A popular song from 1905.
Interpolated into “The Wizard of Oz”, the original musical.
Words by Vincent Bryan.
Music by Leo Edwards.
Sheet music provided by Michael Booth:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- In Hindustan lived a monkey man
And an imitative monk was he
This nosy monk, had a cosy bunk
In the branches of a Banyan tree
An imitative monk was he
With no originality
To ape his friends was his only plan
Oh, wait for the finish of this monkey man
For thereby hangs a tale
Chorus
This is the tale of a monkey
Who thought of nothing new
A monk who’d always copy
What he saw other monkeys do
It was quite plain, he had no brain
New things he would not plan
Don’t play that game, or you’ll end the same
As the tale of a monkey man
- An elephant strayed to the leafy shade
‘Neath the branches of the Banyan tree
That nosy monk, saw the elephant’s trunk
And he thought it was a tail you see
His brother pulled the big brute’s tail
To imitate he did not fail
He pulled the elephant’s mighty trunk
That trunk was the finish of the foolish monk
And that’s no idle tale
Sung here by Vancha March: