La Cucaracha

The song's earliest lyrics, from which its name is derived, concern a cockroach that has lost two of its six legs and struggles to walk with the remaining four.

Many later versions of the song, especially those whose lyrics do not mention the cockroach's missing leg(s), extend the last syllable of each line to fit the more familiar 6/4 meter.

In other respects, they are highly variable, usually providing satirical commentary on contemporary political or social problems or disputes.

However, because the verses are improvised according to the needs of the time,[3] and mention contemporary social or political conditions, a rough estimate of their age can be made.

In his book Cantos Populares Españoles (1883), Francisco Rodríguez Marín notes lyrics referring to the then recent Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860), which were probably developed by the troops during the campaign to boost their morale, using an existing melody:

English Hear with pleasure these verses, listen carefully: now the poor cockroach doesn't even get a tostón (a 50 centavo or cent coin)

"La Cucaracha" was a popular tune among Mexican civilians at the time, and there are numerous examples of non-aligned political verses.

Other non-aligned verses contained references to various factions, in a non-judgmental manner: Spanish El que persevera alcanza dice un dicho verdadero yo lo que quiero es venganza por la muerte de Madero.

[7] Soldiers in Porfirio Diaz's army sang "La Cucaracha" about a soldadera who wanted money to go to the bullfights.

In Mexican Military: Myth and History, Elizabeth Salas writes that, for the Villistas, "'La cucaracha' wanted money for alcohol and marijuana.

Some are new, and others are ancient, but the lack of references and the largely oral tradition of the song, makes dating the verses difficult, if not impossible.