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Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
I went to the animal fair,
The birds and the beasts were there,
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey bumped the skunk,
And sat on the elephant's trunk;
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees,
And that was the end of the monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
The monkey he got drunk,
and sat on the elephant's trunk.
The elephant sneezed
and fell on his knees
and that's what became of the monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
I went to the Animal Fair,
The birds and the bees were there,
The hairy Baboon by the light of the moon,
Was combing his golden hair,
The monkey fell out of his bunk,
Slid down the elephants trunk,
Weeeeeeeeeeeee,
And what became of the Monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
And what became of the Monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
And what became of the Monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
And what became of the Monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
And what became of the Monkey!
Monkey, Monkey monk Monkey!
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
The Animal Fair is a traditional American comic song whose exact origin is uncertain, though printed versions began appearing in the late 19th century. It belongs to the tradition of nonsense and humour songs that were popular in American vaudeville and minstrel entertainment, and eventually found a second life as a children's classic.
The song's plot — such as it is — involves a narrator attending a fair populated by extraordinary animals, culminating in a monkey who tumbles from an elephant's trunk. The final verse, where everyone wonders where the monkey has gone, became famous for its repetitive, self-referential structure: the last line feeds back into itself, meaning the song can theoretically be sung forever without ever properly ending.
This circularity made it enormously popular as a camp song and a device for keeping children engaged. The song's specific humour — the absurdity of a formal "animal fair," the slapstick monkey — has aged remarkably well, and it remains a reliable source of laughter in classrooms and living rooms alike.
