Get Rhythm
Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lewis, Carl Perkins
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Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues C'mon get rhythm, when you get the blues Get a rock 'n roll feeling in your bones Put taps on your toes and get goin' Get rhythm, when you get the blues. Little shoeshine boy never get slowed down But he's got the dirtiest job in town Bendin' low at the peoples' feet On the windy corner of a dirty street Well, I asked him while he shined my shoes How'd he keep from gettin' the blues He grinned as he raised his little head Popped a shoeshine rag and then he said. Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues C'mon get rhythm, when you get the blues A jumpy rhythm makes you feel so fine It'll shake all the troubles from your worried mind, Get rhythm, when you get the blues. Get rhythm, when you get the blues C'mon get rhythm, when you get the blues Get a rock 'n roll feeling in your bones Put taps on your toes and get goin' Get rhythm, when you get the blues. Well, I sat down to listen to the shoeshine boy And I thought I was gonna jump with joy Slapped on the shoe polish left and right He took a shoeshine rag and he held it tight He stopped once to wipe the sweat away I said you're a mighty little boy to be-a workin' that way He said I like it with a big wide grin Kept on a poppin' and he said again Get rhythm, when you get the blues C'mon get rhythm, when you get the blues It only cost a dime, just a nickel a shoe It does a million dollars worth of good for you Get rhythm, when you get the blues
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Written by: JOHNNY CASH
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Origination"Get Rhythm" was written and first recorded by iconic country music star Johnny Cash in 1955.
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B-Side ReleaseInterestingly, the track was originally the B-side to Cash's debut hit single "I Walk the Line."
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InspirationJohnny Cash claimed to have been inspired to write "Get Rhythm" after meeting a shoe shine boy while working as a radio operator for the U.S. Air Force in Germany.
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Conceptual ApproachThe song adopts a rhythm and blues style, differing from the usual country genre Johnny Cash was known for.
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Re-RecordingJohnny Cash re-recorded and re-released the song in 1969 for the album "The Johnny Cash Collection: His Greatest Hits, Volume II."
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Unique Instrumentals"Get Rhythm" features a unique sound effect to mimic the sound of shoe shine rags, created by drummer W.S. Holland using a dollar bill and two matchbox packs.
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ClassificationIt is considered one of Johnny Cash’s signature songs, despite its initial status as a B-side track.
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Live Performances"Get Rhythm" was frequently included in Cash's live setlists. There are numerous live versions of the song that have been recorded and released over the years.
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Cover VersionsVarious artists have covered the song in the decades since its release, including the British rock band Status Quo and country singer Martin Delray.
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Film Reference"Get Rhythm" was featured in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic movie "Walk the Line," sung by actor Joaquin Phoenix who played Cash in the film.
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Historical RecognitionThe song is preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
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Citation
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