh in: It is fine to ask the artist to clarify the meaning of song lyrics, but there is a danger of getting too caught up in the analysis. It limits the experience. Although I appreciate knowing the genesis of words like “monkberry” (very cool), I prefer to savor the song for the feeling and impression that it gives to me, personally. It is like a painting. Everyone should enjoy it in his/her own way, allowing the experience to be everything it can be, while each is different and perfectly valid.
Lee, that is very astute and is actually something I’ve heard McCartney say when asked about lyrics, where he compares them to a painting and open to interpretation by the listener. He went so far as to say that he sometimes makes up explanations and meanings and changes the stories from time to time depending on how he feels at the time. He doesn’t want the listener stifled by one interpretation.
Lyrics compared to a painting…”He doesn’t want the listener stifled by one interpretation.”
I’ve always loved how Paul’s subtle, nuanced universality allows listeners to experience the song their own way. Big part of his unique genius.
Yes, if you never quite tie down the meaning and even have a little mystery in the lyrics you want to come back -for some more Monkberry moon delight. I also thought that would be a cool name for fruity wine, like you might find someone drinking under a bridge. Or considering how much pot smoke back then, might make a good name for a fun inducing hybrid, now that it is legal and all.
and I thought he was parodying Dylan
Yes… Lyrics and bouncy tune reminds one of Bob Dylan’s stuff. NICE.
It sounds more like an exotic brand of marijuana and some of the lyrics do too: ‘Of two youngsters concealed in a barrel, smoking monkberry moon delight and toward the end of the song ‘Try some of this, honey, What is it? Monkberry moon delight, but a lot of the Beatles songs had double meanings which is why you could read things in that weren’t there, hence the ‘Paul is dead!’ urban legend!
What a great song. Forgot how good this album was when released 45 years ago. That in itself is amazing.
I enjoy the interpretation of the lyrics that were always a bit cryptic to me. Paul’s intense vocal delivery along with some of the lines made me think this was Paul’s raw and naked expression of the uncertainty he felt about moving forward in the face of opposition from the other three Beatles towards him at that time. To go from a king of the popular culture to an unknown future under those circumstances must have been terrifying. “3 Legs” seems to be a more cerebral take on that, but this song to me was like John’s Plastic Ono Band album. The performance is as raw as Plastic Ono Band, but the meaning is partially obscured in the poetry. The abstract child inspired lyrics interpolated with phrases like “I stood with a knot in my stomach”, “the horrible sound of tomato” and “a rattle of rats had awoken the sinews the nerves and the veins” delivered with such intensity that it leaves all but the most accomplished artists in the dust. For a guy who’s often been wrongly dismissed for being lightweight, Paul is a brilliant lyricist/performer. And by the way, he was right about Alan Klein. It took a few years for the other three to catch up to him on that. He went on to be the most successful musician in the history of the world when you combine the Beatles and his post Beatles catalogue.
This is my very favorite McCartney song ever. Paul’s voice, Linda’s deadpan backing vocals, the driving, not at all overproduced music, and the silly nonsense lyrics, all of it. They were happy and having fun and it shows, and projects a similar state onto the listener.
And Paul with his sweet melodic voice only sings Pop songs and ballads right? Not, he can rock with the best of them.
Interesting and moving comments here!
Although I don’t believe one need to understand lyrics to enjoy music, I was just curious.
Anyway, this is a masterpiece just like the album.
Hmm, monks live in Abbies, there’s Abbey road, apple records, black berries. Paul McCartney invented the blackberry.
I love this thread! Good vibes from Paul on Ram, and Monkberry is one of the high points. Yes, as a teenager in the early 70’s I mourned the Beatles break-up. But the solo works were rich and thoughtful, a source of comfort through some rough times. McCartney and Ram were among my most worn-out LPs. Super-musical geniuses!
In Poland this song was on the air quite often in 1973 or 74. I remember that the song’s title was translated as Charm of the foggy/bleary moon. ha ha
I bought the Paul cd box the other day and try to find out some meaning. Thanks to Google the mistery of this song becomes obvious. While reading the song words they were completely obscure for me. Owing to native speakers and their knowledge of the context like Billy Budapest pyjamas I could understand Paul’s sense of humour.
Another generation is learning how great the music was in the 70’s and 80’s I listened to growing up. Monkberry Moon Delight is one of my all time favorites! I finally decided to see the meaning of the song, and it is very close to what I thought it was. Didn’t know Monk was code for milk. I thought that Monkberry Moon Delight was like White lightning from tomato’s. I hope to visit friends in Russia and Kazakhstan. They want me to bring my CD’s with my classic songs!!
I always considered MonkBerry Moon Delight to be a strain of marijuana.
The Beatles (and contemporary bands) always had to straight-face their explanations of their songs if it ever involved drugs, because if it ever got a plausible reputation as song about drug use, the radio stations would stop playing them.
Not every utterance in this world is a reference to your beloved weed.
Love McCartney and his music. Monkberry, kids song??? What does piano up my nose mean?
Hi Erod,
I fully agree to many people’s comment that a song is like a painting or maybe even more like a book. You see the characters before you. And then explaining a song is like filming that book; nobody will look the way you imagined them.
I’m Dutch and in the Dutch language, when you have something up your nose, it means that you’ve had enough of it; was Sir Paul taking piano-lessons at that time?
With an older brother and sister and born in 1963 I heard Beatles and later McCartney from my birth on. The English language was an unknown universe for me; I fully went on sounds and melodies and in this song is still very clear to me; the words are required and serve as instruments. They just fit in too well!
Wonder if he was influenced by the Russian singer Vyosotsky with this one
I heard the backing vocals were his daughters. The daughter from Linda’s first marriage
To me it was always…
“…and that horrible sound of tomato catsup… soup and puree.”
Catsup being the alternative way to describe Ketchup. So he’s saying tomato ketchup… tomato soup… tomato puree. But he’s using ketchup as a double meaning to catch up; don’t get left behind. He later uses it with the words “cats and”. Catch up… Cats and Kittens.
and I always heard “sucking Monkberry Moon Delight” not smoking…too obvious for a weed reference. After all if, like Paul says, Monkberry Moon Delight is a milkshake, then it would be thick and you would have to suck it as through a straw.
This is my favorite McCartney song. It’s not mainstream. It’s pure genius lyric writing coupled with vocal genius as well. Like many others on this thread, I was a teenager when Ram was published, but I was the only one of all my friends that liked it. I would listen to this song over and over and over again trying to figure it out. I never got close, but that’s the genius of the song!
Paul’s displaying mad frustration in triumphant playful superiority
He’s consequently scolding in a concealed cryptic manner , much like Too many people The opening of side one
Monkberry moon delight Is his delightful music , he contributed
But oh , terrible sight
The two youngsters sealed in the barrel , Paul was older then the rest , wouldn’t have it , but they had to suck it
His Monkberry Moon Delight
Take this honey , suck it
When I was young thus track seemed eery
The one I didn’t get ( I was 17 and I’m dutch too )
But now it feels as his scolding masterpiece
But Long haired lady feels as his romantic masterpiece on the same albumside of Ram
I adore Linda , standing by her man , suoerb singing all over the album , all over america , all over the oeuvre , I just love her ! ( the MMD Tada tada tadada is triumphantly saying In your face , up yours , suck it , na na nanana , and all light and musically sound and superior ! )
The fact that you can enjoy the track without decoding it is absolute sublime !
2023 Clearing out the garage and looking through old vinyl I came across the album which at the time I almost played to ruin. Got Alexa to find and play it, which wasn’t easy. It now a staple at home and in the car and my 20 year old daughter loves it. Masterpiece.