Labour & Pop Culture: Code Monkey

This week’s installment of Labour & Pop Culture features “Code Monkey” by Jonathan Coulton. This song extends the “tech worker” theme we saw last week in Stan Roger’s “White Collar Hollar” but is more modern in its views.

Code monkey is a derogatory term for computer programmers (“Code monkey: go for brains!”). In this song, the singer is a Code Monkey with a fairly unsatisfying job and a jerk for a boss. There is a humorous “lives of quiet desperation” element to the song:

Have boring meeting with boring manager Rob
Rob say Code Monkey very diligent
But his output stink
His code not functional or elegant 

What do Code Monkey think
Code Monkey think maybe manager oughta write goddamn login page himself
Code Monkey not say it out loud
Code Monkey not crazy just proud

So why does Code Monkey stay? Well, the song also treads into the difficulty territory of office crushes. While the song doesn’t go there, you have to wonder what the “front desk girl” thinks of Code monkey’s affections.

There are multiple version of Code Monkey. The video is of an uptempo version. There is, however, a simply beautiful acoustic version on this page (scroll down to Code Monkey Save World Unplugged and click Code monkey to listen).



Code Monkey get up get coffee
Code Monkey go to job
Have boring meeting with boring manager Rob
Rob say Code Monkey very diligent
But his output stink
His code not functional or elegant

What do Code Monkey think
Code Monkey think maybe manager oughta write goddamn login page himself
Code Monkey not say it out loud
Code Monkey not crazy just proud

[chorus]

Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man
With big warm fuzzy secret heart
Code Monkey like you
Code Monkey like you

Code Monkey hang around at front desk
Tell you sweater look nice
Code Monkey offer buy you soda
Bring you cup bring you ice
You say no thank you for the soda 'cause
Soda make you fat
Anyway you busy with the telephone
No time for chat

Code Monkey have long walk back to cubicle
He sit down pretend to work
Code Monkey not thinking so straight
Code Monkey not feeling so great

[chorus]

Code Monkey have every reason
To get out this place
Code Monkey just keep on working
To see your soft pretty face
Much rather wake up eat a coffee cake
Take bath, take nap

This job fulfilling in creative way
Such a load of crap
Code Monkey think someday he have everything even pretty girl like you
Code Monkey just waiting for now
Code Monkey say someday, somehow

[chorus]

-- Bob Barnetson