Land Of A Thousand Dances
Little Richard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three!
You gotta know how to pony
Like Bony Maronie
You got to Mash Potato
You got to do the Alligator, now
Put your hands on your hips, yeah
Let your back-bone slip
Now do the Watusi
Like my little Lucy
Ow! Feel pretty good y'all?
Feel alright, now
La, na na na na
La na na na na na, na na na, na
La na na, na na
I need somebody to help me now
La, na na na na
La na na na na na, na na na, na
La na na, na na
Ow! You go to do the jerk now
I like to see you work y'all
Now, roll over on your back
I said I like it like that
Now do the frilly dog
Like smoke your hog, now
Now duck back in alley
Like Long Tall Sally
Ow! Feeling pretty good?
I feel alright now
La, na na na na
La na na na na na, na na na, na
La na na, na na
I need somebody to help me now
La, na na na na
La na na na na na, na na na, na
La na na, na na
Ow! Doing the Watusi
Like little Lucy
Put your hand on your hips, yeah
Let your backbone slip now
Ow! Do it
Ow! Do it
Ow! Do it
Ow! Help me
Ow! Help me
Somebody help me
Somebody help me
Oh, yeah
In a thousand dances, do anything you want, now
Little Richard's hit song Land Of 1000 Dances encourages listeners to dance without inhibition. The song begins with a call to action, urging the audience to begin by counting off to three. The lyrics then delve into instructions for four popular dances of the time: the Pony, the Mash Potato, the Alligator, and the Watusi. Little Richard sings about these dances through similes, such as comparing one's moves to those of Bony Maronie, and through invocations of people, such as asking listeners to do the Watusi like "my little Lucy".
The song then moves into a call-and-response section, where Little Richard asks for help from the audience. He instructs them to do the Jerk and then roll over and do the Frilly Dog. Little Richard also references other songs from the time, such as Long Tall Sally. In the end, he urges everyone to dance however they want, exclaiming that in the "land of 1000 dances", anything goes.
The lyrics of the song are simple, but the beat is infectious and the energy is contagious. The song's popularity has led to many covers and uses in popular culture, from being played at sporting events to being featured in movies and television shows. The song represents a moment in time when dancing provided an escape from the troubles of the world, and Little Richard was the perfect guide.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three!
Get ready to dance and follow along
You gotta know how to pony
You need to learn how to dance the Pony
Like Bony Maronie
It should be as fun and lively as the dance done by Bony Maronie
You got to Mash Potato
You need to know how to dance the Mash Potato
You got to do the Alligator, now
Next dance move to do is the Alligator
Put your hands on your hips, yeah
Stand with hands on hips ready to continue dancing
Let your back-bone slip
Relax and loosen your body
Now do the Watusi
Get ready to dance the Watusi
Like my little Lucy
Watusi should be done like Little Richard's dance partner Lucy
Ow! Feel pretty good y'all?
Enjoy and revel in the awesomeness of dancing to this song
Feel alright, now
Feeling good and having fun
La, na na na na
Non-specific lyrics used to keep the rhythm going
I need somebody to help me now
Asking for help to keep the dance party going
You go to do the jerk now
Introducing a new dance move, The Jerk
I like to see you work y'all
Encouraging people to show off their best moves
Now, roll over on your back
Introducing another dance move where you roll over on your back and slip down to the ground
I said I like it like that
Expressing a preference for a particular way of dancing
Now do the frilly dog
Another dance move to keep the party going
Like smoke your hog, now
Dance the way you want to dance
Now duck back in alley
A new dance move, ducking back in the alley
Like Long Tall Sally
Dancing like Long Tall Sally, a character or dancer
Doing the Watusi
Getting back into the Watusi dance
Put your hand on your hips, yeah
Returning to the original dance position
Let your backbone slip now
Keep limber and enjoy the dance
In a thousand dances, do anything you want, now
You can dance any way you want in the Land of 1000 Dances
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Christopher Kenner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind