They tell us that
We lost our tails
Evolving up
From little snails
I say it's all
Just wind and sails
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O!
Monkey men all
In business suits
Teachers and critcs
All dance the poot
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O!
We're pinheads now
We are not whole
We're pinheads all
Jocko Homo
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O!
God made man
But he used the monkey to do it
Apes in the plan
We're all here to prove it
I can walk like an ape
Talk like an ape
Do what monkey do
God made man
But monkey supplied the glue
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
We must repeat!
We are Devo!
We must repeat!
D-E-V-O
We must repeat!
D-E-V-O
We must repeat!
OK LET'S GO!
Mark Mothersbaugh/Gerald V. Casale, 1977
Jocko Homo is the dadaist first swing in Devo's musical oveure. It's one part statement of purpose, one part criticism of the modern world, and all Devo. This song is one of the earliest Devo tunes, taking its title from an obscure creationist religious tract from the 1920s, entitled Jocko-Homo Heavenbound. This tract is the old testament of the Devo philosophy, and contains the text which would later devolve into Devo's Devolutionary Oath.
Each verse of the song takes aim at a particular target and lets loose. The first verse breaks down the evolution/devolution arguement, belitting the concept of progress. The second verse takes down the modern world, first comparing businessmen to monkeys, slowly moving down the evolutionary ladder. Next, we can see Devo's distrust of those in charge, pre-mocking those who they know won't understand the message. In the third verse, humanity is compared to pinheads, circus freaks with abnormally small brains. We are not finished with devolution, and we can only go further down the toilet. Finally, the bridge is a wonderful attack on creationism. We come from monkey, and to monkey we shall return.
The song ends in a primall call and response cycle, taken partially from the 1933 film The Island Of Lost Souls, based on H. G. Wells The Island Of Dr. Moreau. In this film, the bizarre, half-human monkey beings gather around the fire with Dr. Moreau and chant...
What is the law?
Not to eat meat, that is the law! Are We Not Men?
They continue on, chanting each law. The call and response was used by Devo to call on the primal instincts of man.
In Devo's short film The Truth About De-Evolution, Jocko Homo is used as the soundtrack in the second half. Here, a professor Mark Mothersbaugh relates the lyrics of Jocko Homo to a class of ecstatic students wearing surgical masks. The class devolves into a near riot at the lecture, moving to the 7/8 beat of the music.
The first recorded appearance of Jocko Homo was on Devo's first self-released single, in 1977. The single was also released in the UK on Stiff Records. The most common version of Jocko Homo is on the album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. There is also a version on the live album Now It Can Be Told. Jocko Homo was also performed live on Saturday Night Live in 1978, along with Devo's cover of The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.
Jocko Homo has also had several variations over the years. The original song lacked the "God made man" bridge. The next version included this bridge, as well as another chant:
I got a rhyme that comes in a riddle
O-HI-O
What's round on the ends, and high in the middle?
O-HI-O!
In addition, some early live versions of Jocko Homo include a chant of "We accept you/We reject you!", and "White Dopes On Punk." Finally, on Devo's 1988, and 1990 tours, they would perform a drasticly changed, acoustic version of Jocko Homo. One of these performances is captured on the live album, Now It Can Be Told.