I'm currently at a small reunion of my wife's family. They're planning a talent show for tonight, so I thought I'd sing the "Monkey Song" to introduce them to a bit of my family's heritage. Since I also wanted help singing it, I decided to Google the first line to see if I could get a print-out of the words. That led me to this site, which I found very interesting. I also learned the song from my dad, who would sing it in the car to keep my sister and me entertained on long trips. I have no idea what the origin is, but my dad must have learned it in the 1920's or 30's in South Dakota, probably as a Boy Scout.