Knocking 'Round the Zoo

About Knocking 'Round the Zoo

"Knocking 'Round the Zoo" is a song written by James Taylor that was originally released on his 1968 debut album on Apple Records. He had previously recorded the song in 1966 with his band the Flying Machine, but that recording was not released until 1971 on James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine. It was also released by Apple as a single in France (APF 506), backed with "Something's Wrong." "Knocking 'Round the Zoo" and "Something in the Way She Moves" were included on the demo tape that Taylor sent producer Peter Asher that convinced him to sign Taylor to Apple. Allmusic critic Lindsay Planer describes "Knocking 'Round the Zoo" as a "pseudo-blues." The lyrics were inspired by Taylor's stay at the psychiatric facility McLean Hospital. In the first verse of the song, Taylor sings that "There's bars on all the windows and they're countin' up the spoons." In actuality, McLean had 2000 pound security screens on the windows rather than bars, but they did use special utensils and count all the metal after each meal. The verse goes on to state that "if I'm feeling edgy there's a chick who's paid to be my slave/And she'll hit me with a needle if she thinks I'm trying to misbehave." In the second verse, Taylor further sings of his anger towards the workers at McLean. In the third verse, Taylor sings of how he felt ostracized at McLean with lines such as "Now my friends all come to see me/They point at me and stare." According to the editors of Time, "Taylor adds a chilling descant of bedlamite sounds" to this verse. Rolling Stone critic Timothy Crouse describes the song's drum beat as "sinister" and its guitar playing as "nervous," stating that this reflects the "anger and impatience" Taylor felt at McLean. Rolling Stone Album Guide critic Mark Coleman considers "Knocking 'Round the Zoo" a "highlight" of James Taylor, describing it as "kicky" and saying that it predicted the path Taylor would take in future recordings. Time praises its "witty, riffy musical irony." Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau says that it "combines a subdued sense of humor with more naturalism." Taylor biographer Timothy White criticizes the "ponderous" prelude on string instruments that arranger Richard Hewson prepended to the song on the James Taylor album. Rolling Stone writer Jules Siegel criticized the song for sounding like "a sado-masochistic fantasy." Siegel suggested that Taylor was making himself out to be an aristocrat and still in control despite being in a mental hospital, with "a female attendant paid to be his slave." Siegel also criticizes the line about the attendant hitting him with a needle. Author Ian Helperin criticizes the compact disc release of James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine for revising the instrumentation. more »

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Just knocking around the zoo 
On a Thursday afternoon,
There's bars on all the windows 
And they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
And if I'm feeling edgy, 
There's a chick who's paid 
To be my slave, yeah, watch out James.
But she'll hit me with a needle 
If she thinks I'm trying to misbehave.

Now the keeper's trying to cool me 
Says I'm bound to be all right,
But I know that he can't fool me 
'Cause I'm putting him uptight, yeah.
And I can feel him getting edgy 
Every time I make a sudden move, 
Whoa, yes it's true.
And I can hear them celebrating 
Every time I up and leave the room.

Now my friends all come to see me, 
They just point at me and stare.
Said, he's just like the rest of us 
So what's he doing there?
They hide in their movie theaters 
Drinking juice, keeping tight, 
Watch that bright light.
'Cause they're certain about one thing, babe, 
That zoo's no place to spend the night, no.

Just knocking around the zoo 
On a Thursday afternoon,
There's bars on all the windows 
And they're counting up the spoons, yeah.
And if I'm feeling edgy, 
There's a chick who's paid to be my slave, 
Watch out Kootch.
But she'll hit me with a needle 
If she thinks I'm trying to misbehave.

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James Taylor

James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. more »

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