The song discusses a girl named Ivy, calling her "Poison Ivy" because of her reputation with men as a player. The song makes references to other flowers such as a rose and a daisy, and diseases like measles, mumps, chickenpox, the common cold, and whooping cough. In a recently published biography about Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller, the song's authors, it was revealed that the song's lyrics are about sexually-transmitted disease, not the illnesses previously thought.
She comes on like a rose,
But everybody knows,
She get you and such.
You can look but you better not touch!
Posion Ivy,
Posion Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Posion Ivy comes a creepin' around.
She's pretty as a daisy,
But look out man, she's crazy!
She'll really do you in.
If you let her get under your skin!
Posion Ivy,
Posion Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Posion Ivy comes creapin' around.
Measles' make you mumpy and mumps' will make you lumpy,
And Chicken pox will make you jump and twitch.
The common cold will fool you,
And whooping cough will cool you.
But Posion Ivy Lord will make you itch!
Your gonna need an ocean,
Of calamine lotion.
You'll be scratchin' like a hound,
The minute you start to mess around!
Posion Ivy,
Posion Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Posion Ivy comes creapin' around.
Measles' make you mumpy and mumps' will make you lumpy,
And Chicken pox will make you jump and twitch.
The common cold will fool you,
And whooping cough will cool you.
But Posion Ivy Lord will make you itch!
Your gonna need an ocean,
Of calamine lotion.
You'll be scratchin' like a hound,
The minute you start to mess around!
Posion Ivy,
Posion Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Posion Ivy comes creapin' around.
Ladadadadada (Three times then fade)
Poison Ivy
Coasters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She'll get you in Dutch
You can look but you better not touch
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
She'll really do you in
If you let her under your skin
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough'll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll, make you itch
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough'll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
The Coasters’ “Poison Ivy” is a humorous and cautionary song about a woman who is dangerous and alluring, like the infamous plant from which she takes her name. The lyrics describe how she appears attractive and innocent, but in reality she is a toxic presence that can cause great harm. The song warns listeners not to be fooled by her exterior, but to be wary of her potential to do harm.
The first verse sets the stage for the woman’s allure, stating that she may look sweet like a rose, but everyone knows that getting involved with her will get you into trouble. The chorus repeats the title phrase “poison ivy,” reminding listeners of the danger this woman presents. The second verse warns that she may seem pretty and harmless, but that she is actually insane and capable of causing great harm. The bridge draws a comparison between the woman and common illnesses, emphasizing that while these can be unpleasant, poison ivy is much worse.
The song concludes with a repeated set of lyrics to drive home the point: that being involved with this woman will lead to an intense itching sensation that will require a great deal of calamine lotion to alleviate. Ultimately, “Poison Ivy” is a humorous and catchy song that paints a vivid picture of a woman who is both alluring and dangerous, and serves as a warning to listeners to be wary of any similar situation.
Line by Line Meaning
She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
Although she seems beautiful and innocent, everyone is aware of her true intentions
She'll get you in Dutch
She will get you into trouble
You can look but you better not touch
You can admire her from afar but should not make physical contact with her
Poison ivy, poison ivy
The subject of the song is like poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
The subject of the song can come into your life when you are unaware
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
The subject of the song can sneak up on you and cause harm
She's pretty as a daisy but look out man, she's crazy
Although she may seem lovely, she is actually insane
She'll really do you in
She will harm you in some way
If you let her under your skin
If you allow her to become a part of your life, she will cause problems
Measles make you bumpy
Measles cause bumps on the skin
And mumps'll make you lumpy
Mumps cause swelling in the neck and face, making one appear lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
Chicken pox cause itchiness and discomfort, making one jumpy and twitchy
A common cold'll fool ya
A cold may seem harmless but can still be problematic
And whooping cough'll cool ya
Whooping cough cause cold-like symptoms and can make one feel worse
But poison ivy, Lord'll, make you itch
Poison ivy will cause severe itching and discomfort
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
Calamine lotion will be needed in large quantities to relieve the itching caused by poison ivy
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The desire to itch will be intense and difficult to resist
La da la da la da
A nonsensical filler line
La da la da la da
A nonsensical filler line
La da la da la da
A nonsensical filler line
La da la da la da
A nonsensical filler line
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JERRY LEIBER, MIKE STOLLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rogerrrubin
She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
She'll get you in Dutch
You can look but you better not touch
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
She's pretty as a daisy but look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in
If you let her under your skin
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough'll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough'll cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!!
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Late at night while you're sleepin'
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
La da la da la da
@siemonjf
She comes on like a rose,
But everybody knows,
She get you and such.
You can look but you better not touch!
Poison Ivy,
Poison Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Poison Ivy comes a creepin' around.
She's pretty as a daisy,
But look out man, she's crazy!
She'll really do you in.
If you let her get under your skin!
Poison Ivy,
Poison Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Poison Ivy comes creapin' around.
Measles' make you mumpy and mumps' will make you lumpy,
And Chicken pox will make you jump and twitch.
The common cold will fool you,
And whooping cough will cool you.
But Poison Ivy Lord will make you itch!
Your gonna need an ocean,
Of calamine lotion.
You'll be scratchin' like a hound,
The minute you start to mess around!
Poison Ivy,
Poison Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Poison Ivy comes creapin' around.
Measles' make you mumpy and mumps' will make you lumpy,
And Chicken pox will make you jump and twitch.
The common cold will fool you,
And whooping cough will cool you.
But Poison Ivy Lord will make you itch!
Your gonna need an ocean,
Of calamine lotion.
You'll be scratchin' like a hound,
The minute you start to mess around!
Poison Ivy,
Poison Ivy,
Late at night while your sleepin',
Poison Ivy comes creapin' around.
; 7 D
@malbuff
"You're gonna need an ocean/Of calamine lotion". Thousands of songwriters, myself likely included, will go to our graves having never penned as perfect a couplet as this.
@juliereminiec4937
Today that line would be you're gonna need an ocean of Aloe Vera lotion
@robynrodriguez6237
Both of you are SO RIGHT
@aramancam
I used it today with a friend who has poison Ivy. She didn’t know the song!
@fawkeeenset
Sounds more like the clap...
@brendakdavis1620
Include me!
@jerrymorris4739
I am 74 and loved this song when I was a kid. I now play it with my grandchildren and they love it as much as I do and did. Fantastic lyrics, great beat, and you gotta love The Coasters. Great stuff!
@hershenso
The middle lyrics are incredible nd funny.
@jarretpaul
This was a childhood song for me as well but I'm only 45! We had it on a 78 that was abused, it had some funny skips on this song but a penny helped.
@HJRIV
My wife informed me today that we have poison ivy vines growing around our house. I immediately thought of this song. And now here I stand.
That is all.