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Monkey Boys

by Ali George

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1.
Monkey Boys 03:52
lyrics
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On the way to school today I broke down on the corner The tears all down my shirt and tie I am due to fight today with the weakest kid in school It’s all been organised, and I’m scared I’ll lose He’s got nothing against me And I don’t have a single thing against him It’s out of our hands These monkey boys are out of their minds We just don’t belong here It all seems so strange and so cruel We don’t have a choice These monkey boys rule the school On the way to school today I learned something about life You’ve got to keep your head down low You’re never going to fit in here These people are insane And school is just a flawed idea They’ve got nothing against me In fact, I’m a good distraction It’s out of control These monkey boys are out of their minds I’m partly to blame here I shouldn’t have tried to fit in It’s strange and it’s cruel These monkey boys rule the school It’s so strange and so cruel These monkey boys rule the school So strange and so cruel These monkey boys rule the school So strange and so cruel These monkey boys rule the school All rights reserved. © Ali George 2020.

about

When I was around 13 years old, a fight was organised to take place at my school between myself and a boy I didn’t know. Neither of us wanted the fight to go ahead, but the leading thugs at the hellhole which was my school had declared that it would go ahead. It was considered a kind of circus freak show, as both myself and my unwilling rival were physically unimpressive, and we were both quite unpopular. Everyone thought it was a great joke!

As an anxious and timid kid, I was dreading the fight so much that I couldn’t sleep for days leading up to the event. In the morning on the day of the fight my nerves could no longer take it, and I broke down. I confessed the truth to my parents and ratted out my ape-like tormentors to my parents and then to the headteacher (a decision I don’t regret in the slightest to this day). The fight never happened, and I managed to avoid the “Monkey Boys” for the rest of the term. Whatever disciplinary procedures took place; the kids left me alone (so perhaps the school wasn’t as much of a “hellhole” as I make it out to be).

The following year I made friends with a nice group of guys and my life got much easier, thankfully.

Looking back on the incident now, I realise it was very possibly motivated by darker reasons than simple teenage cruelty. There were very few mixed-race kids in my school. I have Indian ancestry as well as British, and I certainly didn’t look like an average white kid when I was a teenager. I was called a “paki” on multiple occasions. The racial element is hard to ignore. The other kid was bullied for being gay. It was certainly no picnic.

I’m extremely glad those days are over. They might be over for me, but there are thousands of kids who are going through similar experiences right now all over the world.

credits

released June 2, 2023

releases June 2, 2023
Written by Ali George. © Ali George 2020.
Produced and Mastered by Josh Clark.
Recorded at Get Real Audio Studios in Bath. Some additional recording made in Athens, Greece.

Ali George - Vocals, Electro-Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals.
Josh Clark - Drums, Percussion.
Irakles Kopitas - Electric Bass.
Jools Scott - Organ.

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Ali George Bath, UK

Ali George is a British singer-songwriter with a distinct fingerstyle guitar technique, mellow vocals, and an earthy songwriting style. Inspired most deeply by Bon Iver, Nick Drake, and John Martyn, he has been active in the southwest English folk scene for 20 years. His new album “Watchful Days” will be released in July 2023. ... more

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