Elton John: Crocodile Rock Meaning

Song Released: 1972

Crocodile Rock Lyrics

I remember when rock was young
Me and Susie had so much fun
Holding hands and skimming stones
Had an old gold Chevy, and a place of my own
But the biggest kick I ever got
Was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock
While the other kids were...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Sep 14th 2012 !⃝

   Bernie Taupin, who wrote the lyrics for ALL of Elton's songs in their first 10 years or more, is reminiscing about being a kid in the early days of rock n roll. Elton then wrote music to emulate the mood and style of the times. Reminds me of being a kid in the early 70's. None of Elton's songs in the 70's had anything to do with being gay, since the words were always by his friend and collaborator Bernie, who was straight. "Tiny Dancer" is about Bernie's first wife, I believe.
2. NewYorkSnow

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   Feb 13th 2021 !⃝

   The song is about high school and rock and roll in the 50's. But it's written from an American perspective even though Elton is British. So "Susie left us for a foreign guy" refers to the demise of American stars like Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper and subsequently, the British Invasion. So the foreign guy is the Beatles. And Susie represents the typical high school girl who went crazy for such.
3. anonymous

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   Jun 16th 2019 !⃝

   It’s about more simple times in are youthful days when life was less complex
   (I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will)
   You can’t have them days again because it’s a one off being young..
   but time go’s buy and your youthful ways are gone..
   (But the years went by and the rock just died
   Suzie went and left us for some foreign guy
   Long nights crying by the record machine)
   
4. anonymous

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   Feb 1st 2019 !⃝

   A Crocodile Rock anagram is Color Cockride. Susie wore her dress tight; She didn't have to give it up to anyone because she went dancing as Elton's beard. Meanwhile, Elton discovered the thrill of having sex with gay black dudes...an activity mainstream society would have found "shocking" back in the time the song was written. Like Rocket Man, this is another coded song about Elton John being gay. Rocket Man was more about the alienation side of his struggle, and Crocodile Rock was more about the fun he had within the safe spaces of the queer subculture. Anyway, just a theory, not hating in any way.
5. anonymous

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   Aug 25th 2018 !⃝

   Crocodile rock is a song about liking Jerry Lee Lewis, swamp rock over Bill Haley and The Comets.
6. anonymous

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   Jul 15th 2018 !⃝

   For Christ's sake, Elton John HIMSELF said the song is about Nostalgia. It's about the simpler good old days of Rock n Roll in the 50's and 60's. If you lived then you would know it. Stop reading some other idiotic nonsense into it. lol
7. anonymous

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   Oct 8th 2017 !⃝

   I've always thought it was about "dirty dancing" as it were. I remember in grade school we had a dance on Friday nites, and some kids from another school came in and started "provocative" dancing, and were warned once by the teacher chaperones, but they continued with the next song, and were told to leave, and escorted to the door.
8. rlquall

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   May 18th 2013 !⃝

   The key lyric is "Susie went and left me for some foreign guy." This was the period when lots of South Asians and people from the former British West Indies started pouring into London in large numbers. Whether "Susie" is a man or a woman is pretty immaterial -- the narrator is both nostalgic and jealous!
9. anonymous

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   Jan 30th 2013 !⃝

   I think that "Susie" is really a man and the "Crocodile Rock" is symbolism for being gay, as in that "all the other kids were rockin' round the clock" being straight.
10. anonymous

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    Mar 30th 2012 !⃝

    I think that he tries to explain why he is gay.
11. anonymous

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    Dec 7th 2011 !⃝

    No, it's about looking back. He's longing for when times were simpler and all he had to worry about was dancing with Suzie (whoever Suzie is) every week.
12. fastfordfocus

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    Apr 30th 2011 !⃝

    This is a song about the early days of snorting mixed amphetamine salts. Back then, you see, things were quite different. What with all the kids dancing out of sight, lots of "La la la"ing. "Long times crying by the record machine". How naive of you all to misassume the crocodile as being a man and, yourself, a thing worth mention. Find the pistol, piss up a rope. We should all have so much with "Susie". "Holding hands and skipping stones." as it were. Good luck to you all. You will really need it.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

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    Apr 17th 2011 !⃝

    I heard it was a song about pop music and dance music. Hit Parade and shows like American Bandstand.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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