Dire Straits' lyrics

Posted by Gary on October 25, 2002

In Reply to: Dire Straits' lyrics posted by Bookworm on October 25, 2002

: I may be completely off base on this one, but... The song "Money for Nothin'" includes the line "...banging on the bongos like a ???" I checked various websites and they say that the missing word is chimpanzee. However, the word I hear when listening to this song has only 2 syllables and sounds like (and here's where I am not too sure) chimpvet or something like that. For years I assumed I was making up this word until I saw it in a P. D. James novel, which led me to believe that this may be British English. Is there such a word, or have I gone completely mad?

You sound sane enough, but there is no such word. If my name were Knopfler and I were looking for a rhyme for 'chicks for free' and 'MTV', I'd pass over chimpvet and go straight to chimpanzee.

• Dire Straits' lyrics Bruce Kahl 10/25/02
  • Dire Straits' lyrics Arch Stanton 10/28/02
    • Dire Straits' lyrics Woodchuck 10/28/02