Funkey Munkey

Can’t shuck this munkey.

Going over the line

Till I think I’m gonna blow Oh, I can’t stop the music Oh, I can’t say no It was a real great concert But it was over too soon The night’s still young So let me hear that tune

I’m dancing like a jerk

A cool, cool jerk Hey, that’s funkey Yeah, funkey munkey Well, don’t mess with my choo-coo Or with my choo-coo moo-coo Just get funkey Yeah, funkey munkey

You’re workin’ too hard

Oh, it’s a twelve day week You come home so tired Can’t even speak You only wanna rest Your wretched little soul But come Saturday night You wanna rock’n’roll

So you’re strutting like a peacock

Fancy feathered peacock Hey, that’s funkey Yeah, funkey munkey You’re lookin’ really cool A cool, cool fool So get funkey Yeah, funkey munkey

Pink satin suits

And two-toned boots Hey, that’s funkey Yeah, funkey munkey Lover boy blues And rock’n’roll shoes Just get funkey Yeah, funkey munkey

Yeah, that’s funkey.

In the late winter or early spring of 1986, when I was in the thick of my army service in Israel, I gave myself a challenge to write a series of lighthearted songs to stand in contrast to all the heavy stuff I had been writing up to that point. This was one of them. (But even in the frivolousness there is still an undertone of seriousness … can’t help being who I am.) I started with the riff common to Van Halen’s “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” and the Kinks’ “Tired of Waiting” and took it from there. The misspellings are intentional, as is the use of a few IDF slang expressions. It would probably have been a fun song to play but I never had the chance to … military service isn’t conducive to putting and keeping a band together. So it goes.

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Lyrics and commentary © The Hesh Inc. Originally published between 2016–2025.