From the film “Babes On Broadway”, 1941.
Words by Ralph Freed.
Music by Roger Edens.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
When our grandmas and our grandpas were just girls and boys
They seemed to have a lot more fun than we
Their party clothes were calicos and homemade corduroys
And the big event was called a husking bee
A banjo and a fiddle and a big old fashioned barn
Was all the preparation that they made
And if they tell you otherwise, dismiss it as a yarn
Refreshments were confined to lemonade
Now you might say it’s corny and I guess I must agree
But it was good enough for grandpa
It was good enough for grandma
And it’s good enough for me
Chorus
Hoe Down! The country’s gone Hoe Down!
It’s puttin’ its toe down and kickin’ its heel
Hoe Down! Is really a rare dance
A pioneer square dance, but with a “new deal”
One, two, swing your partner lightly
While you hold her ever so tightly
Go down and bring your best beau down
We’re facing a show down and got to make hay
‘Cause Hoe Down’s on its way