Apeman

I'm not sure how this song can be racist, because it's about the whole human race. Buy anyways, great song. I think Ray was a true romantic (in the true definition of the word, not the pepe le pew type of romantic). Many of Ray's songs deal with going back to the simple life (see the whole Village Green album, waterloo sunset, and many other songs) My only complaint is that the lyrics are difficult to understand at first, which is a shame because they are so meaningful.

Ray is saying that the human race consist of a bunch of losers that are only good at destroying the planet. He wants to get out of the crazy human way of doing things and “make like an ape man”. Now I would just like to add that I think Ray sings “Cos the air pollution is f**king up my eyes” and not “fogging up my eyes” even though the lyrics printed on the album “Lola Versus Powerman and The Moneygoround” claim differently.

I think the assumption of racism here arises from the use of the word "apeman"--"gorilla" and "monkey" have been used as racial slurs against African-Americans--but I think Ray Davies meant "apeman" in the sense of a Tarzan-type, living an idyllic primitive life on a jungle island.

I completley agree with WorkingClassLoser I always thought it was 'F**king up my eyes' but i cant really tell. i sometimes listen to this song and think, yeah it would be great to go back to a simpler time. Then maybe life would have more purpose.

Tailie,

Yeah, this song is about a life with meaning. We have become so overpopulated that human life no longer has value. The world (people) have gone crazy in response to dealing with it all... We forgot where we came from and pursue avenues of falsities.

In a world where the population exceeds the available space, a species will resort to a lack of respect and it's senses become "overloaded." Nature will also deal with it by increasing diseases, floods, etc.

If we can't or wont deal with it, if the universe is given enough time or pushed far enough, it will do it for us. It's the cycle of life and we are but a small, insignificant part of the 'whole'.

The song is about someone who wishes to go back to an earlier day where people respected each other, held value for one another, and things were generally much simpler... Much of what we once knew as life still exists, but it has been translated into our current situation... Instead of hunting, most of us work, etc.

The biggest problem with humanity right now is overpopulation, then religion being second to that.

Hmm, I kind of drifting here... Anyway, it's just about going back to a life that is less worrisome of our own species, less complicated (ie, straightfoward), and less of a high-speed rat race.

It's a good song.

The song isn't racist, it's just about how humans have overpopulated the earth to a point that we think we are the only species that matter. Love this song.

It's not racist, the words voodoo man, apeman, king kong man ect just allude to an earlier part of our evolution before we became the materialistic, shallow, selfish and short sighted race we have become. Well maybe we have always been like that, and this song is just about the ideallism for a simple, fulfilling and safe (immortal) life we all crave. Whatever the h*ll it's on about it is one of the greatest songs ever. Most of their stuff is amazing, i also love Victoria ( mildy racist) Lola ( mildly homophobic) and the greatest song ever written waterloo sunset ( mildly sexist)

There is a good cover of this song done by Fish (he of Marillion fame) on his "Songs from the Mirror" Album

I had forgotten about this song untill last spring when I heard it agin... It is one of the great Kinks songs, and it seems on point again with the overpopulation getting everywhere too crowded the way it is today. I can hear the similarities to Lola in parts and another song is suggested by one part...can't think of the name of it right now, but give it another listen this is a real good tune and wonderful lyrics.

The "I think I'm so educated and I'm so civilised cos I'm a strict vegetarian" is a dig at the hippy culture of the time, I think. Great song though, and the over all meaning is pretty simple.