Jethro Tull – Bungle In The Jungle

This is one of my favorite Jethro Tull songs.

Some people thought that this came from the Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fight which was called Rumble in the Jungle. Ian Anderson confirmed that this was thought of way before that. Now it is very possible that Rumble in the Jungle was taken from this song as it was on the radio at that time. The song was released on October 14, 1974…so it was 49 years ago today! The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match was held on October 30, 1974.

Jethro Tull poster

The song was written for a soundtrack for a film that never got made. Ian Anderson as also has suggested that the lyrics are a metaphor for the chaos and corruption that were rampant in the music business in the early 1970s. The jungle environment represents the cut-throat world of the music industry, where bands were struggling to compete for attention and record deals.

The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard 100 and #4 in Canada in 1974. The album War Child peaked at #2 on the Billboard Album Charts, #3 in Canada, and #14 in the UK. Anderson has said that despite its success, he’s never been particularly fond of the song. “It’s never been one that’s really honestly been one of my favorites… It’s okay.” It was written by Ian Anderson.

Ian Anderson: “It was actually late ’72 or early ’73 when I was in Paris recording an album that never got released, although one or two of the tracks made it out in 1974, but that was at a time when I was writing an album that was exploring people, the human condition, through analogies with the animal kingdom. And that particular song was perhaps the more obvious and the more catchy of the tunes. Eventually it was finished and saved in time for the War Child album, sometime later.”

Bungle In The Jungle

Walking through forests of palm tree apartments
Scoff at the monkeys who live in their dark tents
Down by the waterhole
Drunk every Friday
Eating their nuts
Saving their raisins for Sunday.
Lions and tigers
Who wait in the shadows
They’re fast but they’re lazy, and sleep in green meadows

Let’s bungle in the jungle
Well, that’s all right by me
I’m a tiger when I want love
But I’m a snake if we disagree

Just say a word and the boys will be right there
With claws at your back to send a chill through the night air
Is it so frightening to have me at your shoulder?
Thunder and lightning couldn’t be bolder
I’ll write on your tombstone,I thank you for dinner
This game that we animals play is a winner

Let’s bungle in the jungle
Well, that’s all right by me
I’m a tiger when I want love
But I’m a snake if we disagree

The rivers are full of crocodile nastiest
And He who made kittens put snakes in the grass
He’s a lover of life but a player of pawns
Yes, the King on His sunset lies waiting for dawn
To light up His Jungle as play is resumed
The monkeys seem willing to strike up the tune

Let’s bungle in the jungle
Well, that’s all right by me
I’m a tiger when I want love
But I’m a snake if we disagree

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

43 thoughts on “Jethro Tull – Bungle In The Jungle”

  1. One of the few JT songs I like a lot… probably not coincidentally also one of few I remember hearing on radio by them when I was young. Cool tune, he uses his flute to good advantage on it. Never had a clue what inspired it though!

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    1. I just found Ring Out, Solstice Bells last year from a blogger named Lisa. Best wishes for you as well Kevin… I can’t believe another year has come and gone.

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  3. My favourite track on the album. Sadly, I think this album gets overlooked. Ok ‘Living in the Past’ is their pinnacle, and this is no ‘Thiock As A brick’ either, but I thought it came across really well for an album that highlighted a bit of change in direction at the time.

    I saw Jethro Tull on the ‘War Child’ tour (Fanny were support!) and also at a later date. Brilliant shows. 🙂

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    1. Lisa, a blogger, got me listening to them. I only knew their big radio hits before I started to blog. I really like what I’ve heard so far.

      Again…I would have loved to seen Fanny. It’s a shame they were not recognized then or really now….they could play with the big boys.

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      2. I do need to get something by them. I thought they would start releasing again because they had a documentary to come a year or two ago.
        I’ve been hunting for vinyl recently…the two I want to get are Stones Goats Head Soup remastered and the Beatles Red and Blue.

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  5. I too wasn’t a big JT fan, but I recall this being played like crazy when it came out. Very interesting to learn it was actually written for a film’s soundtrack which never got made. That’s crazy as well.

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    1. It’s one of the songs that I liked as a kid and heard of. I’m now starting to listen to more of the non hits…interesting band and unique sound.

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  8. This song is disguised as a study of the human condition, exploring how people interact with the animal kingdom, but the true meaning behind the song will always remain elusive. This song is thought to be very symbolic with each animal group representing something different. I read that it may have been inspired by the Upton Sinclair book “The Jungle”, or the George Orwell book “Animal Farm”. Many people say it is about religion or the Vietnam War, but I think it is about man’s nature for competition where we all want to win a young female’s affection.

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    1. I like that song you gave the link to…that one I knew and heard it while doing this post…I think this song, because of the catchiness, brought in some listeners to them…but it is different than many of their others.

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      4. Jim…I apologize. This was in my spam filter and I just checked. That is really cool. I’ve called my guys over and we want to play. I might post some demos I have done on cubebase.

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      5. Already underway. My bass player friend and I have enough songs rehearsed for one set (need three), have auditioned one drummer and are auditioning 3 more thus weekend plus two singers. Goal is to get the band together ASAP and get out on the local circuit by spring. Classic rock stuff.

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      6. That is really cool Jim. i hope you find everyone you need really soon.
        That would be a lot of fun to actually play out again.

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