Thursday Tunes: Donovan

June 14, 2012 | Musings

On Donovan’s 1970 album, Open Road, there is a track titled “Riki Tiki Tavi”. It references Rudyard Kipling’s story of the same name, one section making the connection even more direct by saying “Everybody who read the Jungle Book/Knows that Riki Tiki Tavi’s a mongoose who kills snakes”. However, this song is not a simple retelling of Kipling’s story.

While Donovan borrows the characters and some imagery from the original tale, thematically it is quite different. In Donovan’s hands, “Riki Tiki Tavi” becomes an anthem for those who are discontent with the political system. (Take the lines “United Nations ain’t really united/And the organization ain’t really organized” for example.)

Donovan may have implemented literary allusions with “Riki Tiki Tavi”, but like everything he has done musically, he did it in his own unique way.

“Riki Tiki Tavi” by Donovan

Better get into what you gotta get into
Better get into it now, no slacking please
United Nations ain’t really united
And the organization ain’t really organized

Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone
Won’t be coming around
For to kill your snakes no more my love
Riki Tiki Tavi mongoose is gone

Everybody who read the Jungle Book
Knows that Riki Tiki Tavi’s a mongoose who kills snakes
When I was a young man I was led to believe
There were organizations to kill my snakes for me
IE, the church, IE, the government, IE, the school
But when I got a little older I learned how to kill them myself

I said, “I need to get Riki Tiki, mongoose is gone”
Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone
Won’t be coming around for to kill your snakes, no more my love
Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone

People walking around, they don’t know what they’re doing
They been lost so long, they don’t know what they’re looking for
Well, I know what I’m looking for but I just can’t find it
I guess I gotta look inside of myself some more

Oh oh oh, inside of myself some more, some more now
Oh oh oh, inside of myself some more

Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone
Riki Tiki Tavi, mongoose is gone, last time

I saw you today
You were going my way
Going my way