Original Richie Havens version
Run, Shaker life, shake life eternal
Shake it out of me, all that is carnal
I'll be your Moses, I'll be your David
I'll show Michael twice, how he behaved
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Run, Shaker life, shake life eternal
Shake it out of me, all that is carnal
I'll be your Moses, I'll be your David
I'll show Michael twice, how he behaved
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Run, Shaker life, shake life eternal
Shake it out of me, all that is carnal
I'll be your Moses, I'll be your David
I'll show Michael twice, how, how he behaved
Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah
Run, Shaker life, ooh yeah
Shaker life, run now
Shaker life, run now
Shaker life, run now
Shaker life, yeah, run now
Run, Shaker life, shake eternal
Shake it out of me, all that is carnal
I'll be your Moses and I'll be your David
I'll show Michael twice, how he behaved
Hmm, hmm, hmm, ohhh
Yeah-yeah, oh yeah, yeah, hmm
Shake life
Shake life
Shake it out of me
Shake it out of me, all that is carnal
Hmm, all that is carnal
I'll be your Moses, yeah, I'll be your David, yeah
I'll show Michael twice, yeah, how he behaved
How he behaved, behaved, behaved
Hmm-hmm-hmm
Hmm-hmm-hmm
Hmm-hmm-hmm
Hmm, oh yeah, oh
Oh whoa, oh whoa-woo
Oh whoa, oh whoa-woo
Oh whoa, hmm
RUN, SHAKER LIFE is a song arranged and adapted by Richie Havens, based on an old Shaker song probably from around 1700. Richie Havens released it on his 1968 album Something Else Again. The above lyrics are for the original Richie Havens version of RUN, SHAKER LIFE as released in 1968.
Bruce Springsteen performed RUN SHAKER LIFE live with Steel mill in 1969-1971. See the live 17 Jul 1970 version for more details.
Thanks Bill Flan for the corrections.
List of available versions of RUN, SHAKER LIFE on this website:
RUN, SHAKER LIFE [Live 17 Jul 1970 version]