Twist and Shout
Salt-N-Pepa Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yo Salt your mic



Yo Pepa your mic


Yo Spin you hype



We're def you're right



The bass shakin' dancin' all night



Booties shakin' from left to right



Salt and Pepa rockin' the mic



So that you might







Shake it up baby now (Shake it up baby)



You gotta twist and shout (Twist and shout)



c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon baby now (Come on baby)



Go ahead and work it on out (Work it on out)



Oooo, work it on out now, baby (Work it on out now)



You know you look so good (Look so good)



You really got me going now, boy (Got me going)



Just like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)







Oooo, hey baby, listen, I think they're playin' our song



What up? You gonna get up? Well shut up and come on



I want to feel your body close to me, lovin' and holdin' me



Tight like a vice grip squeezin' all over me



Yeah, that's the way, hey, don't get carried away



The other boy, do what the record say







And shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



You make me twist and shout (Twist and shout)



c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now (Come on, baby)



Work it, work it on out (Work it on out)



Work that bootie on out now, baby, ha (Work it on out now)



You know you look so good (Look so good)



You really got me going now (Got me going)



Just like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)







Yeah, gimme gimme gimme all you got boyfriend, you should be enjoyin'



A sexy girl might ease that antedote to poison



Boys in the jam ask me to dance, but I say no chance



I want a man who's advanced in the art of dance



So when we get on a floor, he can take me on a tour



And we can do it till the fluid or sweat starts to pour



Down like the rain and the thunderstorm hard and strong



Boy, come on, don't wait too long







You better shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Twist and shout (Twist and shout)



c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now (Come on, baby)



Go ahead, and work it on out (Work it on out)



Yeah, work it on out now, boyfriend (Work it on out now)



You know you look so good (Look so good)



You really got me going now with that stuff (Got me going)



Like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)







Oooo, (Ah) get higher, baby



(Ah) Higher, baby



(Ah) Oooo, get higher, baby



(Ow) Yeah, now break it down







One good twist deserves a better one, a deffer one



We're Salt and Pepa, together we'll have lots of fun



Do it again, babe, for the hit parade



'cause Spinderella does a hell of a job keepin' the record playin'



Shout like ya just sold your soul to rock 'n roll



You lost control, go hit the floor







And shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Come on, twist and shout (Twist and shout)



Go 'head, go 'head, go 'head, go 'head, baby, now (Come on, baby)



Go ahead, and work it on out (Work it on out)



Oooo, work it on out now, baby (Work it on out now)



You know you look so good (Look so good)



You really got me going now, boy (Got me going)



Just like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)







Shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Come on, shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Sh-sh-sh-sh-shake it, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Shake, shake, shake, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)



Why don't you shake it up, baby, now? (Shake it up, baby)



Shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)







(Ad lib / fade)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Salt-N-Pepa's song Twist And Shout are an invitation for people to get up, dance and have fun. The song's chorus repeats the classic lines of "shake it up baby" and "twist and shout" that are synonymous with the 1960 Beatles hit of the same name. Salt-N-Pepa emphasizes that the "bas shakin'" and "booties shakin'" are key aspects of the experience, as they rock the mic to give the partygoers a good time. The song is an all-out celebration of the joys of dancing and losing oneself to the rhythm of the music. The words are straightforward and infectious, which is why Twist And Shout is a song that is hard to resist moving to, even decades after its release.


Line by Line Meaning

Yo Salt your mic
Salt, it's your turn to start rapping


Yo Pepa your mic
Pepa, your turn to rap now


Yo Spin you hype
Spin, you're the DJ, it's your job to keep the energy high


We're def you're right
We're really good at what we do, and you're smart to listen to us


The bass shakin' dancin' all night
The bass is so loud that it's making the whole room shake, and everyone is dancing all night long


Booties shakin' from left to right
People are shaking their butts from side to side as they dance


Salt and Pepa rockin' the mic
We're doing a great job rapping and entertaining the crowd


So that you might
We're doing all of this for your enjoyment


Shake it up baby now (Shake it up baby)
Come on, let's dance and shake our bodies to the music


You gotta twist and shout (Twist and shout)
Let's twist our bodies and shout out with joy


c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby, now (Come on, baby)
Come on, let's keep dancing and having fun


Go ahead, and work it on out (Work it on out)
Let's keep moving our bodies and dancing to the music


Oooo, work it on out now, baby (Work it on out now)
Let's keep dancing and exercising while having fun


You know you look so good (Look so good)
You look amazing when you dance and move your body


You really got me going now, boy (Got me going)
You're making me feel excited and energized with your dancing


Just like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)
I knew you'd be a great dance partner and make me feel alive


Oooo, hey baby, listen, I think they're playin' our song
I think this song is perfect for us to keep dancing and having fun together


