Doing the cockroach
by Modest Mouse
DOING THE COCKROACH WAS RELEASED November 18, 1997 on their album the lonesome crowded west
I was in heaven
I was in hell
Believe in neither
But fear them as well
This one's a doctor
This one's a lawyer
This one's a cash fiend
Taking your money
Back of the metro
Ride on the greyhound
Drunk on the Amtrak
Please shut up
Another rider
He was a talker
Talking about TV
Please shut up
This one's a crazier
Daydreaming disaster
The origin of junk food
Rutting through garbage
Tasty but worthless
Dogs eat their own shit
We're doing the cockroach yeah
Doin' the cockroach yeah
Doin' the cockroach yeah (alright, not bad)
Doin' the cockroach yeah (alright, not bad)
Doin' the cockroach yeah (alright, not bad)
One year
Twenty years
Forty years
Fifty years
Down the road in your life
You'll look in the mirror
And say, "My parents are still alive."
You move your mouth
You shake your tongue
You vibrate my eardrums
You're saying words
But you know I ain't listening
You're walking down the street
Your face
Your lips
Your hips
Your eyes
They meet
You're not hungry though
Well late last winter
Down below the equator
They had a summer that would make you blister
Oh my mind is all made up
So I'll have to sleep in it
So I'll have to sleep in it
So I'll have to sleep in it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OGEiOgv86U
I was in hell
Believe in neither
But fear them as well
This one's a doctor
This one's a lawyer
This one's a cash fiend
Taking your money
Back of the metro
Ride on the greyhound
Drunk on the Amtrak
Please shut up
Another rider
He was a talker
Talking about TV
Please shut up
This one's a crazier
Daydreaming disaster
The origin of junk food
Rutting through garbage
Tasty but worthless
Dogs eat their own shit
We're doing the cockroach yeah
Doin' the cockroach yeah
Doin' the cockroach yeah (alright, not bad)
Doin' the cockroach yeah (alright, not bad)
Doin' the cockroach yeah (alright, not bad)
One year
Twenty years
Forty years
Fifty years
Down the road in your life
You'll look in the mirror
And say, "My parents are still alive."
You move your mouth
You shake your tongue
You vibrate my eardrums
You're saying words
But you know I ain't listening
You're walking down the street
Your face
Your lips
Your hips
Your eyes
They meet
You're not hungry though
Well late last winter
Down below the equator
They had a summer that would make you blister
Oh my mind is all made up
So I'll have to sleep in it
So I'll have to sleep in it
So I'll have to sleep in it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OGEiOgv86U
The Meaning of the Song
Doing the Cockroach by Modest Mouse is a song about the the monotony of every day life. It relates to the multiple paths of life that many people in will take. At the beginning of the song the band sings about everyday activities like taking the metro. The song then discusses junk food, garbage, and dogs eating sh*t. The lead singer then goes on to sing Doin' the Cockroach, which in the song sounds like a dance move. It does mean something more than though. Cockroaches are rarely respected in society and seen as pests that need to be removed. I think that is what the band means when they discuss Doin' the cockroach. They draw parallels to this pest in this song while discussing themes such as aging, death, hunger, and the nothingness of the daily routine. Cockroaches are one of the most resist organisms in the animal kingdom. They have some tolerance to radiation, can go months without eating, and have been around for at least 300 million years. Doin' the Cockroach is about finding resilience and survival throughout every period in your life. To survive, to eat garbage, and lay in the trees. Be a cockroach, a creature of the darkness when necessary. This song is about the darkness of existing. Without that darkness the light in our lives would not shine as bright.
The history of the band
Modest Mouse is an indie rock/punk band formed in 1993 in Issaquah Washington. In the beginning the members of the band consisted of Issac Brock (pictured below), Jeremiah Green, and Eric Judy. Soon after Tom Peloso, Johnny Marr (guitarist for The Smiths), Jim Fairchild (guitarist for Grandaddy), Lisa Molinaro, Russell Higbee, Ben Massarell, and Mattew Salinas. Their first album Sad Sappy Sucker was delayed until the early 2000's, and their album The lonesome crowded headed west was released. After that they released 6 albums, and toured with many famous artists, such as Cake, De La Soul, Kinky, The Hackensaw Boys, and the Flaming Lips. They are now on tour with the Black Keys. The band has had many members come, and go. Their song, Float On was nominated for a Grammy. Float On is their most popular song, and has been used in movies, TV shows, and commercials.