Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post quotes all of the 44 comments that are found in the discussion thread of that 2013 post as of 11:52 AM January 14, 2026 (including my replies/comments)
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/01/elizabeth-cotten-shake-sugaree-sound.html for a complete reprint of the February 16, 2013 pancocojams post with this title, except for those introductory sentences and the YouTube sound file that is showcased at the top of that 2026 post.
The 2013 post was last revised on June 24, 2024 and is still available on this pancocojams blog. The content for that post begins after the asterisks in this introduction.
As of January 14, 2026 at 11:52 AM ET that 2013 post had a total of 28,888 views (not counting my views).
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The content of this post is presented for historical, sovio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Elizabeth Cotten, and her grand children for composing this song. Thanks also to Brenda Evans for singing this song, and Elizabeth Cotten for her guitar playing on this song & for her wonderful musical legacy.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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COMPILATION OF ALL OF THE PANCOCOJAMS DISCUSSION THREAD COMMENTS FROM THE 2013 ELIZABETH COTTEN-SHAKE SUGAREE" POST (as of January 14, 2026 11:52 AM ET
(Numbers added for referencing purposes only).
- AnonymousAugust 8, 2022 at 1:50 AM
A "ground pea shell" is right since a "ground pea" was a common alternative name for a peanut. The peanut had a number of alternate names and that was one of them. Cheers.
Delete Thanks, Anonymous for sharing that information.
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I added a note about your comment in the post itself.
Best wishes!
This appears to be one of those wonderful, elusive, enigmatic 'Americana' idioms ... thanx for the great discussion - luv Fred Neil's take on the Cotten original.
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Fred Neil:
I’ve Got a Secret (Didn’t We Shake Sugaree)
I’ve got a secret, I shouldn’t tell,
I’m gonna go to heaven in a split-pea shell.
Lordie me, didn’t we shake sugaree.
Everything I have, down in pawn.
You know I pawned my watch, I pawned my chain,
I’d of sold myself, but I felt ashamed.
Lordie me, didn’t we shake sugaree.
Everything I have, down in pawn.
I’ve got a song to sing, not very long,
I’m gonna sing it right if it takes me all night long
Lordie me, didn’t we shake sugaree.
Everything I have, down in pawn.Thanks for your comment ccryder.
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I appreciate the addition of Fred Neil's "Shake Sugaree" lyrics.
Your comment made me look up this post, and I saw that the YouTube example I had showcased was no longer available. Luckily, there was another YouTube example that I could add.
Thanks again!!
When I first heard the song, I put it in context with Garth Brooks song Rodeo, in that "And he'll sell off everything he owns
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Just to pay to play the game". So perhaps it meant pawning everything for a pleasurable activity.
I just like the song.Thanks for your comment, dpelham.
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I agree that "shake sugaree" probably means engaging in some pleasurable activity".- AnonymousAugust 12, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Finally a sensible guess! I know from experience people shake when they go through withdrawals, either from alcohol or opiates. An addiction is the most common reason someone would want to pawn all their possessions. The song is sad and about addiction, not happy about dancing.
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I'm delighted to have found this discussion!
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Thank you so much for your insights and your knowledge and appreciation of this beautiful music.
Now I'm off to buy some sugar for my floor! :DHello, Margaret Farrell.
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I appreciate your comment. You're welcome, and btw, if you don't want to buy sugar, but live near the beach, you can use sand instead.
Bill " Bojangles " ROBINSON " The Sand Dance " !!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkD60wab3n4
;o)
Hi Azizi & friends. Love the song and versions; and this great discussion. We have echoes of these kind of folk fusions here in South Africa. I like your theory #4 about a Native American echo; we have echoes of San/Bushman music in contemporary folk fusion here like Rieldans. See:
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https://vimeo.com/177880338
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceVCpPNnXvc&t=36s
Love Rhiannon Giddens versions - this is how I got here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLIEIbuh71o
(And this song reminds me of someone too dear to me for words...)Greetings, Richardt.
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Thanks for alerting me and others at pancocojams to those YouTube examples.
