Jitterbug
Bert Lahr/Buddy Ebsen/Judy Garland/Ray Bolger Lyrics
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There's a modern villunworser than that old boogie woogie,
When that goofy critterspot your fancy clothes,
He injects a jitter,
Starts you dancing on a thousand toes,
There he goes.
Who's that hiding in the tree top?
It's that rascal The Jitterbug,
Keep away from The Jitterbug.
Oh! The bees in the breeze and the bast in the trees have a terrible, horrible
buzz,
But the bees in the breeze and the bats in the trees couldn't do what The
Jitterbug does;
So be careful of that rascal,
Keep away from The Jitterbug, The Jitterbug.
Who's that hiding in the tree top?
It's that rascal The Jitterbug,
Should you catch him buzzing 'round you,
Keep away from The Jitterbug.
Oh! The bees in the breeze and the bast in the trees have a terrible, horrible
buzz,
But the bees in the breeze and the bats in the trees couldn't do what The
Jitterbug does;
So be careful of that rascal,
Keep away from The Jitterbug, The Jitterbug.
Oh! The Jitter, Oh! The Bug,Oh!
The Jitterbug, Bugabug, bugabug, bugaboo.
In a twitter, in the throes,
Oh the critter's
Got me dancing on a thousand toes,
Thar' she blows
Who's that hiding in the tree top?
It's that rascal The Jitterbug,
Should you catch him buzzing 'round you,
Keep away from The Jitterbug.
Oh! The bees in the breeze and the bast in the trees have a terrible, horrible
buzz,
But the bees in the breeze and the bats in the trees couldn't do what The
Jitterbug does;
So be careful of that rascal,
Keep away from The Jitterbug, The Jitterbug.
Bert Lahr’s song "The Jitterbug" is a high-energy, jazz-infused tune with lyrics that speak of a dancing fever that takes over anyone that hears the voodoo moan. The song starts by portraying the voodoo moan as a harmless thing, by saying it is an old boogie woogie. However, the lyrics quickly change their tone, describing the jitterbug as a modern villain that causes people to start dancing uncontrollably. The lyrics warn the audience not to be caught by The Jitterbug as he buzzes around and dances on a thousand toes. The song adds to the image of the jitterbug as a mischievous character, hiding in the tree-tops and being as terrible and horrible as the bees and the bats in the trees; yet none of those can do what The Jitterbug does.
The song speaks to both the traditional and the modern with references to old boogie woogie and modern jitter. It also portrays the jitterbug as something that overtakes people against their will, injecting them with a jitter and causing them to dance uncontrollably. Along with this, the lyrics are full of rhymes, adding to the high-energy, almost frenzied tone of the song. Bert Lahr’s delivery also contributes to the song’s mood, full of enthusiasm, punctuated with exclamations of oh! The lyrics advise people to stay away from The Jitterbug, but the infectious rhythm of the song could make anyone want to dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen all you chillunto that voodoo moan,
Pay attention, everyone who hears the mystical moaning, because there's now a greater threat than the old-fashioned boogie-woogie music.
There's a modern villun worser than that old boogie woogie,
There's a new and more dangerous villain out there compared to the old boogie-woogie.
When that goofy critter spot your fancy clothes,
When that silly creature notices your nice attire,
He injects a jitter,
He instills you with a shaking sensation known as jitter.
Starts you dancing on a thousand toes,
This jitter makes you start dancing on the tips of your toes.
There he goes.
This creature is still out there causing havoc and making people dance uncontrollably.
Who's that hiding in the tree top?
Who is that mischievous character hiding in the branches of the tree above us?
It's that rascal The Jitterbug,
It's none other than that troublesome being known as The Jitterbug.
Should you catch him buzzing 'round you,
If you happen to see him buzzing around you,
Keep away from The Jitterbug.
Stay clear of The Jitterbug and his jitter-inducing powers.
Oh! The bees in the breeze and the bast in the trees have a terrible, horrible buzz,
Although the bees and bats around us may produce an unpleasant noise,
But the bees in the breeze and the bats in the trees couldn't do what The Jitterbug does;
They don't have the capability to make someone dance uncontrollably like The Jitterbug does.
So be careful of that rascal,
Beware of that sly character,
Keep away from The Jitterbug, The Jitterbug.
Stay far away from The Jitterbug and his unrelenting Jitterbug dance.
Oh! The Jitter, Oh! The Bug,Oh! The Jitterbug, Bugabug, bugabug, bugaboo.
The Jitterbug dance is a contagious and energetic dance, and the Jitterbug itself is a mischievous and troublesome creature.
In a twitter, in the throes,
When experiencing the Jitterbug's powers, one is left shaking and trembling.
Oh the critter's Got me dancing on a thousand toes,
The Jitterbug's jitter has taken over and caused me to dance on my tippy toes.
Thar' she blows.
The situation has reached a critical point and cannot be ignored.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: E HARBURG, E.Y. HARBURG, HAROLD ARLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind