Riverboat Shuffle
Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All you cotton toters,
Mississippi floaters,
Gather all about!
Gather all about!
Got some things to tell ya.
Not a thing to sell ya.
Listen and you'll all find out.
What I'm about to say

WIll take your breath away,
So, come a little closer,
Just a little closer,
Got a lotta news to shout! Say!

Good people, you're invited tonight
To the Riverboat Shuffle!
Good people, we got rhythm tonight
At the Riverboat Shuffle!
They tell me that slidepipe tooter is grand,
Best in Loosianna;
So bring your freighter, come and alligator that band.
Mister Hawkins on the tenor!
Good people, you'll hear Milenberg Joys
In a special orches-stration!
Even Mamma Dinah will be there to strut for the boys
I'n a room full of noise.

She'll teach you to shuffle it right,
So, bring your baby;

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra's song Riverboat Shuffle are an invitation to all the cotton toter and Mississippi floater to gather around and listen to the news that the singer has to share. The lyrics imply that what the singer is about to say will be shocking and take their breath away. The song appears to be an invitation to join in on the fun and rhythm at the Riverboat Shuffle. The lyrics mention the best slidepipe tooter in Loosianna and Mr. Hawkins on the tenor. It also references Milenberg Joys in special orchestration, and even Mamma Dinah will be there to strut for the boys in a room full of noise. The singer beckons everyone to bring their baby and learn how to shuffle it right.

The lyrics of Riverboat Shuffle appear to be an invitation to join in the excitement of the Riverboat Shuffle, a music and dance event that took place on steam-powered boats that transported goods and people up and down the Mississippi River. The shuffle was a popular social event that brought together different cultures and communities, with African American jazz musicians playing alongside white musicians. The song seems to be celebrating the excitement, energy, and joy of this cultural fusion.

It's interesting to note that the Riverboat Shuffle may have been inspired by the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904, which featured a "Pike" area where visitors could experience rides, attractions, and music. The Pike area included a replica of a Mississippi riverboat, where jazz bands would perform for visitors. The Riverboat Shuffle song may have been written to evoke that atmosphere and energy. Additionally, the song was recorded in 1927 by Frank Trumbauer and his Orchestra, who were known for their innovative style and use of unusual instruments like the slidepipe.

Line by Line Meaning

All you cotton toters
Attention all workers who transport cotton

Mississippi floaters
Attention all workers who navigate the Mississippi River

Gather all about!
Please come together in one place

Got some things to tell ya.
I have some important news to share

Not a thing to sell ya.
I'm not trying to sell you anything

Listen and you'll all find out.
If you listen, you will hear the news

What I'm about to say
The information that I am about to convey

WIll take your breath away,
Will be incredibly surprising

So, come a little closer,
Please move closer to me

Just a little closer,
Only a bit closer is necessary

Got a lotta news to shout! Say!
I have a lot of exciting news to share!

Good people, you're invited tonight
Everyone is welcome tonight

To the Riverboat Shuffle!
We will be dancing to music on a riverboat

Good people, we got rhythm tonight
We will be dancing to rhythmic music tonight

At the Riverboat Shuffle!
We will all be gathering and dancing on the riverboat

They tell me that slidepipe tooter is grand,
I've heard that the musician who plays the slidepipe is amazing

Best in Loosianna;
He is the best musician in Louisiana

So bring your freighter, come and alligator that band.
Come and dance so hard that the band will start to sound like an alligator!

Mister Hawkins on the tenor!
Mr. Hawkins will be playing the tenor saxophone

Good people, you'll hear Milenberg Joys
We will be playing Milenberg Joys for your entertainment

In a special orches-stration!
We have a unique and special arrangement of the music

Even Mamma Dinah will be there to strut for the boys
Even Mamma Dinah, a famous female dancer, will be performing tonight

I'n a room full of noise.
The room will be filled with music and chatter

She'll teach you to shuffle it right,
Mamma Dinah will show you the correct way to dance the shuffle

So, bring your baby;
Bring your partner or significant other

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish, Dick Voynow

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@MrSuperbatone

4y↑42

Once again, after hearing it for the two hundredth time, "Riverboat Shuffle" remains diamond-bright, luscious and shiny. Bix actually is playing three parts: his solos and breaks, the ensembles, and when he DOESN'T play. His absence in the the four bars before the big finish is profound. This record is as total an expression of joy as is physically possible among humans. NASA should launch a third Voyager probe to send OKeh 40822 out to the deprived aliens.

@ealswytheangelicrealms

3y↑5

Maybe the recent sightings of all these UFO's are aliens visiting us looking for original Okeh 78's of Trumbauer's orchestra with Bix.

