From “The Ziegfeld Follies of 1919”
Words by Rennold Wolf and Irving Berlin
Music by Irving Berlin
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
‘Tis a sad, sad day for me
This day of lemonade and tea
For now my dancing aspirations
Haven’t got a chance
In the Harlem cabarets
I used to spend my nights and days
Partaking of my favorite indoor sport
The shimmy dance
On the day they introduced their prohibition laws
They just went and ruined
The greatest shimmy dancer because
Chorus
You cannot make your shimmy shake on tea
It simply can’t be done
You’ll find your shaking ain’t taking
Unless you has the proper jazz
That only comes with such drinks as
Green River, Haig and Haig, and Hennessey
Way out in China among the pale Chinese
There’s nothing finer than good old China teas
But then you never saw a Chinaman
A-shaking his chemise
‘Cause you cannot make your shimmy shake on tea
Chorus
You cannot make your shimmy shake on tea
It simply can’t be done
You’ll find your shaking ain’t taking
The shimmy, it is intricate
And so you needs a little bit
Of Scotch or rye to lubricate your knee
A cup of Ceylon
It may be strong or weak
Won’t help you spiel on
Because it’s much too meek
Besides, a drink that’s soft
Will very often ruin your technique
No, you cannot make your shimmy shake on tea
Sung here by Laurence Rubenstein: