In the late 1960s, sisters Maggie and Terre Roche quit school to tour as a … Read Full Bio ↴In the late 1960s, sisters Maggie and Terre Roche quit school to tour as a duo. Maggie wrote most of the songs, with Terre contributing to a few. The sisters got a break when Paul Simon brought them in as backup singers on his 1973 #2 album There Goes Rhymin' Simon. They got his assistance (along with an appearance by The Oak Ridge Boys) on their only album as a duo, Seductive Reasoning (1975). Shortly after that, youngest sister Suzzy joined the group to form The Roches.

Discography
Seductive Reasoning (Columbia, 1975)
I Gave My Love a Kerry (Earth Rock Wreckerds, 2004)

Big Nuthin'
Maggie and Terre Roche Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'Big Nuthin'' by these artists:

The Roches Big nuthin', big nuthin', big nuthin', nuthin' I was on a…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Maggie and Terre Roche:

Down the Dream I stop to lean At the entrance to the highway On the…

If You Emptied Out All of Your Pockets You Could Not Make the Change Before I went to jail When I was sayin' that I…
If You Empty Out All Your Pockets You Could Not Make Change Before I went to jail When I was sayin' that I…
If You Empty Out All Your Pockets You Could Not Make the Change Before I went to jail When I was sayin' that I…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS

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Comments from YouTube:

@jonimitchellneverlies

15w↑1

There's something about this song... I have listened to it 100 times at least, I can listen to it 10+ times in a row and I never get tired of it. It's like it's been infused with this essence, outside of this world , that makes it a perfect amount of listenable , but still bringing this joy and something to every listen. I can't explain it. Like entities from another universe with intelligence lightyears beyond current human understanding chose this song to put their something into and makes it so magical. Does anyone else feel this way about this song?

@celius6421

2y↑39

This song is a beautiful expression of heartbreak and disappointment, masked by that cynical sense of humor present throughout all of The Roches' catalogue. Though most of us haven't had the opportunity to be on TV and potentially become huge stars, I'm sure we can all think of a time where we were very excited about something that ended up being a tremendous letdown. The type of disappointment that is almost extravagant; a "big" nothing. While a lot of people find this song funny and a bit cheesy (very 80's), I think at its core this song is very tragic and sad. It can come across as a knee-slapper, didn't-win-the-lottery, back-to-reality song, but I think if you really listen to the harmonies and the chords, it's deeper than that. It's an expression of feeling crushed, heart broken, and devestated. We all want to believe our dreams can come true. And when we get as close as we can to those dreams coming true, only to realize that we'll never be closer and yet so far away, I feel there is nothing more tragic. This is one of my favorite songs.

@TheSaltydog07

7y↑52

Sad day. May perpetual light shine upon you, angel Maggie. <3

@marksusskind1260

7y↑1

@cjbmusic32

5y↑1

amen

@christopherjudge1138

27w↑1

Maggie, Terre and Suzzy performed at various clubs in
Greenwich Village in NYC, as well as on many TV shows,
like Saturday Night Live and , I take it, Mike Douglas, Merv
Griffin, Soundstage, Austin City Limits and Evening at Pops!

@beckyb8929

30w↑2

Back in that innocent time in so many ways. Love The Roches.

@jlbaker2000

7y↑28

RIP, beautiful Maggie, big sis. You wrote the best songs.

@lawrencemoore

I agree.

@marksusskind1260

@norrisnonkin5283

4y↑4

Never missed a Bottom Line show! Wherever you are, Margaret Roche, know that you are loved.

@franko6677

3y↑14

There’s nobody else like The Roches...true originals. I think they were always too left-of-center to become household names, but at least they’ve always had a small but devoted fan base. I love their early work but I also love their later stuff like this when they went in a poppier, more produced direction. It’s all fantastic.

@animatronicalien

26w

I accidentally discovered them watching an old SNL episode last month. This is my favorite song at the moment.

@JeffClegg

2y↑2

This reminds me of my college days at The University of Georgia. REM, The B-52s, Love Tractor, etc.

@ebaylistentomusic

3y↑2

I hung out with their touring sound man in SF many years ago. I said, you have the greatest job in the world. He said they fight like a bag of cats. :)

@richardrogers2900

6y↑16

The Roches - artists first. Happy to see them on YouTube because they were unique and had a real vision. Sort of sad though because their work and vision wasn't fully appreciated. Blessings.

@ClarenceFisher

5y↑7

3:40 - I love the look on Suzzy's face when she says "I just never knew how big nuthin' can be".

@byssacpack

3y↑3

crossing delancey introduced me to the roches. and for that, i am eternally grateful. rip, maggie.

@peterswanson9590

3y↑1

An excellent film, and the Roche music adds so much, as does the acting of Suzzy.

