[Verse 1] Down by the cypress bend My boots hit the planks again Mama said, “Don’t roll in late” But the porch light's hummin' by the gate The kettle's low and warm Moonlight hangs like a screen door storm I can feel that fiddle start Right there beatin' in my chest That screen door sticks and groans Like it knows me to the bone Sweet tea drifts from the sink And the whole place smells like home There’s a truck parked by the red oak tree And everybody knows it's me I come in with mud on my cuffs Acting like I didn’t have too much [Solo] [Pre-Chorus] Come on, baby, take my hand Dust off both feet in the sand Hear that board go clap-clap-clap Ain’t no quittin’ once it snaps like that [Solo] [Chorus] Shake it on the bayou Shake it on the bayou Let that old floor talk now Shake it on the bayou Laissez les bons temps roll Laissez les bons temps roll Till the whole room comes alive now Laissez les bons temps roll [Solo] [Verse 2] My cousin Louis up front Hat tipped low like he’s up to somethin’ Ain’t nobody standin’ still Once that washboard gets its thrill Big Pete laughs from the side Says, “Hold on, this one’ll ride” Gravy simmerin’ on the stove And the whole room ready to go Marlene taps a heel Like she’s hidin’ somethin’ steel Ruby snaps that gum and grins Says, “If you came to sit, you came to lose” The radio’s hissing out Swamp pop thin through the house Lamp light’s turned down low So the corners got room to glow [Solo] [Pre-Chorus] Come on, baby, swing around Let that skirt skim over the ground One-two-three, don’t think twice We gon’ make that old barn rise [Solo] [Chorus] Shake it on the bayou Shake it on the bayou Let that old floor talk now Shake it on the bayou Laissez les bons temps roll Laissez les bons temps roll Till the whole room comes alive now Laissez les bons temps roll [Solo] [Verse 3] Down past the split rail fence Where the cane rows lean and bend Old man June in a folding chair Keeps time with a pipe and a stare He don’t waste a single word But he hears the change before it’s heard He taps along on the rim While the young ones laugh for him A kid with a borrowed bow Takes the tune from the folks below Trips once, then finds the run Like he’s been waitin’ all year for this one And the dogs out back don’t bark They just weave around in the dark Like they know the rule by heart You don’t stay stiff when the room gets loud [Solo] [Pre-Chorus] Come on, baby, swing around Let that skirt skim over the ground One-two-three, don’t think twice We gon’ make that old barn rise [Solo] [Chorus] Shake it on the bayou Shake it on the bayou Let that old floor talk now Shake it on the bayou Laissez les bons temps roll Laissez les bons temps roll Till the whole room comes alive now Laissez les bons temps roll [Solo] [Bridge] When the moon slips off the tin roof edge And the crickets keep that backbeat We don’t need no polished scene Just the slap of hands and the screen door screamin’ If your week got rough and thin Leave it by the bucket when you come back in We’ll stitch it up with a tune and turn Let the kettle sing and the pine logs burn Call your name, then call somebody else Don’t stand there tryin’ to act too cool There’s room for the stubborn and shy When the fiddle pulls the whole room loose [Solo] [Verse 4] Now the ice in the cups gone soft And the song still won’t stop We’ve been at it an hour or three And nobody’s asking what time it is Mama laughs from the back room Says, “Y’all better save me one tune” I cross the floor with a grin And she’s clappin’ before I’m in Louis takes the high part now Pete’s stompin’ like he owns the house Ruby spins in her Sunday shoes Leaves little marks in the old floor grooves And if the river comes up high Or the roads get slick by and by We’ll still find our way back here With a packed-up song and a plastic cup of beer [Solo] [Final Chorus] Shake it on the bayou Shake it on the bayou Let that old floor talk now Shake it on the bayou Laissez les bons temps roll Laissez les bons temps roll Till the whole room comes alive now Laissez les bons temps roll Shake it on the bayou Shake it on the bayou I’m right here in it now Shake it on the bayou [Solo] Shake it on the bayou Shake it on the bayou Keep that fiddle burnin’ through Shake it on the bayou [Solo] Laissez les bons temps roll Laissez les bons temps roll We can dance till mornin’ comes Laissez les bons temps roll
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