“La Cucaracha”

Last night we were out having Mexican food when La Cucaracha started playing in the background. Todd decided he was going to ask our waitress what the song was about. I laughed at him a little. Umm. I am pretty sure it is about a cockroach. Kind of obvious, right? He asked anyway and sure enough, the waitress said the song doesn’t make much sense but is about a cockroach that can’t walk because it lost its strongest legs. See? Like I said.

Wrong. Todd wasn’t satisfied so he looked it up on his cell phone. It turns out that the song was originally about revolution. It was made popular with different lyrics during different wars over centuries. It eventually became like “On Top Of Old Smokey” with everyone making up their own lyrics. There is a version where “La Cucaracha” is a prostitute following around Mexican war heroes. One where it is a train that breaks down or an argument that falls apart. One about a guy that can’t travel because he can’t find marijuana. And many others with lyrics like the ones Todd found last night. My personal favorite. “When a man falls in love with a woman and she doesn’t love him back it is like a bald man finding a comb in the street.”  He he.

Anyway, it got me thinking. I wonder how often I approach a familiar situation as though I already know about it and end up missing an opportunity to learn something.

“It is hard to fill a cup which is already full.”  – Recent movie quote

(10 points if you can guess what movie without looking it up.)