Jailhouse Rock
Elvis vs. Spankox Lyrics


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The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing
You should've heard them knocked-out jailbirds sing

Let's rock; everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone
The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang

Let's rock; everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

Number forty-seven said to number three
"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see
I sure would be delighted with your company
Come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me"

Let's rock; everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

Sad sack was sittin' on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin' all alone
The warden said, "Hey, buddy, don't you be no square
If you can't find a partner, use a wooden chair"

Let's rock; everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

Shifty Henry said to Bugs, "For Heaven's sake
No one's lookin'; now's our chance to make a break"
Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix, nix
I want to stick around a while and get my kicks"

Let's rock; everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock




Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Elvis Presley's iconic song "Jailhouse Rock," written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, describe a party thrown by the warden in the county jail, where the prison band plays some music, and the prisoners start dancing. The first verse describes the atmosphere, with the band playing some great music, which makes the prisoners start dancing. The chorus, "Let's rock; everybody, let's rock" repeats five times, urging everyone present to dance.


The second verse depicts the band members and their instruments, including Spider Murphy playing the saxophone and Little Joe playing the slide trombone. The drummer boy from Illinois is lively, and the whole rhythm section is the Purple Gang. The chorus repeats again, urging everyone to continue dancing to the Jailhouse Rock.


In the last verse, Number Forty-Seven admires Number Three, finding her cute and requests dance with her. Sad Sack is sitting alone in the corner, but the warden urges him to join in the dancing. Shifty Henry suggests Bugsy that this party is an opportunity to plan their escape, but Bugsy declines, wanting to have fun there instead.


Line by Line Meaning

The warden threw a party in the county jail
The warden threw a party for the inmates in the county jail.


The prison band was there and they began to wail
The prison band was present and they started playing loud music.


The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing
The band was playing so well that the whole jailhouse was rocking.


You should've heard them knocked-out jailbirds sing
The inmates, who were drunk out of their minds, were singing to the tune of the music played by the band.


Let's rock; everybody, let's rock
Let us all dance to the upbeat rock-and-roll music.


Everybody in the whole cell block
Each and every inmate in the cell block.


Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
Was dancing to the music played by the prison band.


Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone
Spider Murphy, who was an inmate, played the tenor saxophone.


Little Joe was blowin' on the slide trombone
Little Joe, another inmate, was playing the slide trombone.


The drummer boy from Illinois went crash, boom, bang
The drummer boy from Illinois played with a lot of energy and made a lot of noise.


The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang
The entire rhythm section was made up of The Purple Gang.


Number forty-seven said to number three
Inmate 47 complimented inmate 3.


"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see"
Number 47 thinks that number 3 is the most attractive inmate.


I sure would be delighted with your company
I would be happy to spend time with you.


Come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me
Let's dance together to the Jailhouse Rock music.


Sad sack was sittin' on a block of stone
An unhappy inmate was sitting on a block of stone.


Way over in the corner weepin' all alone
He was crying and feeling lonely in the corner.


The warden said, "Hey, buddy, don't you be no square
The warden advised the inmate not to be boring or unenthusiastic.


If you can't find a partner, use a wooden chair"
If you cannot find a person to dance with, use a wooden chair instead.


Shifty Henry said to Bugs, "For Heaven's sake
Shifty Henry said to Bugs, imploring him.


No one's lookin'; now's our chance to make a break"
Since no one is watching, this is the perfect opportunity to escape.


Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix, nix
Bugsy refused to go along with Shifty's plan.


I want to stick around a while and get my kicks"
Bugsy wanted to stay and have some fun.


Dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock
The inmates were enjoying the Jailhouse Rock music and dancing to it.




Lyrics © BUDDE MUSIC FRANCE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@theking-nz1ut

The king loves to Rock n Roll , viva Elvis 💖

@vicenteandujarbonilla5266

Vale 3 y

@misswhipplash8961

My god this guy could sing I’m very naughty what I’m thinking

@motownredux

Great mix, but why miss out the beginning and trim the ending? Still gets a thumbs UP from me tho :)

@raymondnash1424

Leave them alone

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