@maverickloggins5470

51w↑5

Bix had a groove like nobody else back then, what a great solo

@otmq

Louis Armstrong and Jabbo Smith were WAY beyond him- during the same period. They were hotter, and had WAY more chops.
I love Bix, but I also tell the truth about the music at the time.

@trygveherns1510

7y↑25

One of the greatest of all recordings with Bix. The whole session is just fantastic, sound quality included.

@SydLightbodyOfficialMusic9

6y↑21

That Bix sound, this is one of greatest early jazz recordings I’ve heard

@LDTV22OfficialChannel

Agreed big time

@rogerofford8601

4y↑4

Maybe my favourite jazz recording of all time ! So "modernistic" for 1927. The pics of the boats are fabulous too . Thank you Emrah

@douglasmontgomery4256

Just amazing, darn, just amazin'.

@msjazzmeblues

5y↑14

And they sound like they are having the time of their lives!

@saxplayer57

They did!

@giovannirivoira5496

4y↑1

To me the best Bix solo on Okeh along with Three blind mice.Something unbeliavable!!!Thank you so much!!!

@ruudbergamin4361

23w

sound very good restored!

@ronaldhockett4777

3y↑6

Yes, the sound quality, happy feeling, and “modernistic” touches make this one of the best Bix-Tram records. Bix’s and Murray’s solos are outstanding! Although all the discographies list Tram as playing C-melody on this, he is quite clearly playing an alto as evidenced by his first break on the last chorus going to the high “F” (Ab concert), well above the range of a C-melody. Plus it just SOUNDS like an alto! (Think Jimmy Dorsey)

@kafenwar

Trumbauer is actually just on regular C-melody sax; he was not averse to hitting semi-altissimo notes such as this one (he went up to Bb concert in a later live performance on the same instrument!!).

@olivedarb03

I first heard this back in 1976 , when I got the Bix Beiderbecke legend on LP .

@amparoospina562

Fabuloso, qué bellas imágenes, gracias

@eduespo1

5y↑1

Un trompeta de elegante estilo...un romántico imprescindible

@cuarto1013

A little correction: Bix plays a cornet, not a trumpet. With respect from BsAires, Argentina, in the far far South.

@SydLightbodyOfficialMusic9

4y↑4

Don Murray.... just... god damn don Murray. Will not stop wishing he was alive and well in the 30s to make so many more recordings. What’s the earliest recording with Don Murray

@Atticus70

4y↑1

"Sobbin' Blues" with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, in their July 17, 1923 session.

From the same session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Icq1C2J3s

@jourwalis-8875

4y↑1

Fantastic photos!

@markdagostino9666

33w

Really cool photos!!!

@jesuscuenca4524

45w

Sugerente. Transporta. Gracias.

@fermancriticonostalgio7743

4y↑1

Molto Buono Francesco & Salvatore, This Is The Birth Of Gyptian Mood

@wallaceharper1007

4y↑1

Bix at his very BEST

@DerpyPossum

this sounds amazing! :)

@jeffreybenson351

5y↑2

Bix at his best

@TuanBasikal

4y↑2

This was a "head" arrangement worked out at the same recording session in which they recorded "Ostrich Walk."

@MrDorbel

Really? why do you think that?

@TuanBasikal

@@MrDorbel It's documented as such.

@MrDorbel

@@TuanBasikal Thanks. I see that what you have now posted is slightly different! So it goes.

@TuanBasikal

@@MrDorbel My original comment was based on my memory that it was an improvised "head" arrangement done when they had some time left at a session. After you questioned it, I looked it up and verified the first part, but not the second. It may be a different session where they filled in with something, or that I heard or read the story some place other than where I checked. So I took out the part I couldn't verify and left the part that I could.

@ronaldhockett4777

All discographies list Bill Challis as arranger. To me it is apparent that several parts are arranged by him including the opening verse, the last two bars of Bix’s solo, the following verse, and the last two bars of Murray’s solo. All the rest is improvised, although the frequent two-bar breaks were planned ahead.

@wayneandrus240

1y↑1

Bix - not bad for a White boy!

@brianwolle2509

5y↑1

i always thought the ensemble was a mess. sounds like a large hall ~~hard to hear individuals. bix's solo -this being 1927~~ is magnificent. other solos are also good.

@osocool1too

4y↑1

Brian Wolle I agree it does sound a little scrappy at times, but it’s of historical significance nonetheless.

@93qketq8

4y↑2

Recording equipment was primitive at the time.

@TuanBasikal

4y↑1

As I recall, this was a "head" arrangement worked out at the end of a recording session when they had a little time left after recording their planned numbers that day. And the early Western Electric recording process as used by OKeh and Columbia could sound a little harsh and shrill. Some of the results are a bit hard to listen to.

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