Here's those hyperlinks:
https://vimeo.com/177880338 SanDance! - Rieldansteaser [South African dancers "The 'Trappers won in the ethnic/folk dance category at the 2015 World Dance Championships in Los Angeles."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceVCpPNnXvc&t=36s Die Nuwe Graskoue Trappers [San/Bushman music and dance]
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLIEIbuh71o Rhiannon Giddens - Shake Sugaree
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One Love!
Admire all the academic and archival research to justify various ideas but the one that satisfies me is that it is a refers to shooting craps - unsuccessfully - pawning your stuff to raise another stake - etc.
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Not saying the venerable Libby Cotten was a gambler mind you, but I don't she started out learning church music, and when she gave them up to please the deacon I doubt she really lost her appreciation for those old whirly(sp?) songs.
So I may well be wrong but that's the way I'll always "hear" it.Skilletlicker, thanks for your comments.
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I think you mean "old worldly" instead of "whirly" :o)
Thank you, Azizi! This is the best resource I've found discussing the origins and possible meaning of this song. I so appreciate your dedication to telling these important stories.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Katie.
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I love learning about these songs and sharing that information.
I'm glad I have the time and wherewithal to do so.
Best wishes!
When I first heard that tune, I thought sugaree was a nickname for cocaine. My sense is that the song was about a coke addiction. It was something most difficult to shake. Everything was pawned because of it. While it was joyous, it was also sad and Iife-wrecking. This is why it was a secret. However, the other interpretations are most fascinating.
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Sounds like I’m completely off-base.I had that impression too before I had any context about the writing of the song. It's fascinating to me that this was written by children!
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Though I have to say I'm surprised that none of the above interpretations take into account the verses of the songs, which are alternately all about pawning one's belongings and "goin' to heaven"! From that context, in lieu of the drug interpretation, I would think that the song could be either about recklessly pawning all of one's possessions for money in order to have a good time or about pawning one's possessions in an act of spiritual renunciation at the end of life before "goin' to heaven." I could be totally off, though.Upon further reflection, my second interpretation doesn't make sense. If the narrator's intention was renunciation in preparation of dying, there wouldn't be any reason to pawn the items. My new thought is that the song could be about pawning things in order to become free from debt, to "shake sugaree". Maybe?
DeleteThanks Miles for your comments. (Thanks also to Unknown whose comment I'm just reading).
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I appreciate your thoughts about this song, but I stand by my belief that I shared in this post: "Although "Shake Sugaree" was originally sung by a twelve year old, I believe that its lyrics are written in the voice of an older person who is looking back on her or his life, reminiscing about the hardships of that life, but still saying "I had some real good times"."
Thanks for your comment, Unknown.
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Here's a link to a YouTube video of Rhiannon Giddens performing "Shake Sugaree": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLIEIbuh71o.
- AnonymousJune 26, 2022 at 12:49 AM
A lot of Elizabeth Cotten's songs are about dying, so I wouldn't dismiss the theory that this is one of them. To me, the song seems to be saying, "I lived a good and fulfilling life. Now I'm dying, so you can pawn all my things because I don't need them anymore." The lines about going to heaven reinforce this, as well as the mention that raising Cain won't be any use (i.e. there's no reason to fuss over her things being sold because she'll be dead).
ReplyDeleteThanks Anonymous for sharing your comments about this song. I appreciate it.
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- AnonymousNovember 29, 2022 at 9:15 PM
If a person is pawning everything they own they have a serious habit to support. Unbelievable that all the "guessing" as to the "meaning" of the song overlooks this obvious point...
ReplyDelete - AnonymousSeptember 17, 2023 at 11:27 AM
Thank you, Azizi Powell and interlocutors at pancocojams, for this fascinating and immensely helpful discussion of a beautiful and melancholy song. I love this recording by the songwriter, Elizabeth ("Libba") Cotten, and her 12-year-old granddaughter Brenda Joyce Evans. It goes straight to the heart and breaks it, yet at the same time uplifts my spirit and helps me get through the day.
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As we say out here in the northern Rocky Mountains, that's Big Medicine.