@Bun_P_

3y↑3

the outfits in this video ... giving me life

@1985OldSkool

9y↑26

I remember the Roches performing this song on the US cable network VH-1 during the late fall of 1989 and the early winter of 1990. I loved watching their video.

@carljj222

6y↑5

Yep. Me, too. Loved it, thought it and stuff like it would lead us in different directions than what we've become. Work in progress, I guess.

@ESolo

12y↑16

This is video's a work of art, hands down. It's different, that's what makes it stand on its own, plus those perfect harmonies by The Roches...can't get no better, nah.

@Cotictimmy

1y↑1

Lurve The Roches - I played their albums to death in the 1980's 💕

@ClarenceFisher

13y↑9

They never got the credit or the sort of career they deserved.

@cdm2202

6y↑24

How did I not know about these ladies! I love them! They make me cry and laugh at the same time - awesome.

@only1moore

7y↑56

RIP Maggie

@marksusskind1260

@globalheartwarming

😔

@mojogarman65

10y↑13

Johnny Carson loved this band and had them on The Tonight Show more than once! I love them too by the way.

@unclejohnthezef

8y↑2

yes, but how sad I was they chose to sing this song: they could have sung anything else from the album (e.g. the a capella songs), and it would have been magical. instead maybe they were going for self-deprecating/anti-climactic irony? A shame...

@harmonium8198

3y↑2

@unclejohnthezef They were singing the single. It's the standard thing: bringing attention to the product that's out there.

@DebraBurrell

4y↑8

Saw them live more than once. I am so grateful. <3

@Wizardofgosz

2y↑1

Amazing! You're so lucky!

I only saw them on SNL, which is what this song is about.

@DebraBurrell

@Richard Wielgosz I did not know that, but it makes sense. I thought it might have been Letterman. And they were truly amazing in person. Saw them once in a bar/concert site setting and once in a formal theatre. RIP Maggie.

@peterikarlstad

42w

This group shold have become bigger than Springsteen.

@A1l2l2e2n4

14y↑4

@brontotherium1 In 1979, this group (the Roches) appeared on "Saturday Night Live" and expected big things to result from their appearance. After all, they had already captured the attention of both Linda Ronstadt AND Phoebe Snow (which is how they got on "Saturday Night Live" in the first place). They spent virtually ALL of the '80s in obscurity, only their friends and family knowing who they were. They debuted this song on "The Tonight Show" in 1989.

@philbabb6460

5y↑12

i was a baby when this came out and now i am old but this makes me feel like the baby i don't remember that i was

@philbabb6460

terre kicks suzzy's shin

@sqaat

@Phil Babb If you were a baby then, you are not "old" quite yet. Believe me. I on the other hand was kind of old then and am REALLY old now.

@BretHHamilton

2y↑1

They are adorable.

@jrpipik

19w

Maggie looks so lovely.

@RhysChristian490

7y↑19

I love everything about this. So bizarre!

@TheSaltydog07

7y↑3

Wasn't this song a response to their gig on SNL?

@jlbaker2000

7y↑3

Yes, it was. It was an anticlimactic experience.

@ktkee7161

7y↑6

They were undeservedly virtually unknown in Britain and I'd only heard of them because of a radio interview with Johnny Walker when they played this song, the only media appearance I ever heard with them. I didn't know she'd died till today, RIP.

@danoleary6649

8y↑19

This comes from a fantastic album, that I listen to often.

@KrazeeClark

6y↑1

What other albums do you listen to in Heaven? Or maybe Hell. : )

@2uconner

1y↑1

❤❤as long as you can eat and work and have fun and work make friends enjoy your life as an artist ..enjoy ...😅
This is funny Roches are hilarious 🎉love them

@RickJones222

7y↑12

Thank you for your music, Maggie.

@kraps25

10y↑12

so goofy & so straight on ! I Love you 3 wonderful girls

@JoycePiercebrosnyn

YES

@2alguien

12y↑3

maggie looks amazingly fantastic in this vid.

@nelanncal

32w

I discovered The Roches when their track Hammond Song was sampled by The Avalanches - my goodness what sublime voices!

@hautepumpernickel

2y↑2

I hadn't heard this in years and it popped in my head recently.

@biblelovesalad

2y↑1

The bridge that starts right after the 2:00 mark is something you scream off rooftops

@plb525berry4

5y↑2

This is the second time I've seen that music video. The first time was way back in 1990 when I was at a video tape rental store and this video was playing, along with other music videos. While I cannot remember the others, it was hard not to forget this one. How can one forget three woman on wires and the title "Big Nuthin'?

