The original of this is ROLL ON, COLUMBIA by Woody Guthrie, although H&J have changed the melody slightly and have given it a rock-'n'-roll beat.

You can hear this parody at The Internet Archive.


ROLL ON, DEODORANT, ROLL ON
As sung by Homer & Jethro.

(Roll on, deodorant, roll on.)

1. The other day in Marlboro Land,
I met a gal with a tattooed hand.
Her horse, named Hertz, was a mean ol' beast,
Gave me a kick in my driver's seat.

CHORUS: Roll on, deodorant, roll on.
Give me twenty-four-hour protection all day long.
Keep me calm, cool, dry, and I'll always sing this song:
Roll on, deodorant, roll on.

2. We had a picnic with seventy-cent spread,
And ice-cold corn-oil on whole-wheat bread.
She smiled with teeth so cavity-free,
They made straight A's at Indiana University. CHORUS

3. But my gal married a guy named Mister Gray.
Now she watches him shave all day.
And that man McLoughlin may sail the sea,
But only one [or "Juan"?] Valdez can plant a tree. CHORUS

Roll on, deodorant, roll on. [REPEAT AND FADE.]


This song makes fun of several commercial products that were being advertised widely. Ban Roll-On Deodorant was brought out by Bristol-Myers in 1952. Marlboro cigarettes came out in 1924, but Philip Morris began to market them as a macho brand in the 1950s. Imperial Margarine was advertised as being as good as "the 70-cent spread" (meaning butter) but much cheaper. Crest toothpaste had a series of commercials in which kids would brag, "Look, ma! No cavities!" while presenting a report from the dentist as if it were a report card from school.

I recall a commercial in which a worshipful newlywed wife asked her husband, "Can I watch while you shave?"—but I don't remember the product, and a Google search turned up nothing. Razors? Shaving cream? After-shave lotion?

I don't recognize the McLoughlin reference.

Juan Valdez was the fictional emblematic farmer who raised coffee beans in Colombia.