You can hear this at the Internet Archive, here or here.


SHAKE THAT THING
As recorded by Ethel Waters (accomp. by Pearl Wright on piano) on Columbia 14116-D, 1925.

Down in Georgia, got a dance that’s new.
Ain’t nothin’ to it; it’s easy to do,
Called, shake that thing,
Ah, shake that thing.
I’m gettin’ sick an’ tired of telling you to shake that thing.

Now the old folks start doin’ it, the young folks, too,
But the old folks learned the young ones what to do
About shakin’ that thing.
Ah, shake that thing.
I’m gettin’ sick an’ tired of telling you to shake that thing.

Now Grandpapa Johnson grabbed Sister Kate.
He shook her like you shake jelly on the plate.
How she shook that thing!
Aw, she shook that thing.
I’m gettin’ sick an’ tired of telling you to shake that thing.

Why there’s old Uncle Jack, the jellyroll king.
He’s got a hump in his back from shakin’ that thing,
Yet he still shakes that thing.
For an old man, how he can shake that thing!
And he never gets tired of tellin’ young folks how to shake that thing.

Now it ain’t no Charleston, ain’t no pigeon wing.
Nobody has to give you no lessons to shake that thing
When ever’body can shake that thing.
Oh, I mean shake that thing.
I’m gettin’ tired of telling you how to shake that thing.

Hmmm.
With this kind o’ music, who wouldn’t shake that thing?