Shake It Up And Go

The lyrics create a lively, teasing mood, built around the repeated call to “shake it up and go.” The song moves from playful nonsense to a complaint about a partner who stays out late and does not treat the speaker well. Even then, the tone sounds more mischievous and energetic than deeply sorrowful: the refrain turns the complaint into a rhythmic invitation to get moving.

Several images add humor. The opening says that even someone very old can still “shift them gears,” comparing life or movement to driving and suggesting age need not stop a person from having energy. The story of a mother mistaking a chicken for a duck, then putting it on the table “with his legs sticking up,” is deliberately absurd. “Gait,” meaning a way of walking, may also carry a playful double meaning: the speaker says the baby’s pace is too fast, then urges her to shake it up and go.

The refrain’s meaning stays open. It may simply be a dance-like command to move with confidence, while in the verses it can also suggest leaving, changing one’s behavior, or responding to a relationship problem. The lyrics do not explain exactly what should change, and their comic exaggeration makes it hard to read the final complaint as a serious demand. That uncertainty is part of the song’s playful effect.