NMAS Shake 'em On Down Lyrics

[StoneMtn]

Can someone help me here? Jaimoe, perhaps?

For reasons I won't get into, I need to find the actual lyrics to "Shake 'em On Down" by the North Mississippi All Stars.

First, I am aware that the song isn't by them. I'm pretty sure it's originally by RL Burnside. I also know the Black Crowes do a version. I need the lyrics for the NMAS version, though.

If you listen to the song, the lyrics are nearly indiscernible. I've found them online, but they're definitely wrong, and everywhere I find them they're the same, so I think that someone posted them online, slightly wrong, and now every lyric site with webcrawling software is simply repeating the mistake.

Here's the lyrics I've found, but as I said, they're wrong. For instance, I am sure when the say "loud" they mean "Lord" (or "Lawd" in bluesman language) :

Wanna shake' em with me, wanna shake' em with me

See my baby yo moma standen round

You no I saw my baby yo momma

Shake' On down

No Im A stiel hallo loud shake'Em Shake on Down Im so Tired of harry'a'hee a

Shake'em on down

If you go to my house yall see me

No whare routh you no I

So what baby no momma

'Ah shake'em on down

No i'm a stielo no no no

Shake 'em

shake'em on down

I'm so tierd of harning me

I shake'em on down

Shake'em on down shake 'em on shake'em on down

Put yur nees together baby let yo back bones slip i'll tell no put it down like this

So, I'm basically positive the above is inaccurate. At the very least, no one bothered to try to correct "no" to say "know" and other things, and I suspect no human has ever vetted these.

Can someone find the accurate lyrics? I think I give up!

[mattm]

Anyway you can post a version of the song somewhere or a link where it can be downloaded for analysis?

[StoneMtn]

Okay, emergency's over; problem solved.

I think I've got 'em. In case anyone cares:

Wanna shake 'em with...?

Wanna shake 'em with me?

See my baby, Lord, mama standing round

You know I’m somewhere baby, Lord, mama shake em on down

Oh why must I holler,

Lord, I’m gon' shake em, shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

If you go to my house you'll see me nowhere around

You know I’m somewhere baby, Lord, mama

Shake em on down

Oh why must I holler,

Lord, I’m gon' shake em, shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

Shake em on down; shake 'em on down

Shake em on down; shake 'em on down

Put your knees together, baby, let your backbone slip

I take no woman in town can shake em down like this

Oh why must I holler,

Lord, I’m gon' shake em, shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

Lordy, me and my baby was out in the fields

Heard that train as it left Mobile

Oh why must I holler,

Lord, I’m gon' shake em, shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

Shake em on down; shake 'em on down

Shake em on down; shake 'em on down

Lordy, ain’t but the one thing in this world I crave

A big legged woman shake me down to my grave

Oh why must I holler,

Lord, I’m gon' shake em, shake em on down

Shake em on down shake em on; shake em on down (x7)

Shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

Shake em on down; shake em on down

Shake em on down; shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

Shake em on down; shake em on down

Shake em on down; shake em on down

I’m so tired of hollerin' please

I'll shake em on down

I'm gonna shake 'em on down

[Jaimoe]

With the blues, you can never be too sure who wrote what. For example, "Rollin' Stone" by Muddy Waters is actually a cover/re-named version of Robert Petway's "Catfish Blues" recorded in 1941-42?

"Shake 'Em on Down" is an original song by Mississippi Fred McDowell, a huge influence of many North Mississippi delta blues performers including R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, NMA and Bonnie Raitt - he even influenced The Rolling Stones, who recorded a version of "You Got To Move" on Sticky Fingers.

Here's McDowell's "Shake 'em on Down" lyrics (I believe from 1959). McDowell was a great electric delta player.:

Put 'em down, put 'em down

Put 'em down, good Lordy

Put 'em down, good Lordy

Put 'em down, shake 'em down

Good Lordy, shake 'em down

Good Lordy, shake 'em down

Good Lordy, shake 'em down

Good Lordy, shake 'em down

If you, come to my house

You's gon' find

Me around, good Lordy

Stop right there, baby go in

Shake 'em on down

Lordy, must I Lo-ord

Shake 'em down, to my house

Good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

If you see my baby, Lordy

Stand around

You know we gettin' ready, mama

We gonna shake 'em on down

Lordy, must I Lo-ho-hord

(guitar & comb)

Shake 'em down, to my house

Good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Put yo' knees together

Babe, let yo' backbone move

Can't-a woman in town

Cain't shake 'em down like you, Lordy

Must I, Lo-ord

Shake 'em down, to my house

Good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Whoa, Lo-o-ord (chorus continues) 1.39

Shake 'em down, to my house

Good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, to my house

Whoa, Lo-o-ord 1.51

Shake 'em down, to my house

Good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, good Lordy

To my house, good Lordy

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Far away up over the hill, baby

Lord, to get some ice

Befo' we got back, baby

Lord, we shook 'em down twice

Lordy, must I, Lord

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house

Shake 'em down, to my house.

(guitar - slide, picking, strumming, and comb to end)

[StoneMtn]

lol

The two lines I really wanted to check, because they are so hard to hear, "Oh why must I holler" and "I'm so tired of hollerin'" don't exist in the original.

You are a true wealth of blues knowledge, my friend. Thanks.

[Jaimoe]

I wish the Allstars stuck to doing delta covers. Every album after their debut ain't too good.