Poison Ivy
Young & Restless Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

She comes on like a rose
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
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
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps will make you lumpy
And chicken pox will make you jump and twitch
A common cold will cool you
But whooping cough will fool you
But poison ivy's gonna 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 when you're sleeping
Poison ivy comes a creeping all around
Measles make you bumpy
And mumps will make you lumpy
And chicken pox will make you jump and twitch
A common cold will cool you
And whooping cough will fool you
But poison ivy's gonna make you itch
You're gonna need an ocean of Calamine lotion
And you'll be scratching like a hound
The minute you start to mess around
Poison ivy, poison ivy
Well late at night when you're sleeping
Poison ivy comes a creeping all around
La la la




La la la
La la la

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Poison Ivy" by Young & Restless describe a dangerous woman who lures men in and then destroys them. The opening lines compare her to a rose, which is typically considered a beautiful and romantic symbol, but quickly warns that she will "get you in Dutch" if you are not careful. The repeated refrain of "poison ivy" emphasizes the dangerous nature of the woman, and the verses describe how she will creep around and do harm when least expected. The metaphor of a rash caused by poison ivy is used to explore the damage she can do - while other illnesses may be unpleasant, they are not as insidious as poison ivy, which can stick around for a long time and be incredibly uncomfortable.


With lines like "she's pretty as a daisy, but look out man she's crazy," the song suggests that the woman is not just physically alluring, but also manipulative and possibly even mentally unstable. The warning to "look but you'd better not touch" indicates that while the man may be tempted to pursue her, he is ultimately better off staying away for his own safety. Overall, the lyrics of "Poison Ivy" combine a catchy, upbeat melody with a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling for the wrong person.


Line by Line Meaning

She comes on like a rose
She presents herself with grace and beauty


And everybody knows
Her true intentions are well known


She'll get you in Dutch
She'll get you in trouble


You can look but you'd better not touch
It's safer to admire her from a distance


Poison ivy, poison ivy
She's like a dangerous plant


Well late at night when you're sleeping
She operates when you're not paying attention


Poison ivy comes a creeping all around
Her influence can slowly seep into your life


She's pretty as a daisy
She's attractive and charming


But look out man she's crazy
She's unpredictable and unstable


She'll really do you in
She can harm you in a serious way


But if you let her get under your skin
If you allow her to influence you, you're in trouble


Measles make you bumpy
Measles skin rash causes bumps


And mumps will make you lumpy
Mumps causes swollen or lumpy glands


And chicken pox will make you jump and twitch
Chicken pox causes itchy red blisters


A common cold will cool you
A cold can make you feel chilly


But whooping cough will fool you
Whooping cough can be mistaken for a cold


But poison ivy's gonna make you itch
The woman's presence will bother you


You're gonna need an ocean of Calamine lotion
You'll require a lot of medication to handle the irritation


You'll be scratching like a hound
You'll feel compelled to scratch yourself


The minute you start to mess around
Once you engage with her, the harm will start


La la la
Musical filler




Writer(s): JERRY LEIBER, MIKE STOLLER

Contributed by Gabriella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@theshutout

If anyone is looking for the specific version of this track it's not any of these versions:

Poison Ivy (Album Version from "Something to get you hyped")
Poison Ivy (Radio Ivy Mix)
Poison Ivy (Straight Up Street Mix)
Poison Ivy (Street Slam Sam Mix)
Poison Ivy (Big Street Break Mix)
Poison Ivy (Big Radio Mix #2)
Poison Ivy (Street Mix)

My guess is one of these two:
Poison Ivy (E.G. Mix)
Poison Ivy (P-Man Mix)



All comments from YouTube:

@drunk3n_m0nk12

This just randomly popped back into my head after decades of not hearing it. Thanks for uploading.

Shout out to Power 96 for being a major part of my childhood. Dade and Broward in the 80's and 90's was the shit!

@NDD235

Me too

@Shawnpimpin601

Same🤣

@williamchappell9858

Back in home in Montgomery Al Hot 105.7 use to play the hell outta this jam especially on Friday night got me hyped for Saturday night!

@DennisTolliver-uz4fd

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥🥃🥃🥃🥃🥳🎉🛬🛫✈️🚀🚬⛽💪💪🤜🤛👌🏼🎶🎵😎👌😁🤣

@mrrayray2005

Fo sho!!!

@ChicagoJD

White boy from Detroit in the 80s and I remember this in my Jeep all the time! I’d crank it up…

@ljpll575

Jamming this in my 5.0 GT in the early 90's living in Miami. Life was good.

@jaxsonchrixioncopeland6490

Tamiami Canes Girrrrllllll Suzuki Jeeps with the ground effects kit, IROC-Z's with the t-tops and no bills and no kids!!!!!!
#Give me a time machine biiiiiiiiiihhhhhhhhh LMBO 🤣🤣 🤣🤣 🤣🤣 🤣🤣 🤣

@DONTCALLMETHAT

It was. Sure as hell was

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