Rock Lobster
The B-52’s Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We were at a party
His earlobe fell in the deep
Someone reached in and grabbed it
It was a rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster

We were at the beach
Everybody had matching towels
Somebody went under a dock
And there they saw a rock
It wasn't a rock
It was a rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster

Motion in the ocean
His air hose broke
Lots of trouble
Lots of bubble
He was in a jam
S'in a giant clam
Rock rock
Rock lobster

Down, down

Lobster rock
Lobster rock

Let's rock!

Boy's in bikinis
Girls in surfboards
Everybody's rockin'
Everybody's fruggin'

Twistin' 'round the fire
Havin' fun
Bakin' potatoes
Bakin' in the sun

Put on your noseguard
Put on the Lifeguard
Pass the tanning butter

Here comes a stingray
There goes a manta-ray
In walked a jelly fish
There goes a dog-fish
Chased by a cat-fish
In flew a sea robin
Watch out for that piranha
There goes a narwhal
Here comes a bikini whale!

Rock lobster
Rock lobster




Rock lobster
Rock lobster

Overall Meaning

The B-52's's song "Rock Lobster" is a surreal and humorous song that describes a series of bizarre events that take place at parties and on the beach. The song kicks off with the line "We were at a party," and then the lyrics take a wild ride through various strange occurrences. For instance, a person's earlobe falls into the deep, and someone reaches in and grabs it, only to find that it's a rock lobster. The second verse describes everybody at the beach having matching towels and seeing a rock under the dock, but then realizing it's a rock lobster.


The bridge of the song talks about "motion in the ocean" and a person getting into trouble when his air hose breaks while in a giant clam. The final verse is a frenzied mash-up of images, including boys in bikinis, girls on surfboards, baking potatoes in the sun, and the appearance of various sea creatures. Throughout the song, the repeated refrain of "Rock lobster" ties everything together.


Overall, the lyrics to "Rock Lobster" are nonsensical and absurd, but they're also incredibly fun. The song has a playful tone that encourages the listener to let go and join in the surreal party atmosphere.


Line by Line Meaning

We were at a party
We were enjoying a festive occasion


His earlobe fell in the deep
His earlobe dropped into the abyss


Someone reached in and grabbed it
An individual intervened and retrieved it


It was a rock lobster
It turned out to be a peculiar creature called a rock lobster


We were at the beach
We were spending time on the sandy seashore


Everybody had matching towels
Each person possessed towels of identical appearance


Somebody went under a dock
An individual went beneath a wooden structure


And there they saw a rock
That's where they saw an object resembling a stone


It wasn't a rock
It wasn't an ordinary piece of geology


It was a rock lobster
It was actually a type of crustacean called a rock lobster


Motion in the ocean
There is considerable activity in the sea


His air hose broke
His conduit for breathing ruptured


Lots of trouble
This led to various complications


Lots of bubble
There were plenty of air pockets


He was in a jam
He was in a difficult situation


S'in a giant clam
He was enclosed by a massive mollusk


Down, down
Descending further and further


Lobster rock
This place is like the domain of rock lobsters


Lobster rock
This place is like the domain of rock lobsters


Let's rock!
It's time to have some musical fun!


Boy's in bikinis
Males are wearing women's bathing suits


Girls in surfboards
Females are standing on boards used for riding waves


Everybody's rockin'
Everyone is happily bopping to the music


Everybody's fruggin'
All the partygoers are getting down with the latest dance craze


Twistin' 'round the fire
People are twisting their bodies near a blaze


Havin' fun
Everyone is engaged in enjoyable activities


Bakin' potatoes
They are cooking tubers over the flames


Bakin' in the sun
Also, they are soaking up the solar rays


Put on your noseguard
To avoid breathing in sand particles, wear a protective device for your face


Put on the Lifeguard
Maybe you should also hire some aquatic safety personnel


Pass the tanning butter
Please apply the ointment for sunburn relief


Here comes a stingray
A venomous sea animal is approaching


There goes a manta-ray
A different type of large ray is departing


In walked a jellyfish
A gelatinous and stinging creature entered the area


There goes a dog-fish
A small carnivorous fish is swimming away


Chased by a cat-fish
It is being pursued by another aquatic species


In flew a sea robin
A kind of fish with protruding fins is flying into view


Watch out for that piranha
You'd better take care to avoid the infamous flesh-eating fish


There goes a narwhal
A whale with a long, spiral tusk is departing the scene


Here comes a bikini whale!
And now a silly concept, a whale wearing swimwear, is being mentioned for amusement


Rock lobster
Yes, there's still a rock lobster around


Rock lobster
That type of creature is indeed still present


Rock lobster
Just making sure you're aware this species is persisting


Rock lobster
This phrase is repeated a final time to reinforce the focus of the song




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Catherine Elizabeth Pierson, Cynthia Leigh Wilson, Frederick William Schneider, Julian Keith Strickland, Rickey Helton Wilson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn

What do you mean? I don't see any drug references!

We were at a party
His earlobe fell in the deep
Someone reached in and grabbed it
It was a rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
We were at the beach
Everybody had matching towels
Somebody went under a dock
And there they saw a rock
It wasn't a rock
It was a rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Motion in the ocean
His air hose broke
Lots of trouble
Lots of bubble
He was in a jam
S'in a giant clam
Rock rock
Rock lobster
Down, down
Lobster rock
Lobster rock
Let's rock!
Boy's in bikinis
Girls in surfboards
Everybody's rockin'
Everybody's fruggin'
Twistin' 'round the fire
Havin' fun
Bakin' potatoes
Bakin' in the sun
Put on your noseguard
Put on the Lifeguard
Pass the tanning butter
Here comes a stingray
There goes a manta-ray
In walked a jelly fish
There goes a dog-fish
Chased by a cat-fish
In flew a sea robin
Watch out for that piranha
There goes a narwhal
Here comes a bikini whale!
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster
Rock lobster


Nope, just normal stuff, no drugs here.



All comments from YouTube:

@themikeygshow1271

Don’t boil me!


I’m still alive!

@Flixxy0

Iraq lobster!

@sudokisara

Death to America. And butter sauce.

@jaysorto2497

I was expecting this loll

@mandalorianwiththemandarin4339

@Flixxy Family guy

@jutlan854

@Sudoki Sara dont boil me, im still alive

30 More Replies...

@jamesthompson2757

This song kicks ass. Just a bunch of cool people hanging out making wacky songs that slap.

@funlittlefish

You might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Rock Lobster 🙂🙂

@Gentlegroove71

Not only did they write great songs. They were killer live. And they didn’t care what anyone thought. They didn’t follow trends. They did their own thing.

@grinninmoon3956

Actually, they followed Yoko Ono's trends.
She was their influence.

More Comments

More Versions