Each morning a missionary advertise with neon sign He tells the native population that civilization is fine And three educated savages holler from a bongo tree That civilization is a thing for me to see
So bongo, bongo, bongo I don’t want to leave the congo Oh no no no no no Bingle, bangle, bungle I’m so happy in the jungle I refuse to go Don’t want no bright lights, false teeth, doorbells, landlords I make it clear That no matter how they coax him I’ll stay right here
I looked through a magazine the missionary’s wife concealed (Magazine? What happens?) I see how people who are civilized bang you with automobiles (You know you can get hurt that way Daniel) At the movies they have to pay many coconuts to see (What do they see Danny?) Uncivilized pictures that the newsreels take of me
So bongo, bongo, bong he don’t want to leave the congo Oh no no no no no Bingle, bangle, bungle he’s so happy in the jungle he refuse to go Don’t want no penthouse, bathtub, streetcars, taxis Noise in my ear So no matter how they coax him I’ll stay right here
They hurry like savages to get aboard an iron train And though it’s smoky and crowded they’re too civilized to complain When they’ve got two weeks vacation they hurry to vacation grounds (What do they do Danny) They swim and they fish but that’s what I do all year round
So bongo, bongo, bongo I don’t want to leave the congo Oh no no no no no Bingle, bangle, bungle I’m so happy in the jungle I refuse to go Don’t want no jailhouse, shotguns, fish hooks, golf clubs I’ve got my spear So no matter how they coax him I’ll stay right here
They have things like the atom bomb So I think I’ll stay where I “om” Civilization, I’ll stay right here