The Ramones - Bonzo Goes to Bitburg - Lyrics Meaning

This track was written in response to President Ronald Reagan's trip to Germany in 1986. The line, `If there's one thing that makes me sick, it's when someone tries to hide behind politics,' says a lot about how Joey Ramone felt at that time. In fact, the lyrics summed up how many people felt about the announcement from the White House that Ronald Reagan intended to visit Germany, " ...in a spirit of reconciliation, in a spirit of forty years of peace, in a spirit of economic and military compatibility..." The line, `You watch the world complain, but you do it anyway, who am I, am I to say?' expresses Joey Ramone's disgust back in 1986 but somehow that line is destined to remain relevant in the world of politics for years to come.

The title came from Bonzo the chimpanzee who featured in a series of films in the 1950s with Ronald Reagan in his acting career but Johnny Ramone, a Reagan supporter, insisted that the title should be changed so the track is also known by the title, `My Brain is Hanging Upside Down.'

Several recurring phrases including, `pick up the pieces' and `my brain is hanging upside down,' are sung to the sound of a glockenspiel - not your everyday rock instrument!