Blue Suede Shoes
Carl Perkins; Johnny Cash Lyrics
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Three to get ready, now go cat go.
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
You can knock me down, step in my face
Slander my name all over the place.
And do anything that you want to do
And don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Oh let's go cats!
You can burn my house, steal my car
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
Do anything that you want to do
But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Rock!
Well it's one for the money, two for the show
Three to get ready, now go cat go
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes yeah!
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
The song "Blue Suede Shoes" by Johnny Cash deals with a man's passionate love for his blue suede shoes. The lyrics are a warning to those around him that, while he is willing to tolerate and forgive many things, his shoes are not to be messed with. The repetition of the phrase "you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes" creates a feeling of insistence and establishes the importance of the shoes to the storyteller.
The first part of the song, with its counting rhyme structure, adds to the playful and upbeat nature of the song. The singer counts out the steps it takes to get ready for a performance, adding excitement to the narrative. The second part of the song contains a clear threat to anyone who would harm or disrespect the blue suede shoes. The "uh uh honey" serves as a continuation of the previous statement, signifying the unlikelihood of the singer’s tolerance towards anyone who tries to tarnish his shoes.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's one for the money, two for the show
The performer is giving a countdown and indicating that the live entertainment is about to start.
Three to get ready, now go cat go.
The performer is encouraging the audience to get ready for an exciting performance and calling performers to start.
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes.
The performer is warning the audience not to ruin his shoes that are precious to him.
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
The performer is asserting that he is willing to tolerate anything except damage to his prized blue suede shoes.
You can knock me down, step in my face
The performer is saying that he won't mind even if someone physically assaults him.
Slander my name all over the place.
The performer is saying that he won't mind even if someone ruins his reputation.
And do anything that you want to do
The performer is indicating that the audience has the freedom to be themselves and do what they want.
But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes.
The performer is emphasizing that his shoes are the only things off-limits.
Oh let's go cats!
The performer is calling for a lively and energetic performance from both himself and the audience.
You can burn my house, steal my car
The performer is saying that he would not mind if someone wreaked havoc on his personal property.
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
The performer is saying that he wouldn't mind if someone drank his liquor in his absence.
Do anything that you want to do
The performer is still encouraging the audience's freedom and creativity.
But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes
The performer is reiterating his previous demand about the shoes.
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes.
The performer is emphasizing again his warning to the audience about his precious blue suede shoes.
Rock!
The performer is calling for a compelling and exciting rock performance.
Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes
The performer is speaking about the color of his shoes, highlighting their vivid blue hue.
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes yeah!
The performer is again emphasizing the unique quality of his blue suede shoes.
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby
The performer is expressing his love for his shoes by calling them a charming name.
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes
The performer is once again speaking about the blue color of his prized shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
The performer is making his final demand to the audience to respect his blue suede shoes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Carl Perkins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@armandop9082
Look how far music has fallen from this era of greats , Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash immortals for all time.
@padraickennedy1232
The King of Rockabilly.
@kroakie4
He’s my favorite rock-a-billy artist.
@mackenziepuetz-bateman919
Oh my god Johnny at the end is unbelievable😵
@kroakie4
Johnny could have sung the abc’s and still sounded damn amazing.
@maireadpower6475
This is what you call music.. pure songwriters and the songs meant something.. the songs they write today is bullshit compared to what they wrote in the 50,s and 60s..it was true lyrics..I wish I grew up in their time.. but I'll never forget them true artist's.. NEVER 🇨🇮🇨🇮
@jipmart4691
Yes, what they call ' rock ', nowadays, is pure crap !!!!!!!!!!!!!
@maireadpower6475
@jip mart you're so right.. this is pure rock, rockabilly whatever you wanna call it, it's pure artists showing their hearts their souls and genuine music, these artists wrote and produced their song's from scratch.. They are LEGENDS love from Ireland 💚💚🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
@jipmart4691
Never understood why Elvis Presley became a living God and Carl Perkins remains nearly unknown by most people. Carl Perkins was probably the best Rock& n' Roll star who ever lived !!!!
@joshdunstan
Ive been reading johnny cashs biography and he talks about how just as carl perkins was becoming a big name and really rising up he had a terrible car accident which unfortunately derailed him from superstardom like elvis