Jailhouse Rock
ZZ Top Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Prison band was there and they began to wail.
Kid is shakin' and began to sing;
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.
Little Joey blowin' on a slide trombone.
Come on, Silly Willy, don't you be no square.
If you cannot 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 awhile and get my kicks."
Let's rock! Everybody, let's rock!
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
The lyrics to ZZ Top's Jailhouse Rock describe a scene inside a county jail where the prison band is playing and the inmates are dancing to the rhythm of the "Jailhouse Rock." The first verse talks about how the Kid starts to sing after the prison band starts to play. The chorus "Let's rock! Everybody, let's rock!" encourages everyone in the cell block to join in and dance to the music. The second verse goes on to describe some of the individual characters who are participating in the scene, including Spider Murphy on a block of stone and Little Joey playing the slide trombone. The lyrics also mention the use of a wooden chair as a dance partner if no other partner is available. In the third verse, Shifty Henry suggests to Bugs that they make a break from the jail, but Bugsy decides to stay and continue enjoying the dancing and music.
Line by Line Meaning
Goin' to a party in the county jail,
We are headed to a party inside the jail located in the county.
Prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band made up of prisoners were there and started playing music loudly.
Kid is shakin' and began to sing;
A young person started dancing and singing along to the music.
You should've heard them knocked out jailbirds sing.
You would've been amazed by the singing voices of the tired prisoners.
Let's rock! Everybody, let's rock!
Let's dance with high energy and enthusiasm!
Everybody in the whole cell block
All the prisoners in the entire cell block.
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
Every single person was dancing to the upbeat music.
Spider Murphy sittin' on a block of stone;
Spider Murphy was seated casually on a piece of rock.
Little Joey blowin' on a slide trombone.
A young guy named Joey was playing the slide trombone happily.
Come on, Silly Willy, don't you be no square.
Don't be boring, Silly Willy. Join in the fun.
If you cannot find a partner, use a wooden chair.
If you can't find a person to dance with, make use of a wooden chair nearby.
Shifty Henry said to Bugs,"For heaven's sake,
Shifty Henry whispered to Bugs, 'For goodness sake,'
No one's lookin'; now's our chance to make a break."
No one is watching us now, so let's make an escape attempt.
Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix nix. I
Bugsy answered, 'No, no. I am staying here to have some fun.
want to stick around awhile and get my kicks."
I'd instead stay here for some time and enjoy my time here.
Let's rock! Everybody, let's rock!
Let's show our enthusiasm by dancing and enjoying ourselves.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Absolutely everyone in the entire cell block.
Was dancin' to the jailhouse rock.
All of them were dancing to the upbeat music.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
O P Parassni Praveen
on future's so bright, i gotta
Which year was this single released