@regina_filange2.0

Saw this video once when I was about 11.. trying my hardest to find Indie/Folk bands on early morning MTV (they just didn't play that stuff in Industrial-town Ohio). I hated the video lol but the tune always stayed with me. Popped in my head 5 mins ago. Can't believe I just found this.

@chunkybuttz1226

5y↑3

Have not seen this since 1989 when it came out, Thanks Youtube!

@Liartooth

Love these ladies sooooo much
Remembering Maggie. ❤️❤️❤️

@solangegriffin5894

1y↑1

Beautiful

@ESolo

12y↑4

By the way, thanks, Maggie, Terri & Suzzy, for the great music in the past 30 something years...still fresh.

@sisgaia

I recall enjoying this quirky video when it first came out. Years (OK, decades) later, I tried to recall who did it and went searching for it without any luck. Now I stumbled upon it quite by accident.

@matthewstetson711

Wore a big smile on my face for 4:24. Had the pleasure of seeing Maggie and Suzzy perform live in 2004 for Why The Long Face. They were fantastic. R.I.P. Maggie Roche. The Roches and Kid Creole and The Coconuts, similar but different. Sisters.

@richernest3359

Where is the world.Simply amazing and under appreciated.Love them.The Roches/SNL and party time 24/7.Crazy Carol Sings is YouTube all kind.

@lazyorangehousecat9164

That wedgie wasn't a big nothing. Poor Maggie! Love this band and love this song so much. Wish there was more video of these guys!

@laurentcinus

Wow!!! 🤩🤩🤩 - Beautiful vocal harmonies and superb communicative “madness”!!! - Bravo and thank you 👏👏👏

@LPHSLancers

11y↑2

Bliss. one of my favourite songs by this terribly talented trio. Rock on!

@arklowrockz

6y↑4

I only ever listened to the first three albums but I gotta say this sounds pretty darn good too!!

@pretendamnesia

6y↑3

Their best song.

@gamoonbat

12y↑2

This video fits the song concept perfectly!

@wildsarsaparilla

Inspired by this wonderful song, my husband and I have a catch phrase around the house when we meet with disappointment. "Well, that was a Big Nuthin'."

@WizardGlik

14y↑10

Maggie was so cute during this period.

@63rambler66

3y↑1

She looks like a 1930's Hollywood starlet here, so gorgeous.

@MarioMaster02

4y↑1

Don’t know what anyone’s complaining about. This video is really fantastic

@peterswanson9590

I think this is the first Roches song I ever heard, over 35 years ago, but I'd never seen this video clip. As expected, it's funny/whimsical/harmonious.

@freshencounter

Always loved the song; the video however?!? 😀 So grateful for their music!

@artnardone

8y↑4

very nice, thanks sisters

@JWemm

5y↑1

Such a great song and video!

@Hopegirls4

5y↑1

Love these girls

@romainnovarina6237

Masterpiece

@kennybluet5527

Great harmonies. Very evocative. So unique.

@kennybluet5527

Does anyone know who played guitar for them?

@sfdungeon

I Still Love So Much XXOO

@jbahr5515

I love this song and the way they sing it!

@robertlange2905

miss you, maggie,

@ESolo

12y

THAT. IS SO...COOL! I've been wanting to know that, too! Thank you, Miss Lauren!!

@jmcfarlandjr

Very catchy.

@oscarholmstrom5147

5y↑1

Me love them long time!

@only1moore

11y↑1

That was the whole idea behind the concept. Who can blame them.

@MarkLangel-oh2tw

17w

❤❤💔

@mclarke825

10y↑13

sqaat asked what Maggie sings at the end (starting at 3:46). It was years before I caught it, but she is spelling out Big Nuthin' with an "ah" at the end: "B-I-G-N-U-T-H-I-N-Ah!"

@yeticoreone

9y↑1

***** did it really take you years to solve that one?? LMAO

@sqaat

4y↑2

@Corey Howard I don't know about mclarke, but me, yes! Someone else had answered that right after I commented nine years ago, though until then I couldn't make it out. I thought she was saying something about Brioshi, the antacid. Yes, have a laugh at my expense on that one, I certainly do. I love the misheard lyrics website, I've made quite a few entries myself.

@globalheartwarming

@sqaat You know it's got to be a giant... Ah! There's a bathroom on the right. 'Scuse me while I kiss this guy. Ah, mondegreens, a whole other dimension of the joy of song!

@sqaat

2y↑1

@Ellen Setteducati I thought it may have been "giant" at one point too.

@SamSung-xz7jt

14w

@@sqaatme too, damn! I just figured it out myself after listening to it for days,having scoured the web for an answer and only seen the question above. I was so excited to post the answer and it was there all along. Oh, well. What a big ---

@MinervaFan

14y↑2

I love this video! It's such a brilliant parody of the craptastic vids of the early-mid 80s. (Love Terre in the Debbie Gibson hat!) Great song, hilarious video. (Don't tell me if they weren't being funny on purpose. I don't want to know.)