There is one small matter that, with your indulgence, Azizi, I'd like to bring to your attention. Out of respect for the artist, a remarkable woman, and in the interest of historical accuracy, may I ask you to correct all renderings of "Cotton" to "Cotten." Some sources claim that "Elizabeth Cotton" is simply a "variation" of "Elizabeth Cotten," but I don't see how that holds up. "Cotton," it seems to me, is a mistake. Considering the clear and sincere desire of all participants in this exploration to understand "Shake Sugaree," I believe that we shouldn't encourage a perpetuation of this common error.
The American treasure is "Elizabeth Cotten," not "Elizabeth Cotton."
Incidentally: the finest, most beautiful, most exciting, most gracious, most vivacious, sweetest, coolest, godliest woman whom I've ever known is a descendant of Gullah islanders. I refer to her, a native of Georgetown, South Carolina, as the "sloe-eyed lady of the Lowcountry." Her name is always on my lips and permanently inscribed on my heart.
Unfortunately, the "sloe-eyed lady of the Lowcountry" is much younger than I am and way out of my league. But I love her all the same.- AnonymousSeptember 17, 2023 at 11:44 AM
Forgive me. I seldom post and don't publish my comments anywhere without identifying myself. I make no attempt to hide behind anonymity, which would be useless in any case. The omission was an oversight resulting from undue haste.
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The remarks above, shared on Sunday, September 17, 2023, regarding the proper spelling of musician and songwriter "Elizabeth Cotten," are mine:
Todd S. Hyatt
Sheridan, the Republic of Wyoming
Thanks to Azizi and to all at pancocojams for your consideration. Greetings, Todd S. Hyatt, thank you for correcting that error.
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My goodness! It's been more than ten years and I didn't realize I had made that mistake!
I've corrected the name of that wonderful musician and songwriter in this post's title and in this post itself.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
- AnonymousJanuary 20, 2024 at 11:56 AM
I'm enamored with this song. The refrain sounds to me like "down in pawn." That's a phrase I've heard old timers use fairly frequently. Although I could easily see "done and pawned" also being correct, that's just not what I'm hearing on the record. When you sell your items to a pawn shop, some people say you've pawn them, but truly, if you've pawned your items, they remain "in pawn" until you go and get them back, or they're sold by the shop after an agreed deadline.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Anonymous. Thanks for your comment and your explanation of "down in pawn". You (and others) have convinced me that Elizabeth Cotten sung in "down in pawn" "Shake Sugaree". I'll make that correction in my transcription with a note that I originally had transcribed those words as "done and pawned".
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Thanks again.
Best wishes!
Hi, Azizi,
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How are you?
I really enjoyed the most elaborated discussions about "Shake Sugaree" of yours, which I came across while looking up the meaning of "Sugaree" sung by rockabillian Rusty York on Chess Records (#45-1730, 1959). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j52jgubaBBQ&pp=ygUHIzQ1MTczMA%3D%3D
This particular version was covered by the important Japanese rock and roll band Sheena & the Rokkets on their 1979 debut album. Makoto Ayukawa, the guitarist and leader of the band, sadly passed away at 74 last year.
Born to an American soldier father and a Japanese mother, Ayukawa was an enthusiastic researcher and embodier of rock and roll, blues, and garage punk rock, introducing genuine music to the Japanese audience.
He left so many lists of great music that Noboru Yamana, the beloved rocker's most trusted writer, had to give a tribute DJ-talk show this February, showcasing 28 songs Ayukawa had learned since the late 1950s, including York's "Sugaree."
As a big fan of both, I'm now writing about the songs played in the show. So far, I agree with theory 3, the French-rooted joyful noisemaking custom of newlyweds.
Thanks to you, I can proceed to a new phase of research.
Best regards,
Mitsuaki "Bamboo Boy" AndoGreeting, Mitsuaki "Bamboo Boy" Ando. Thank you for asking about my well being. That question is rarely asked of me online and I take it as a good sign since I'm recovering from a bad cold. I hope that you are well also.
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I appreciate the information about Sheena & the Rokkets and that group's guitarist and band leader Makoto Ayukawa. RIP.
I know nothing about Rock and Roll in Japan (not even that it even existed) and I unfortunately think that this is true for a lot of people from the United States.
I've watched one video of that group on YouTube and will watch more and spend some time reading their comments.
