Cell Block Tango
Catherine Zeta-Jones Lyrics

Pop
A sound effect to indicate a gun being fired

Six
The number of women who will share their stories in the song

Squish
The sound of a murder victim being killed

Uh-uh
A term to indicate disagreement or refusing permission

Cicero
A hotel where a group of people were drinking before a crime happened

Lipschitz
The name of a person who was killed in the song

He had it comin'
The repeated phrase that acknowledges that these murders were caused by the victims' own actions

He only had himself to blame
The victims in the song were not entirely innocent of any wrongdoing

If you'd have been there
An invitation to the listener to imagine how they would have reacted in the same situation

If you'd have seen it
An invitation to the listener to imagine how they would have reacted if they had witnessed the crimes committed

I betcha you would have done the same
The suggestion that the listener would have reacted similarly in the same situation

You know how people have these little habits that get you down?
A rhetorical question to introduce a story of a murder caused by a small habit

Like, Bernie
The name of a person who had a small habit that led to his murder

He liked to chew gum
Bernie's small habit was chewing gum

No, not chew, pop
Bernie's habit was to make a popping sound with the gum he chewed

So I said to him, I said "You pop that gum one more time"
The warning given to Bernie before he was killed

So I took the shotgun off the wall
The weapon used to kill Bernie

And I fired two warning shots / Into his head
The act of killing Bernie

I met Ezekiel Young from Salt Lake City about two years ago
The introduction to a story of another murder victim

And he told me he was single
The lie told to the murderer by the victim

Single, my ass
The revelation that the victim was married

Not only was he married / Oh no, he had six wives
The excessive lie told by the victim to the murderer

So that night when he came home from work
The moment leading up to the crime

I fixed him his drink as usual
The usual routine before the crime

You know, some guys just can't hold their arsenic
The method used to kill the victim

He took a flower / In its prime / And then he used it / And he abused it
The murder caused by a flower

But not a crime
The justification that the victim deserved to die

Now, I'm standing in the kitchen
The introduction to another murder scene

Carving up a chicken for dinner
The routine before the crime

Minding my own business
The state before being accused of infidelity

In storms my husband Wilbur in a jealous rage
The cause of the accusation of infidelity

"You been screwin' the milkman," he says
The statement that led to the murder

And then he ran into my knife / He ran into my knife ten times
The method and the number of times used for killing the husband

Mit kersek, en itt?
A foreign phrase that suggests confusion or disbelief

Azt mondjok, hogy a hires lakóm lefogta a ferjemet / En meg Lecsaptam a fejet / De nem igaz / En artatlan vagyok / Nem tudom / Mert mondja Uncle Sam hogy en tettem / Probaltam / A rendorsegen megmayarazni de nem ertettek meg
A foreign phrase and a story that suggests a false accusation of the crime

Uh-uh, not guilty!
The only line claiming innocence in the song

My sister, Veronica and I had this double act / And my husband, Charlie traveled round with us
The introduction to a story of three murder victims

We did these twenty acrobatic tricks in a row / One, two, three, four, five, splits, spread eagles / Back flips, flip flops / One right after the other
The routine before the crime

So this one night before the show, we're down at the Hotel Cicero / The three of us, boozin'
The introduction to the crime scene

And we ran out of ice / So I go out to get some
The moment leading up to the crime

I come back, open the door / And there's Veronica and Charlie / Doing number seventeen / The spread eagle
The moment of discovery and the murder of the two victims

Well, I was in such a state of shock / I completely blacked out, I can't remember a thing
The aftermath of the crime and the lack of memory of the murder

It wasn't until later / When I was washing the blood off my hands / I even knew they were dead
The realization of the crime committed

They had it comin' / They had it comin' all along
The repeated phrase that justifies the killing of all victims

I didn't do it / But if I'd done it
The introduction to a hypothetical scenario where the murderer claims innocence

How could you tell me that I was wrong?
The question that challenges the notion of right and wrong in the context of the murders

I loved Al Lipschitz / More than I can possibly say
The introduction to a story of a victim who was loved

He was a real artistic guy / Sensitive, a painter / But he was always trying to find himself / He'd go out every night looking for himself
The introduction to the victim's character and the eventual crime committed

And on the way / He found Ruth / Gladys / Rosemary and Irving
The discovery of the victim's infidelity by the murderer

I guess you could say we broke up / Because of artistic differences / He saw himself as alive / And I saw him dead
The motive for the murder caused by the victim's perception of life and death

'Cause if they used us / And they abused us / How could you tell us that we were wrong?
The phrase that challenges the notion of right and wrong in the context of the victims' lives