What up? You gonna get up? Well shut up and come on
Stop talking and let's keep dancing right now


I want to feel your body close to me, lovin' and holdin' me
I want to dance with you and feel your body close to mine in a loving way


Tight like a vice grip squeezin' all over me
Let's dance so closely that it feels like we're holding each other tightly


Yeah, that's the way, hey, don't get carried away
Let's keep dancing like this, but don't get too lost in the moment


The other boy, do what the record say
Don't worry about what anyone else is doing, just follow the rhythm of the music


And shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep dancing and shaking our bodies to the music


You make me twist and shout (Twist and shout)
When we dance together like this, you make me feel really happy and excited


Work it, work it on out (Work it on out)
Let's keep dancing and working out our bodies at the same time


Work that bootie on out now, baby, ha (Work it on out now)
Let's dance and move our butts to stay fit and have fun


You really got me going now (Got me going)
You're really making me feel good and happy with your dancing


Yeah, gimme gimme gimme all you got boyfriend, you should be enjoyin'
Keep dancing and giving it your all, boyfriend, let's just have fun


A sexy girl might ease that antedote to poison
Dancing with a sexy girl might be the perfect cure for feeling down or poisoned


Boys in the jam ask me to dance, but I say no chance
Other boys try to ask me to dance, but I'm not interested


I want a man who's advanced in the art of dance
I want a man who knows how to dance really well and can keep up with me


So when we get on the floor, he can take me on a tour
When we dance together, I want him to show me all of his best moves


And we can do it till the fluid or sweat starts to pour
Let's keep dancing and working out until we start sweating and feeling great


Down like the rain and the thunderstorm hard and strong
We'll work out so hard that we'll sweat like a rainstorm with thunder and lightning


Boy, come on, don't wait too long
Let's keep dancing and working out now, don't hesitate


Shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep moving and shaking our bodies to the music


Twist and shout (Twist and shout)
Let's keep twisting our bodies and shouting with joy


Yeah, work it on out now, boyfriend (Work it on out now)
Let's keep working out and having fun together, boyfriend


Like I knew you would (Like I knew you would)
I knew you'd be a great dance partner and make me feel happy


Oooo, (Ah) get higher, baby
Let's keep dancing and working out until we feel like we're on top of the world


(Ah) Higher, baby
Let's keep pushing ourselves and dancing even harder


(Ah) Oooo, get higher, baby
Let's aim even higher and keep working out until we feel amazing


(Ow) Yeah, now break it down
Let's switch up the rhythm and break down the dance moves


One good twist deserves a better one, a deffer one
The more we dance and twist our bodies, the better we'll get and the more fun we'll have


We're Salt and Pepa, together we'll have lots of fun
Salt and Pepa are a great duo and we'll have a lot of fun together


Do it again, babe, for the hit parade
Let's keep dancing and performing this song because it's popular and people love it


'cause Spinderella does a hell of a job keepin' the record playin'
Our DJ Spinderella is doing an awesome job keeping the music playing and keeping us on beat


Shout like ya just sold your soul to rock 'n roll
Let's shout out and have fun like we're passionate rock 'n roll musicians


You lost control, go hit the floor
Let's keep dancing and having so much fun that we lose control of ourselves


Come on, twist and shout (Twist and shout)
Let's keep dancing and having fun with this classic song


Go 'head, go 'head, go 'head, go 'head, baby, now (Come on, baby)
Let's not stop dancing, keep going and having fun


Shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep shaking and moving our bodies to the music


Shake it, shake it, shake it, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep shaking our bodies and having fun while we work out


Come on, shake it up, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep dancing and shaking it up, baby


Sh-sh-sh-sh-shake it, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep shaking our bodies and having fun with this classic song


Shake, shake, shake, baby, now (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep shaking and moving our bodies to the rhythm


Why don't you shake it up, baby, now? (Shake it up, baby)
Let's keep dancing and working out our bodies with this classic song


(Ad lib / fade)
Let's keep having fun and improvising while we dance and work out




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Russell, Phil Medley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@KinToNatTuner

They look like they had a lot of fun making this video!

@briandanielgoth1718

they always have fun.

@lizcarroll1335

It's in the lyrics "We're Salt N Pepa, together we have lots of fun"

@SocialCabinRBLX

Only 3.4 million views?! It's so sad that a lot of people don't know about this song, I mean sh*t; I was born in 2003 and not only do I know but also listen to this legendary classic to this day...

@waynenunn6387

Best female rap group in history

@slobomotion

I like them best for that, too.

@Kev80ification

Fact! !!!!!

@user-pt2mz1vr9s

No! Bangles first!

@kristyrobinson1979

Жека Жека bangles aren’t a rap group?

@joesickler5888

Name 3 other female rap groups?

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