I also would love to read what you write about "sugaree".
Best wishes!
- Mitsuaki AndoJune 28, 2024 at 8:42 AM
Thank you for the reply, Azizi. I'm glad to know you're getting better from the bad cold.
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Yes, rock and roll is very popular in Japan. Makoto Ayukawa and Sheena, his wife and the iconic singer of the band, who also passed away a while ago, even visited U.S. Highway 61 to pay tribute to their roots of music, blues. Their journey remains on their website here: http://rokkets.com/BluesQuest/.
As for the meaning of "Sugaree" in Rusty York's case, I've learned he was originally a bluegrass banjoist and singer and covered Martyn Robbins' 1956 Latin-esque song "Sugaree" in the rock & roll style in 1959 following his manager's suggestion to cope with the music trend Elvis Presley escalated.
In "Sugaree," including York's version, it always looks like the term suggests the affectionate name of the first person's love, as the lyrics go as follows:
I got a letter from my baby
She said she's comin' home today
I got a letter from my baby
She said she's comin' home today
Oh well, my baby wasn't lyin'
She was comin' home to stay
Sugaree, sugaree
Sugaree, sugaree
Sugaree, sugaree
Don't you know I love you so
I got a pencil and a paper
And I sat right down to write
I got a pencil and a paper
And I sat right down to write
I said I miss you in the daytime
But I miss you more at night
This might not apply to Cotten's "Shake Sugaree," but I just wanted to share with you what I found out so far.
Take care!- Azizi PowellJune 28, 2024 at 11:22 AM
Mitsuaki Ando, you probably figured out that my last comment should have been addressed to you. My apologies for that mistake.
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When you wrote that Sheena and the Rokkets "even visited U.S. Highway 61 to pay tribute to their roots of music, blues", I wondered if "U.S. Highway 61" was a nightclub or a museum, but I goggled those words and realized that that page referred to a road trip that that duo took on that highway on a greyhound bus and photographs that they took of iconic sites on that road trip.
I've read Sheena And The Rokkets' Wikipedia page and realize this is another example of how many people in the USA (including me) are so very ignorant about the cultures of nations, even to not being aware that those nations have embraced the music that came/comes from here.
I appreciate you sharing the lyrics to Rusty York's song "Sugaree". (Btw: Regrettably, I also hadn't heard of Rusty York and Martyn Robbins before reading your comment.)
I think that you are right that the referent "Sugaree" is that song is an affectionate name for a loved one. In the United States the terms "Honey" or "Sweetie" have been and still are used much more than "Sugar" and the word "Sugaree" is rarely if ever used as an affectionate term.
Please keep me posted about your writing.
Best wishes!
Replies Mitsuaki Ando, I also neglected to say, RIP to Etsuko (Sheena).
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Thanks again for introducing me to Sheena And The Rokkets!
- AnonymousNovember 12, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Love this discussion and the internet for bringing together all the interested and interesting folks!
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Quick 2 cents: “done and pawn” reminds me of “done and gone”, which is closer (in my mind) to “done been pawned”. The version using “in” would seem to make more sense if the items were “down in pawn”.
All that to say that the lyrics and singing are magical, no matter our interpretation.Thanks for your input, Anonymous.
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I agree with you- this discussion and others like it are the internet at its best.
Best wishes!
- AnonymousAugust 6, 2025 at 11:08 PM
I really enjoyed hearing the song and reading all the comments. & Thanks to Miss Cotton n family.
ReplyDelete Anonymous, I appreciate your comment about this post.
Best wishes!
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Elizabeth Cotton's "Shake Sugaree" is probably categorized as a Blues song, although some might consider it a folk song with a known composer.
ReplyDeleteLike other Blues & folk songs, there are versions of "Shake Sugaree" which have lyrics that differ from those composed by Elizabeth Cotton & her grandchildren.
Click http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=46729 for a discussion thread about "Shake Sugaree" which includes partial lyrics sung by Bob Dylan, and a fine, purposely folk processed version by folk singer Art Thiemes.
Partial lyrics of the unrelated Grateful Dead song "Sugaree" are also found on that same discussion thread.