Ev'ry darkie believes that trouble won't stay
If you shake it away
When they hold a revival way down south
Ev'ry darkie with care and trouble that day
Tries to shake it away

Shaking the blues away, unhappy news away
If you are blue, it's easy to
Shake off your cares and troubles

Telling the blues to go, they may refuse to go
But as a rule, they'll go if you'll
Shake them away

Do like the darkies do, list'ning to a preacher way down south
They shake their bodies so, to and fro
With every shake, a lucky break

Proving that there's a way to chase your cares away
If you would lose your weary blues
Shake them away

I gotta blues, you gotta blues
All God's chillun gotta blues
Come and join a rebel and we'll shake off the devil
And we'll shake all over God's Heaven, Heaven, Heaven
Anyone objectin' to shakin' ain't going there, Heaven, Heaven
Gonna shake all over God's Heaven
I gotta shake, you gotta shake
All God's chillun gotta shake, shake, shake
Nothing could be sweeter than to shake with Saint Peter
When we shake all over God's Heaven, Heaven, Heaven
Anyone objectin' to shakin' ain't going there, Heaven, Heaven
Gonna shake all over God's Heaven


[Revised version:]
There's an old superstition 'way down south
Ev'rybody believes that trouble won't stay
If you shake it away
When they hold a revival way down south
Ev'rybody with care and trouble that day
Tries to shake it away

Shaking the blues away, unhappy news away
If you are blue, it's easy to
Shake off your cares and troubles

Telling the blues to go, they may refuse to go
But as a rule, they'll go if you'll
Shake them away

Do like the voodoos do, list'ning to a voodoo melody
They shake their bodies so, to and fro
With every shake, a lucky break

Proving that there's a way to chase your cares away
If you would lose your weary blues
Shake 'em away