Lead Vocal & Guiro: Mick Jagger Electric Guitars: Keith Richards & Brian Jones Bass: Bill Wyman Drums: Charlie Watts Background Vocals: Mick Jagger, Brian Jones (also vocal harmony) & Bill Wyman
Poison Ivy
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And everybody knows
She'll get you in dutch
You can look but you'd better not touch
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Well, late at night when you're sleeping
Poison ivy comes a creeping all around, yeah
She's pretty as a daisy
But look out man she's crazy
She'll really do you in
But if you let her get under your skin
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Well, late at night when you're sleeping
Poison ivy comes a creeping all around, yeah
Measles make you bumpy and mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
A common cold'll cool you and whooping cough'll fool you
But poison ivy, lord'll make you itch
You're gonna need an ocean
Of calamine lotion
You'll be scratching like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Well late at night while you're sleeping
Poison ivy comes a creeping all around, yeah
La-la, la-la, la-la
La-la, la-la, la-la
La-la, la-la, la-la
The Rolling Stones’s song Poison Ivy is about a seductive woman who is dangerous like poison ivy. She's described as "pretty as a daisy" but "crazy" at the same time. The lyrics warn against falling for her charms as she will "do you in" and get "under your skin." The song stresses the point that like poison ivy, the woman will make you itch, and you'll need an "ocean of calamine lotion."
The song uses the metaphor of poison ivy to describe the danger of falling for a seductive woman who appears to be sweet but is ultimately destructive. The lyrics of the chorus repeat "poison ivy" over and over, ultimately driving home the point that this woman is to be avoided as she will only bring trouble.
Overall, the song is a cautionary tale, warning men to look but not touch and to avoid getting caught up with a woman who may seem attractive on the surface, but ultimately will cause harm.
Line by Line Meaning
She comes on like a rose
She looks really nice at first glance
And everybody knows
Everyone is aware of her looks and charms
She'll get you in dutch
She'll get you in trouble or a difficult situation
You can look but you'd better not touch
You can admire her, but don't get too close
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Referring to the girl as 'poison ivy' to add to the warning
Well, late at night when you're sleeping
When you least expect it
Poison ivy comes a creeping all around, yeah
The dangers and consequences of getting close to her
She's pretty as a daisy
She looks innocent and lovely
But look out man she's crazy
But she can be unpredictable and dangerous
She'll really do you in
She'll hurt you emotionally, mentally, or physically
But if you let her get under your skin
If you let her have too much influence on you
Measles make you bumpy and mumps'll make you lumpy
Referring to other illnesses that have physical effects
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch
Referencing the uncomfortable symptoms of chicken pox
A common cold'll cool you and whooping cough'll fool you
Describing how other illnesses affect you
But poison ivy, lord'll make you itch
Poison ivy will cause you to itch uncontrollably
You're gonna need an ocean
You'll need a lot of something to treat the effect of the contact with her
Of calamine lotion
Calamine lotion works as a treatment for itching
You'll be scratching like a hound
You'll be uncontrollably scratching yourself
The minute you start to mess around
As soon as you get too close to her
La-la, la-la, la-la
Repetition of this line is just for the rhythm of the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Word Collections Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg Halder
on 2000 Light Years From Home
Totally underrated track and album..