Lyrics
[verse]
The warden threw a party down at the old stone hall,
He hired up a band to play the wildest sound of all,
The guards were tapping boots and the prisoners all cheered,
Nobody in that cellblock had a single thing to fear.
[chorus]
Come on and rattle them chains now, shake the bars tonight,
Everybody's dancing under jailhouse light,
Lock us up or let us loose, we're gonna move our feet,
There ain't a cell in this whole joint can hold this beat.
[verse]
The trumpet player blew a note that shook the iron door,
Every fella in that lineup hit the concrete floor,
Even the old sheriff started tapping out the time,
Said he'd never heard a band that swung so fine.
[chorus]
Come on and rattle them chains now, shake the bars tonight,
Everybody's dancing under jailhouse light,
Lock us up or let us loose, we're gonna move our feet,
There ain't a cell in this whole joint can hold this beat.
[bridge]
They can lock the doors and throw away the key,
But they can't lock up the rhythm that lives in me,
Every prisoner's a dancer when the horns come in,
This old jailhouse never rocked so hard within.
[chorus]
Come on and rattle them chains now, shake the bars tonight,
Everybody's dancing under jailhouse light,
Lock us up or let us loose, we're gonna move our feet,
There ain't a cell in this whole joint can hold this beat.
