Simon & Garfunkel – At The Zoo Lyrics
Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true
Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Whoooa. Mmmmm
It's a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the park;
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo
But you can take the crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold
And the animals will love it
If you do
If you do
Something tells me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true
Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Whoooa. Mmmmm
The monkeys stand for honesty
Giraffes are insincere
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum
Zebras are reactionaries
Antelopes are missionaries
Pigeons plot in secrecy
And hamsters turn on frequently
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true
Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Whoooa. Mmmmm
It's a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the park;
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo
But you can take the crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold
And the animals will love it
If you do
If you do
Something tells me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true
Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Whoooa. Mmmmm
The monkeys stand for honesty
Giraffes are insincere
And the elephants are kindly but
They're dumb
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum
Zebras are reactionaries
Antelopes are missionaries
Pigeons plot in secrecy
And hamsters turn on frequently
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
At the zoo
About At The Zoo
The song is one of Paul Simon’s many tributes to his hometown of New York City. The narrative tells the story of a trip to the Central Park Zoo; when the singer reaches the zoo, he anthropomorphizes the animals in various amusing ways, with a resulting cynical eye towards human life. Such statements as “elephants are kindly, but they’re dumb,” “antelopes are missionaries” and “pigeons plot in secrecy” reflect more about man than they do about the menagerie. The song was licensed in advertisements for the Bronx Zoo and the San Francisco Zoo in the late 1970s.
