I'm so glad to have run across this question. I'm from Louisiana and was born cajun-french so I do know a few things about this song. Over the years this is what I have learned.... Iko Iko" is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two "tribes" of Mardi Gras Indians. The lyrics are derived from Indian chants and popular catchphrases. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written in 1954 by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford in New Orleans, but has spread so widely that many people take it to be a much older folk song. The song is closely identified as a Mardi Gras song, but it is equally known as a Top 40 hit and a Grateful Dead song. The story tells of a "spy boy" or lookout for one band of Indians encountering the "flag boy" or guidon carrier for another band. He threatens to set the flag on fire. The lyrics of the song are based on Louisiana Creole French. The phrase Iko Iko may have been derived from one or more of the languages of Gambia, possibly from the phrase Ago!, meaning "listen!" or "attention!". The line from the chorus, Yock-a-mo feen-o and-dan-day echoes the original title amidst Creole palaver. The song was popularised by The Dixie Cups in 1965 whose version, arranged and produced by Wardell Quezergue, was included in The Big Easy film soundtrack, and is used extensively in The Skeleton Key. The Dixie Cups version came about by accident. They were in a New York City studio for a recording session when they began an impromptu version of "Iko Iko", accompanied only by drumsticks on a glass ashtray. The tape happened to be running and session producers Leiber and Stoller added bass and drums and released it. The Dixie Cups knew little about the origin of the song and the original authorship credit went to the members, Barbara Ann Hawkins, her sister Rosa Lee Hawkins, and their cousin Joan Marie Johnson. Later a credit to Crawford was added. The song is regularly performed by various artists from New Orleans such as the Neville Brothers, Larry Williams, Dr. John, The Radiators and Buckwheat Zydeco, and can often be heard on the streets and in the bars of New Orleans, especially during Mardi Gras. It has also been covered by Cyndi Lauper, the Grateful Dead, Cowboy Mouth, Warren Zevon, Long John Baldry, Dave Matthews & Friends, Indigo Girls, and Glass Candy among others. Aaron Carter covered the song for The Little Vampire soundtrack, and The Belle Stars' cover was featured in the film Rain Man. A later version by Zap Mama, with rewritten lyrics, was featured in the opening sequences of the film Mission: Impossible II. Eurodance act Captain Jack re-popularized the tune in Germany in 2001. I hope that I didn't overload you! Thanks for asking a good question! If you ever make it to Mardi Gras you WILL hear this song alot!!