Lay for the Day 13th April

‘All Shook Up’, written by Otis Blackwell, sung by Elvis Presley, reached the top of Billboard’s pop chart on this day in 1957, and stayed there for eight weeks, Elvis’s sixth Number 1 in the space of just under twelve months. ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ had hit the top in the week of 21st April 1956, and from then till the end of that year, Elvis had the Number 1 record for 25 weeks. In 1957 his four Number 1’s – ‘Too Much’, ‘All Shook Up’, ‘Teddy Bear’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’ – would between them hold the top slot for 22 weeks.

This song was originally inspired by seeing that the Statue of Liberty has Elvis's face.

Up Shook of All

Unto a land I’ve never seen
I sailed again last night.
The midnight sky was deepest blue,
The stars were mayflower white.
Climb, climb – I heard the call…

The eagle and the thunderbird,
They battle as they fly.
The eagle claws are lead and gold,
And ghosts of freedom cry,
Climb, climb – lest you should fall
Back in the Up Shook of All.

Back in the Up Shook of All,
The grass and the buildings grow tall.
Back in the U S of A,
You get what you want night or day.
Back in the Up Shook of All,
The bellhop’s tears flood the hall.

The lights across the tracks blew out.
They feed the babies tar.
And Fanny done the Locomotion
On the hood of Clark’s cool car.
She climbed, climbed – she had a ball
Back in the Up Shook of All,
Back in the Up Shook of All.

The earth is green as cowboy prayers,
That tiny jewel globe.
The bombshell blonde, she stowed away
On board the Venus probe.
She climbed, climbed – lest she should fall
Back in the Up Shook of All,
Back in the Up Shook of All.
She climbed, climbed – she heard the call.

Words and music by The Children, from the album Play

The Lay Reader: an archive of the poetic calendar



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