Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino (born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Lou… Read Full Bio ↴Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino (born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana, died October 24, 2017), was a classic R&B and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist. He was the best-selling African-American singer of the 1950s and early 1960s whose congenial, non threatening personality allowed him to succeed despite a period of deep-seated racial segregation. Domino is also a pianist with an individualistic bluesy style showing stride and boogie-woogie influences.

In 1986, he was among the first batch to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. "Ain't That A Shame" and "Blueberry Hill" were named part of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll. In 2004, "Blueberry Hill" was named #81 and "Ain't That A Shame" was named #431 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. In 2004, he was named #25 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time.

In the wake of Domino's rescue from his 9th ward home during 2005's Hurricane Katrina, the Tipitina's Foundation organized a tribute album to the elder artist featuring Robert Plant, Norah Jones, Paul McCartney and numerous other acts that owe a creative debt to this seminal rock n roll pianist.

The Rooster Song
Fats Domino Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There was an old lady from Houston
She had two hens and a rooster
Her rooster died, the old lady cried
"My hens don't lay like they used to!"

Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame

She lost a helping hand

Her next door neighbor O' Cappy
He seems to be very happy
He can play in his corn, they will grow long
Cause the old rooster is gone

Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
She lost a helping hand

I know a lady named Sue
Her rooster died too
She didn't sigh, she didn't cry
She made her a pot of stew

Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
She lost a helping hand

There was an old lady from Houston
She had two hens and a rooster
Her rooster died, the old lady cried
"My hens don't lay like they used to!"

Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame
She lost a helping hand

I know a lady named Sue
Her rooster died too
She didn't sigh, she didn't cry
She made her a pot of stew

Ain't that a shame
Ain't that a shame

Ain't that a shame
She lost a helping hand

Overall Meaning

Fats Domino's "The Rooster Song" is a playful and humorous take on how the loss of a rooster affects the lives of a few ladies from Houston. The first verse describes an old lady who owned two hens and a rooster, and how the rooster's death made the hens stop laying eggs as they used to. The refrain, "Ain't that a shame," is used each time the singer talks about the negative impact of losing the rooster. The next verse introduces O'Cappy, a neighbor who is happy that his corn will grow long because he will no longer have to contend with the old rooster who was probably eating it. The last verse talks about how another lady named Sue reacted to her rooster's death – she made a pot of stew out of it instead of mourning over it.

The lyrics are light-hearted and convey how seemingly insignificant events can have different effects on people. Losing a rooster may seem like a small matter, but it had different effects on different individuals. The song may also be read as a commentary on how people deal with loss in different ways. Sometimes, people get bogged down by loss and the impact it has on their lives, while others are more practical and accept that life has its ups and downs.

Line by Line Meaning

There was an old lady from Houston
Let me tell you a story about a lady from Houston.

She had two hens and a rooster
This lady had a small flock of chickens, including a rooster.

Her rooster died, the old lady cried
Sadly, her rooster passed away and she was upset about it.

"My hens don't lay like they used to!"
With the rooster gone, the lady noticed that her hens weren't laying as many eggs as before.

Ain't that a shame
That's really too bad.

She lost a helping hand
Without the rooster to help fertilize the eggs, the lady's hens weren't producing as many offspring.

Her next door neighbor O' Cappy
Now let me tell you about the lady's neighbor, O' Cappy.

He seems to be very happy
He appears to be doing well.

He can play in his corn, they will grow long
O' Cappy has some corn plants that are thriving.

Cause the old rooster is gone
This is because the rooster is no longer around to damage the plants.

I know a lady named Sue
Here's another lady I know, named Sue.