02 Blue Suede Shoes by The Jim Skinner Band

Well, it's one for the money two for the show
Three to get ready now go, cat, go
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Well you can do anything but
Lay off of my blue suede shoes

Well, you can knock me down, step in my face
Slander my name all over the place
Do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

Now let's go cats (oh walk the dogs)
You can burn my house, steal my car

Drink my liquor from an old fruit-jar
Do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh baby, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

Rock it

Well, it's one for the money, two for the show
Three to get ready now go, cat, go
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes

Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Go cat uh

Blue, blue suede shoes oh baby
Blue, blue suede shoes uh ha
Blue, blue suede shoes oh baby
Blue, blue suede shoes

You do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Carl Perkins
Blue Suede Shoes lyrics © Carl Perkins Music Inc.

"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. Perkins' original version of the song appeared on the Cashbox Best Selling Singles list for 16 weeks and spent two weeks at the number two position.

Elvis Presley recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" in 1956 and it appears as the opening track of his eponymous debut album Elvis Presley. Presley performed his version of the song three different times on national television. It was also recorded by Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, among many others.

There are differing accounts about the origin of the song. In his second autobiography Cash: The Autobiography, Johnny Cash recalled planting the seed for the song in the fall of 1955, while Perkins, Cash, Elvis Presley and other Louisiana Hayride acts toured throughout the South. Cash told Perkins of a black airman, C. V. White, whom he had met when serving in the military in Germany, who had referred to his military regulation airmen's shoes as "blue suede shoes", and insisted that no one step on or scuff them. Cash suggested that Perkins write a song about the shoes. Perkins replied, "I don't know anything about shoes. How can I write a song about shoes?"

In another version, Perkins played a dance on December 4, 1955, and noticed a couple dancing near the stage. Between songs, he heard the boy scold his partner, "Uh-uh, don't step on my suedes!" Looking down, he saw that the boy was wearing blue suede shoes and one had a scuff mark. Perkins was amused to see that the boy cared more about his shoes than the pretty girl he was with, and began working on a song about the incident that night.

In either case, Perkins decided to use a nursery rhyme for the basis of the song, settling on "One for the Money". Working with his Les Paul guitar, Perkins started with an A chord and improvised some lyrics: "Well, it's one for the money ... Two for the show ... Three to get ready ... Now go, man, go!" Satisfied, he scribbled the song onto some scrap paper, spelling the title as "Blue Swade" in his haste. According to Perkins, "On December 17, 1955, I wrote 'Blue Suede Shoes'. I recorded it on December 19", for Sun Records.[8 Sun's producer, Sam Phillips, convinced Perkins to change the lyric from "go, boy, go" in the first take of the song to "go, cat, go" in the second, which became the release version.

Jim Skinner sings it on 3-14-24 at Betty's Grill, one of Music City's remaining old-time dive bars.

Band members:
Jim Skinner - vocals, kazoo & bongos
Brad "Sunflower" - guitar
Mike Foster - tenor saxophone
Dave Simms - Bass
Tate Avery - Drums
Tom Slark - Mandolin
Arnie Reed - keyboard
Stephanie Tennis - tambourine