@andrewleibs

13y

@ClarenceFisher I agree! Must have listened to "Can We Go Home Now" a thousand times.

@johnr3552

6y↑1

Great song. A disappointing date is a metaphor for their SNL performance. Or is it the other way round?

@danielledavis1524

i remember this song playing on vh1

@grayforester

12y↑1

The whole album wrestled with the problem of how to give their label the signals that said they were not being uncooperative or purposely trying to make an uncommercial album. 1989 was not a great time for sibling harmony with acoustic guitars.

@buzzguy72

7y↑2

No? Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman? This was the best window they had.

@africkinamerican

Unfortunately, this song, its hook, and its arrangement are a "big nothin" -- from a group of really good musicians.

@LazlosPlane

+africkinamerican What is its "hook"?

@ktkee7161

8y↑1

+africkinamerican I think it's their most memorable song, so shucks.

@jeremyjensen7144

7y↑3

I couldn't disagree with you more. I can listen to this song over and over again. The harmonies are amazing.

@biblelovesalad

The early bridge of this song legit transports souls into heaven

@EsJuN2010

genious!

@nlgbbbblth

6y↑1

Like The Nualas and The Dooleys, The Roches always seemed like a massive in-joke.

@tinaandherpony

12y↑1

wow

@Hister333

13y

This is not as annoying as most of their stuff. Give them credit for that...

@paulpaxman

14y↑1

@A1l2l2e2n4 I dunno about 'obscurity'. Those of us who knew searched them out, bought their records, and followed their careers and personal lives with avid interest. Honestly cannot speak for the taste of others, but the Roches were so far above all of the crap of the eighties that most folk probably couldn't care to pull their noses out of the stink long enough to find out who they were.

@sophiaheydon2434

I'm Seeing this ugh.

@A1l2l2e2n4

14y

@paulpaxman Perhaps I shouldn't have used the word "obscurity". But I saw their performance on "Saturday Night Live" as well as their performance on "The Tonight Show" ten years later. (Why Johnny Carson waited that long to have them on his show, I don't know. Did either Linda or Phoebe hire them as an opening act? Did they do anything besides perform in a nightclub in NYC?)

@sqaat

13y

Does anyone know what Maggie sings at the end, starting at 3:46? I've been wondering since 1989.

@Hister333

13y↑1

@UncleCharlieOakley I saw them on SNL, and I became obsessed with how absolutely talented but weird they were. I'm better now, though.

@sqaat

13y

@laurenschmelkin Oh, DUH-UH!!!! All these years I've thought she was speaking some dead language or something. Thank you Lauren, you saved me several house of sleep!

@sqaat

I just read this reply I wrote eight years ago. Of course that should be "several hours" not house!

@globalheartwarming

I need to go to the house of sleep... where people SPEAK only in mondegreens 😴🎶

@terencerosenthal6693

6y↑2

These are the girls that went to band camp

@amellowsoul

11y↑6

The video is supp. to look "fake", folks. Goes with the theme of what the song is about. Pop art. Also, Roches have always been a little silly and campy. Lighten up, and enjoy or don't enjoy the song. For the video is a big nuthin' really. :)

@xtigerlilydreamsx

12y

@TheInvincibleViolet ...define necessary? ...but yes, i agree. luckily we can skip it after x number of seconds... :0|

@marksusskind1260

I know they have numerous videos of live shows. Was this their only scripted and acted video?

@genefowler5799

7y↑1

Everyone is Good has a video, incredible song

@terencerosenthal6693

The blonde is cute

@doctorpaul34

Sour Grapes.

@Hister333

13y

@UncleCharlieOakley But only after you teach me how to be as clever as you are.

@marksusskind1260

cute marionettes

@damianalexanderwebb

3y↑2

looks painful

@TheInvincibleViolet

12y

@UncleCharlieOakley And you butt into my comment, when it's none of your business. You're starting trouble. Go find something to do and leave me alone.

@eauhomme

14y↑1

Yes, the choreography was horrible, and I think that is part of the point. The Roches were known for being a bit quirky ("The Death of Suzzy Roche", anyone? Plus, they didn't expect this to be the big breakthrough anymore than SNL was (strangely, it was their biggest hit, if you could call it that). I think they figured that nobody would take them seriously, so why do a serious video?

@TheVeryBiggestAl

12y

Great song. Mediocre video. Who the h--- did this to the wonderful Roches? Sad.

@TheInvincibleViolet

12y

Oh noooooooooo that commercial at the beginning just is horrible. Ruins the Roches intro with its loud and annoying blather. Why is that necessary????????

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