La Cucaracha

About this arrangement

The cockroach song, Spanish in origin and famous in Mexico, in a bright 3/4 with the old refrain in Spanish. It starts on a pickup of three quavers (eighth notes) on the G below middle C, “La cu-ca-”, and that little run comes back four times, so the thumb keeps reaching down for it. The tune climbs C, E and then B, D, and the last line, “las dos pa-ti-tas de a-trás”, runs down from A to C, so the hand moves up for it. The left hand changes chord in the middle of the bar, between C and G7.

Practice tip: Say the words in rhythm before you play: “la cu-ca-ra-cha” is three quick notes, a longer one and a quick one. Keep the three quavers light, like little steps.

The words

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar, porque no tiene, porque le faltan las dos patitas de atrás.

A short history

“La Cucaracha” means “the cockroach”. The song’s origins are Spanish, but it became famous in Mexico during the revolution of the 1910s, when people sang new verses to it about the leaders and battles of the day.

The refrain used here is a well-known children’s version. It is about a cockroach that has lost two of its six legs: “the cockroach, the cockroach, can’t walk any more, because it hasn’t got, because it’s missing, its two back legs.” Hundreds of other verses have been sung to the tune since, many of them jokes or political digs, but the refrain is the part everyone knows.

The tune travelled far beyond Mexico, and today it is one of the first Spanish songs many children learn.

Quick facts

Tune

Traditional (Spanish and Mexican)

Key

C major

Time signature

3/4

Length

8 bars and a pickup

Tempo

Brightly, crotchet = 132

Difficulty

Level 3: Notes below middle C (piece 53 of 201)

Type

Folk song

Hands

Both: melody in the right hand, chords in the left

Copyright

Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers