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
The 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
"Poison Ivy" is a metaphor used by The Coasters to describe a woman who may appear beautiful and harmless on the surface, but is actually dangerous and poisonous. The first verse warns against this woman's deceiving appearance, stating that "She comes on like a rose but everybody knows". She may appear attractive, but everyone is aware of her true nature. In the chorus, the band describes this woman as "poison ivy," creeping around in the night with the ability to infect and harm those who come into contact with her. The second verse reinforces this idea, explaining that she may look good, but if you let her into your life too deeply, she'll "really do you in."
The final verse uses humorous comparisons to other illnesses to underscore just how dangerous and uncomfortable contact with this woman can be. The Coasters sing that measles, chicken pox, and other ailments may make you uncomfortable, but "poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!" The song's warnings are clear: beware the beautiful, dangerous woman who will leave you scratching and uncomfortable.
Line by Line Meaning
She comes on like a rose but everybody knows
Despite her beautiful appearance, it's no secret that she's trouble
She'll get you in Dutch
She'll cause you problems
You can look but you better not touch
It's safer to admire her from a distance
Poison ivy, poison ivy
A comparison to the plant poison ivy, which can also be beautiful but cause severe itching and rash
Late at night while you're sleepin'
She'll catch you off guard when you least expect it
Poison ivy comes a-creepin' around
She'll sneak up on you and cause problems
She's pretty as a daisy but look out man she's crazy
Despite her beauty, she's unstable and can cause chaos
She'll really do you in
She'll harm you in some way
If you let her under your skin
If you let her influence you, she'll cause problems
Measles make you bumpy
Listing other medical conditions that cause discomfort
And mumps'll make you lumpy
Listing other medical conditions that cause discomfort
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
Listing other medical conditions that cause discomfort
A common cold'll fool ya
Listing other medical conditions that cause discomfort
And whooping cough'll cool ya
Listing other medical conditions that cause discomfort
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch!
Despite the discomfort of other conditions, poison ivy is the worst
You're gonna need an ocean of calamine lotion
You'll need a lot of relief for the itching
You'll be scratchin' like a hound
You'll be itching intensely
The minute you start to mess around
As soon as you get involved with her, you'll regret it
La da la da la da
Nonsensical filler
La da la da la da
Nonsensical filler
La da la da la da
Nonsensical filler
La da la da la da
Nonsensical filler
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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.