You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch
Acoustix Lyrics


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You're a mean one, Mr Grinch
You really are a heel
You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel
Mr. Grinch!
You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel!
You're a monster, Mr. Grinch!
Your heart's an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders
You've got garlic in your soul
Mr. Grinch!
I wouldn't touch you
With a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch!
You have termites in your smile
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile
Mr. Grinch!
Given the choice between the two of you
I'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch!
You're a nasty, wasty skunk!
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk
Mr. Grinch!
The three words that best describe you
Are as follows, and I quote
"Stink, stank, stunk!"

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch!
You're the king of sinful sots!
Your heart's a dead tomato
Splotched with moldy, purple spots
Mr. Grinch!
Your soul is an apalling dump-heap
Overflowing with the most disgraceful
Assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable
Mangled-up in tangled-up knots!

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch!
With a nauseous super naus!
You're a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked hoss
Mr. Grinch!
You're a three-decker sauerkraut




And toadstool sandwich
With arsenic sauce!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the popular Christmas song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by Acoustix, speaks to the various ways in which the character of the Grinch is unpleasant and unlikable. The song uses metaphors and vivid imagery to paint a picture of just how terrible the Grinch is perceived to be by the singer. The lyrics start by calling out the Grinch for being a mean person, who is unpleasant to be around. The metaphorical comparison to a cuddly cactus and charming eel creates an image of someone who is unapproachable and difficult to deal with.


The song then goes on to describe the Grinch's insides as empty and dark, comparing his heart to an empty hole and his brain to spiders, which are both associated with fear and negativity. The third stanza focuses on the Grinch's physical appearance, with the imagery of termites in his smile and comparing him to a seasick crocodile, highlighting his lack of appeal. The song's fourth stanza speaks to the Grinch's stinky and foul nature, using words like "nasty" and "wasty skunk" to describe him.


The final stanza drives home just how awful the Grinch is, with descriptions of his heart being compared to a dead tomato and his soul being an appalling dump-heap. The final lines reference a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce, emphasizing just how disgusting he is. Overall, the lyrics paint the Grinch as a loathsome character and express a desire to stay away from him.


Line by Line Meaning

You're a mean one, Mr Grinch
You are a cruel and unkind individual, Mr. Grinch


You really are a heel
You are truly unpleasant and unlikable


You're as cuddly as a cactus
You have a prickly and difficult personality, much like a cactus


You're as charming as an eel
You are slippery and deceptive like an eel


You're a bad banana
You are a rotten individual, like a spoiled banana


With a greasy black peel!
Your appearance is unappealing and unsavory, like the greasy, black skin of a banana peel


Your heart's an empty hole
You lack empathy and compassion, and have a void where feelings should be


Your brain is full of spiders
Your thoughts are twisted and unpleasant, like spiders in the mind


You've got garlic in your soul
Your spirit is foul and corrupted, like the pungent odor of garlic


I wouldn't touch you
I greatly dislike you and want nothing to do with you


With a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!
I want to keep my distance from you as much as possible, using a long pole as a metaphor.


You have termites in your smile
Even when you seem friendly, there are harmful things lurking beneath the surface.


You have all the tender sweetness
You have no pleasing or attractive qualities


Of a seasick crocodile
You are sickening and unbearable, like being stuck with a seasick crocodile


Given the choice between the two of you
If I had to choose between you and another unpleasant thing


I'd take the seasick crocodile!
I would choose the crocodile over you, as it is a lesser of two evils


You're a nasty, wasty skunk!
You have a terrible smell and a nasty disposition, much like a skunk


Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your heart is unpleasant and unclean, like a pile of unwashed socks


Your soul is full of gunk
Your soul is tainted with unpleasantness and filth


The three words that best describe you
When I think of you, the most accurate descriptors I can think of are


Are as follows, and I quote
These are the exact words that come to mind


"Stink, stank, stunk!"
You have a bad odor and a generally unpleasant personality and vibe


You're the king of sinful sots!
You are the worst kind of person, the ruler of wrongdoers


Your heart's a dead tomato
Your heart is without sustenance, and resembles a dead tomato


Splotched with moldy, purple spots
Your heart is contaminated and blemished, much like a rotted tomato


Your soul is an apalling dump-heap
Your soul is a terrible place, filled with unpleasantness and garbage


Overflowing with the most disgraceful
There is an excess of shameful and undesirable things inside of you


Assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable
The things inside of you are truly terrible and unacceptable


Mangled-up in tangled-up knots!
All of these things are hopelessly tangled up and impossible to sort out


You're a crooked jerky jockey
You are dishonest and unpleasant, much like a crooked horse rider


And you drive a crooked hoss
You are actively corrupting and damaging others, like a crooked horse rider


You're a three-decker sauerkraut
You are an unpleasant and unappetizing sandwich with sauerkraut


And toadstool sandwich
You are so unpleasant that even a sandwich made of poisonous mushrooms would be preferable


With arsenic sauce!
You are so terrible that even the accompaniments to your sandwich are deadly




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Albert Hague, Theodor S. Geisel

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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