Above: Mural reconstruction of a Neanderthal group, painted by Charles R. Knight in 1920 for the American Museum of Natural History. The scene reflects the view of Neanderthals prevalent at the time.
For over 99 percent of human technological history, our ancestors lived in the Stone Age. When caves were available, our Palaeolithic forebears made great use of them as a source of communal shelter. The term "Troglodyte" comes from the Greek, meaning "cave dweller".
This is our attempt at a James Brown-like funk song about the Palaeolithic!
1.
Funky troglodyte, lives in limestone cave
Funky troglodyte, never has to shave
Funky troglodyte, forage off the land
Funky troglodyte, stone tools made by hand
Funky troglodyte, scrapes a reindeer hide
Funky troglodyte, garment worn with pride
Funky troglodyte, paints a cavern wall
Funky troglodyte, figures large and small
Funky troglodyte, lives in limestone cave
Uhhn!
Funky troglodyte, Stone Age celebrity
Funky troglodyte, fossils for you and me
2.
Funky troglodyte, builds a fire by night
Funky troglodyte, songs by firelight
Funky troglodyte, mother nurses young
Funky troglodyte, sings in mother tongue
Funky troglodyte, makes Levallois flake
Funky troglodyte, carves a bison steak
Funky troglodyte, roasts a haunch of meat
Funky troglodyte, for their kin to eat
Funky troglodyte, builds a fire so bright
Uhhn!
Funky troglodyte, Stone Age celebrity
Funky troglodyte, fossils for you and me
3.
Funky troglodyte, hunts with wooden spear
Funky troglodyte, predator to fear
Funky troglodyte, gathers nuts and fruits
Funky troglodyte, digs up buried roots
Funky troglodyte, searches for a mate
Funky troglodyte, wants to procreate
Funky troglodyte, digs an earthen grave
Funky troglodyte, last rites for the brave
Funky troglodyte, hunts with wooden spear
Uhhn!
Funky troglodyte, Stone Age celebrity
Funky troglodyte, fossils for you and me
4.
Funky troglodyte, drums a primal beat
Funky troglodyte, keep time with their feet
Funky troglodyte, winter, bearskin hide
Funky troglodyte, summer, not much to hide
Funky troglodyte, grinds red ochre paint
Funky troglodyte, body red with stain
Funky troglodyte, cloudbursts cause a flood
Funky troglodyte, footprints in the mud
Funky troglodyte, drums a primal beat
Uhhn!
Funky troglodyte, Stone Age celebrity
Funky troglodyte, fossils for you and me
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Stone Age Institute Band members, Past and Present
Stone Age Institute inspirational music connections
