The White Stripes – Icky Thump

Know something about this song or lyrics? Add it to our wiki.
Send "Icky Thump" Ringtone to Cell

Ya he, icky thump
Who'd a thunk?
Sittin' drunk
On a wagon to Mexico

Her hair
What a chump
And my head
Got a bump
When I hit it on the radio

Redhead senorita
Lookin' dead
Came to, said
'I need a bed' in Espanol

So I gave 'em drink of water
I'm gonna sing around the collar
Well, I don't need a microphone

Yeah
Icky thump
With the lump
In my throat
Grab my coat
And now it's reckoned
I was ready to go

Yeah, I swam beside the hair
She had one white eye
One blank stare
Lookin' up, lyin' there

On a stand in her hair
Was a candy cane
Black rum, sugar cane
Dry eye
Somethin' strange!

La la
La la la la la la la la la la la la

Well, Americans
What, nothin' better to do?
Why don't you kick yourself out?
You're an immigrant too

Who's usin' who?
What should we do?
Well, you can't be a pimp
And a prostitute too

Icky thump
Handcuffed to a bunk
Robbed blind
Looked around
And there was nobody else

Left alone
I hit myself with a stone
Went home
And learned how to clean up after myself

Send "Icky Thump" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by The Drizzle, edited by yasmeen914

Track duration: 04:15

"Icky Thump" as written by John Aka Johne Battle Battle, Jason "iceberg" Lary, Jesse Mobley, Rashead Webb, Jevon (pka "dj Len") Moore, M. Blackmon, J. Prister

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Icky Thump song meanings
Add your thoughts

144 Comments

sort form View by:
  • -1
    General Comment:Cool song- although my favorite is still "Union Forever". I don't exactly agree with the statement though. First of all it's sad and a tragedy and horror show and all of that, however you want to say it, but if you don't graduate highschool even if your family teaches you a lot of skills then you know if you are white you're likely to be homeless. Other than a few employers who mistreat Mexicans I don't know that as of 2011 they are so badly treated by White like in the song. Im sure it has happened but the song makes it sound like it is the norm and Mexicans don't do that stuff. I just don't see that treatment by whites in my part of the world and we have a lot of Mexicans here. Also we have Mexican prostitution and (allegedly) under 13 taxi dance Mexican girls who (allegedly) hook as well. But they are pretty much only used by Mexicans and not Whites and Whites wanted it stopped and were told by Mexicans that it could not be stopped because it would be racist to Mexicans to do it. Ok maybe Amiercans buy Mexican drugs but is the Mexican cartel a white thing? And do whites cause the Mexican government to exploit the people or the people to marry so young without a high school level education? Guess what the poorest people in America are the Whites from Appalachia. So you know it's a tragedy about the government and poverty in Mexico but the idea that Americans are THE group causing it or causing so much of it as put forth in the song is not reality. Just ilke we don't cause the taxi dancing or other things either. I went to a surprise midnight show de bikini with some Mexican guy I was told to take out and the lights go out and the club becomes a strip joint all of a sudden and the guys were having live full sex with the dancers until the guard would tap them on the shoulder and tell them to pull up their pants and stop. If you did that shit at a white strip club you'd get your ass kicked and left for dead in the worst way possible before you got your zipper down. Unfortunately, the reality is that there's just not a lot you can do these days without education. And if you as I have seen in my experience are going to spend your money on the $15 beers and $50 cover for the pool hall chick thinking you are going to get laid- which is Mexican to Mexican btw- you are going to lose all your family's money and never get a hand job let alone laid. And the guy I know just kept going back for me and never got any. Nobody ever talks about the other side of it because that would be racist. What can I say?
    Flag donnywallaceon December 07, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think icky thump is a nickname for a prostitute that lives in Mexico...

    Icky thump sitting drunk in a wagon to Mexico

    If u watch the video u will see these girls that look like tramps and jack walking away while they are all over him... The video helps a lot to understand the meaning...

    And of course the lyric "red head señorita lOokin dead came and said "NEED A BED" in espanol



    I also think it mite b about a common resentment toward Americans and thier international relations

    Well Americans wut to do why don't u kick urself out ur an immigrant too... etc.
    Flag TZandAWon July 08, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:This song is lyrical brilliance. Especially the verse...

    "Redhead senorita
    Looking dead
    Came and said
    'Need a bed?'
    En Espanol"

    It fires off five rhymes one after the other (red, head, dead, said, bed) and it also seems to follow a type of pentameter (not sure if I'm usign that term correctly :P ).

    "RED-HEAD SEN-or-I-ta"
    LOOK-ing DEAD
    CAME and SAID
    'NEED a BED?'
    En ES-pan-OL"

    On top of this, they manage to put a meaning into the song, something that not a lot of artists do (*points at rap music*). Really, this is one of the White Stripes' best, in my opinion.

    ...But did they really have to break up ON MY BIRTHDAY? D:
    Flag Pumpkinboton March 08, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Id say that this is one of the best riffs in the history of rock music !!! :-)
    Flag TheWStripesRockon June 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:White Americans, what?
    Nothing better to do?
    Why don't you kick yourself out
    You're an immigrant too?

    I love this part :)
    Flagged AlecMagon March 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:well i only looked at a couple other comments n didnt see what i was thinking so heres my 2 cents. hes talking about a time he drove to mexico to party got passed out at some point then hooked up with a redheaded prostitute. he was then handcuffed and robbed by the prostitue and tafter he was freed he hit himself for falling for the ol prostitue with handcuffs trick, went home and instead of gettin another prostitut he took care of himself.yeah i didnt get anythin political out ouf it, just figured it was a neat story
    Flag ceedog76on September 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think Jack is critisizing the american immigration "system" by telling the story of an immigrant randomly named "Icky Thump"
    Flag Lennyliciouson April 11, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:I love the whites stripes will all my heart and soul...

    but this is dreadfully overrated.

    how this was the biggest hit on the album amazes me.

    the guitar is nice but i cant stand the organ thing.
    Flag so-far-awayon November 26, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Oh yeah, and add to all that that Meg's hair is dyed red for the Icky Thump video.
    Flag dylancoopercobainon November 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:There's the redhead again! see my comment on page 7 for Fell in Love With a Girl
    Flag dylancoopercobainon November 02, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain