[Verse 1]
When the moon climbed high on Halloween night,
The monsters filled the hall,
Then a skinny little skeleton
Came dancing through them all.
He shuffled left, he shuffled right,
He rattled to the beat,
He twisted twice and kicked so high
He nearly lost his feet.
His hand went flying through the air
And landed by the band,
A goblin caught it on the bounce
And tossed him back his hand.
He snapped it on without a stop,
Then spun around once more,
Doing the Skeleton Shuffle
Across the crowded floor.
[Chorus]
Do the Skeleton Shuffle,
Shake and rattle those bones,
Clack your knees and swing your hips,
You never dance alone.
Shuffle left,
Shuffle right,
Rattle all around,
And if a little piece falls off,
Don’t let it slow you down.
Do the Skeleton Shuffle,
Keep moving with the beat,
If your bones won’t stay together,
Just keep dancing on your feet.
[Verse 2]
He dipped down low and spun around,
Then slid across the floor,
But one foot kept on sliding
While the rest of him danced more.
It sailed beneath the tables,
Past a witch and Frankenstein,
Then Wolfman kicked it back in place
Without missing any time.
It clicked beneath his ankle
As he shuffled on with grace,
Then one loose rib went bouncing by
And landed near the bass.
A vampire scooped it from the floor
And slipped it in its slot,
While Benny kept on dancing
Like he hadn’t lost a lot.
[Chorus]
Do the Skeleton Shuffle,
Shake and rattle those bones,
Clack your knees and swing your hips,
You never dance alone.
Shuffle left,
Shuffle right,
Rattle all around,
And if a little piece falls off,
Don’t let it slow you down.
Do the Skeleton Shuffle,
Keep moving with the beat,
If your bones won’t stay together,
Just keep dancing on your feet.
[Verse 3]
Now Benny really found his groove,
He rattled faster still,
He shook so hard his kneecap bounced
And rolled beneath the sill.
A mummy rolled it back to him,
A ghost rebuilt his spine,
Two zombies found a shoulder blade
And popped it back in line.
His elbow landed in the punch,
His fingers crossed the room,
His jawbone bounced beneath a chair,
His hip sailed past a witch
in rhythm with her broom.
But every monster on the floor
Was watching where things flew,
And every bone that Benny lost
Came rattling back on cue.
[Bridge]
Then Benny tried his biggest move,
A jump, a twist, a spin,
He landed with a mighty clack—
And scattered once again.
His bones went sliding everywhere,
From one wall to the other,
And suddenly the whole dance floor
Was putting him together.
A witch brought back his ankle,
Wolfman found his knee,
A goblin grabbed his collarbone
From underneath a seat.
A vampire found his left arm,
A mummy found his right,
And piece by piece they built him back
Without stopping the party all night.
[Final Chorus]
Do the Skeleton Shuffle,
Everybody join the beat,
Rattle, shake and lend a hand
To anyone you meet.
Shuffle left,
Shuffle right,
Clatter all around,
And when your dancing buddy
Leaves a body part on the ground—
Pick it up,
Pass it back,
Snap it into place,
Then send them through the Skeleton Shuffle
Rattling with grace.
Do the Skeleton Shuffle,
Shake until you’re through,
’Cause when your bones go flying—
Your friends will dance them back to you.
[Outro]
By midnight Benny stood complete,
Every bone where it should be,
He took a bow and tipped his skull
To all the company.
Then everybody shuffled out
Beneath the pale moonlight…
And Benny found one extra rib.
He shrugged.
And kept it for the night.
