The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati
Rose & The Arrangement Lyrics
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I must offer to you a confession,
I like movies that give me a fright.
If the subject is horror, I got to see more or
I won't be contented all night.
You may call it my ghoulish obsession,
It's a subject on which I get chatty.
Was the cockroach that ate Cincinnati!
I've seen ghouls and hobgoblins and witches
And some moth-eaten werewolves with fangs.
There were creatures that chattered and others that clattered,
And Japanese monsters with fangs (ah-so).
Frankenstein gives me the shakes,
And Count Dracula's driving me batty.
But they're not on a par with the worst one by far
The cockroach that ate Cincinnati (ha ha ha ha)!
Oh, he must have needed a seltzer.
It's amazing how much he got down!
For lunch, he'd just chew up a suburb or two,
And for dinner, he ate the whole town (BURP!).
Willard just sent me out laughing,
I thought Ben looked a little bit ratty (sorry, sorry about that),
But they're not half as bad as the worst scare I've had -
The Cockroach that ate Cincinnati!
Oh, my heart nearly stopped; he would never be topped -
The cockroach that ate Cincinnati! OLE!
Ole? That's dumb!
The lyrics of Rose & The Arrangement's song "The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati" speak about the singer's love for horror movies, particularly ones that scare them. They mention various creatures that have appeared in horror movies, including ghouls, hobgoblins, witches, werewolves, Japanese monsters, Frankenstein, and Count Dracula. However, they claim that none of these creatures are as scary as the cockroach that ate Cincinnati. The singer describes the monstrous cockroach as having an insatiable appetite, capable of eating entire suburbs for lunch and devouring a whole town for dinner.
The song's lyrics are exaggerated and meant to be humorous, poking fun at the horror genre and the ridiculousness of some of the monsters that have appeared in horror movies. The line "Oh, he must have needed a seltzer" after describing the cockroach's massive meals is an example of this.
The song also includes random interjections like "ah-so" and "ole," which further add to the humor and absurdity of the lyrics. Ultimately, the message is that, despite how terrifying some horror movies can be, they are still fictional and can never be as scary as the imagination.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh-uh, don't touch that dial!
Please do not change the channel, I have a confession to make
I must offer to you a confession,
I have a strange fascination with horror movies
I like movies that give me a fright.
I enjoy watching horror movies
If the subject is horror, I got to see more or I won't be contented all night.
I need to watch horror movies to satisfy my obsession with them
You may call it my ghoulish obsession,
I admit that my interest in horror movies is strange
It's a subject on which I get chatty.
I enjoy talking about horror movies
But the worst one it seems, haunting all of my dreams Was the cockroach that ate Cincinnati!
The most horrifying thing I've seen is the cockroach that ate Cincinnati
I've seen ghouls and hobgoblins and witches And some moth-eaten werewolves with fangs.
I've seen many scary creatures in horror movies
There were creatures that chattered and others that clattered, And Japanese monsters with fangs (ah-so).
I've seen all kinds of monsters and creatures
Frankenstein gives me the shakes, And Count Dracula's driving me batty.
Frankenstein and Count Dracula scare me, but not as much as the cockroach that ate Cincinnati
But they're not on a par with the worst one by far The cockroach that ate Cincinnati (ha ha ha ha)!
No other horror movie comes close to the terror I felt when I saw the cockroach that ate Cincinnati
Oh, he must have needed a seltzer.
The cockroach probably needed a drink after eating so much
It's amazing how much he got down! For lunch, he'd just chew up a suburb or two, And for dinner, he ate the whole town (BURP!).
The cockroach ate an entire town for dinner and a few suburbs for lunch
Willard just sent me out laughing, I thought Ben looked a little bit ratty (sorry, sorry about that), But they're not half as bad as the worst scare I've had - The Cockroach that ate Cincinnati!
Other horror movies like "Willard" and "Ben" don't scare me as much as the cockroach that ate Cincinnati
Oh, my heart nearly stopped; he would never be topped - The cockroach that ate Cincinnati! OLE!
I was so scared by the cockroach that ate Cincinnati that nothing could ever top it
Ole? That's dumb!
The exclamation "Ole" is meaningless and silly
Contributed by Gabriel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tom Nichol
I wish I could get the sheet music for this comedy classic!
Melissa Pinol
I first heard this song when I was 16. I'm 62 now, and I still like it. On the Dr. Demento album he erroneously attributed the song to folksinger Leslie Fish. When I met her years later I said "I love your song about the cockroach that ate Cincinnati" she said "I didn't write that"!.
RatsPicklesandMusic
Love this song!
Francis OReilly
A true classic
Richard Remington
I'll have you know this is a TRUE story! As I was the scoundrel who was assigned to capture and kill the damn thing!
James Affleck
I'll never eat Cincinnati chili again
1allanbmw
Dr Demento Classic!!!!!!!!
John Campbell
Doug Drill wrote the song, I was in the group and the song netted us zilch. Dr Demento was playing it nightly and taking credit for it.
David Lafleche
I actually looked up Rose and the Arrangement and got no information.
Greg Jeffcoat
Think it could be turned loose on Washington DC. Would need more than a seltzter to cure that heartburn.