Born to Hand Jive
Glee Cast Lyrics
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Before I was born late one night
My papa said everything's alright
The doctor paid, my Mama laid down
With her stomach bouncing all around
'Cause the beebop stork was about to arrive
Mama gave birth to a hand-jive
I could barely walk when I milked a cow
When I was three I pushed a plow
Jake:
While chopping wood I moved my legs
And they saw me dance when I gathered eggs
Marley and Ryder:
The townfolk clapped, I was only five
Out-dance 'em all, he was born to hand-jive!
Mercedes:
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah - everybody
Mercedes with New Directions, Ryder, Mike, and Kitty:
Born to hand-jive, baby
Born to hand-jive, baby
Mercedes:
How low can you go?
Marley:
How low can you go?
Ryder:
How low can you go?
Jake:
How low can you go?
Higher!
Ryder:
Higher!
Marley:
Higher!
Mercedes:
And higher, yeah!
Ryder with New Directions:
Now can you hand jive, baby?
Ryder and Mercedes with New Directions, Mike, and Kitty:
Oh can you hand jive, baby? (Mercedes: Baby, yeah!)
Ryder with New Directions, Mike and Kitty:
Oh yeah can you hand jive, baby? (Mercedes: Can you hand jive?)
Oh can you hand jive baby? (Mercedes: Baby!)
Oh yeah (Mercedes: Oh yeah)
Oh yeah (Mercedes: Oh yeah, yeah)
Oh yeah (Mercedes: Oh yeah!)
Ryder with New Directions, Mercedes, Mike, and Kitty:
Born to hand jive
Ryder and Mercedes with New Directions, Mike, and Kitty:
Oh yeah!
The song "Born to Hand Jive" in the show Glee is a tribute to the classic 1950s rock and roll hit by Johnny Otis. The lyrics tell the story of different characters, Mercedes, Marley, Jake, and Ryder, who were all born with a unique talent for dancing the hand-jive. The song starts with Mercedes singing about her birth, which occurred while her mother was hand-jiving. The song then goes on to tell how each character was able to dance the hand-jive from an early age, whether it was while milking cows, chopping wood, or gathering eggs.
The hand-jive dance is significant here as it is a 1950s dance style that originated from African American teens in the United States. The hand-jive requires only hands and feet and involves claps, snaps, and foot stomps. The song is upbeat and joyful, with each character sharing their unique story of how they were born to hand-jive. The song encourages listeners to let go of their inhibitions and join in the fun of the dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Before I was born late one night
My parents eagerly anticipated my arrival
My papa said everything's alright
My father reassured my mother during her pregnancy
The doctor paid, my Mama laid down
The doctor delivered me safely
With her stomach bouncing all around
My mother's belly was visibly active with my movements
'Cause the beebop stork was about to arrive
My impending birth was joyous
Mama gave birth to a hand-jive
My family knew I was born to dance
I could barely walk when I milked a cow
I was precocious and always on the move
When I was three I pushed a plow
I was strong and capable from a young age
While chopping wood I moved my legs
I found ways to incorporate dance into everyday tasks
And they saw me dance when I gathered eggs
Even my chores didn't stop me from dancing
The townfolk clapped, I was only five
My talent was evident to all who saw me perform
Out-dance 'em all, he was born to hand-jive!
I was destined to excel in hand-jive and to outperform my peers
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah - everybody
Let's get hyped up and ready to dance
Born to hand-jive, baby
Dancing is in my blood
How low can you go?
Let's challenge ourselves to move and dance in new ways
And higher, yeah!
Don't be afraid to reach for the stars
Now can you hand jive, baby?
Are you ready to dance with me?
Oh can you hand jive, baby? (Mercedes: Baby, yeah!)
Let's keep the energy up and keep dancing together
Oh yeah can you hand jive, baby? (Mercedes: Can you hand jive?)
I know you can do it, let's dance!
Oh can you hand jive baby? (Mercedes: Baby!)
Don't hold back, let's keep dancing
Oh yeah (Mercedes: Oh yeah)
We're doing great, keep it up
Oh yeah (Mercedes: Oh yeah, yeah)
We're killing it, keep dancing
Oh yeah (Mercedes: Oh yeah!)
We're unstoppable, keep dancing
Born to hand jive
We were all born to dance
Oh yeah!
Dancing brings us all together and fills us with joy
Contributed by Carter M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@natankita1
Can we all just take a minute to appreciate Ryder and Kitty's double cartwheel?
@aaronmichelle4634
Ankita N it was most likely stunt doubles which is why they used silhouettes
@natankita1
+Aaron Michelle I did think of that possibility, yes, but I could see Blake's face, which means they did the cartwheel, I guess.
@HeartOfClod
It was totally them. Ryder and Kitty can do plenty of acrobatics including splits and backflips. A double cartwheel would be piece of cake for people like them.
@lexielovesbooks7462
Ina behind the scenes for this episode, they talked about how difficult it was at first because of their weight differences, so it was totally them!!
@gingahsnixx
@@aaronmichelle4634 its most definitely them which is why their faces werent silhouetted, and why they celebrated it after cause they said that shit was hard to do since kitty is way tinier than ryder
@imogen3965
Oh Marley is so innocent and doesn't realize that they're fighting over her 😂
@Megz1794
imogen I think it’s because they didn’t want to make a full scene while performing so they just made it look like it was a part of the routine/performance instead by accident
@dreamythoughts0124
She is
@lacey3518
@@ikraalks8149 no she aint. Dont disrespect Marley like that 😔