Nervous Shakedown – English Lyrics

• By: AC/DC

Lyrics & Translation

"Nervous Shakedown" offers a quintessential AC/DC hard rock experience, ideal for those looking to immerse themselves in the genre. Its straightforward yet impactful lyrics narrate a compelling story, providing an accessible entry point to understanding rock narratives. The song's driving rhythm and powerful vocals make it a compelling piece for appreciating the raw energy and characteristic sound of classic rock music.

[English]

(guitar music)

(upbeat metal music)

♪ "Freeze," said the man cruising the beat ♪

♪ "You get your hands up, spread your feet" ♪

♪ "Don't you move an inch," I heard him say ♪

♪ "Or you'll be doin' time until the judgment day" ♪

♪ And he said ♪

♪ "Don't tell me no lies, give me alibis ♪

♪ 'Cause if you cross my path, you'll be doin' life" ♪

♪ It's a dirty lie ♪

♪ It's a shakedown ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Another shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Well, it's a shakedown ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ We got a shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ It's looking like a set-up ♪

♪ "Take a dime," said the man, "You can make one call" ♪

♪ "You got a one-way ticket to the county hall" ♪

♪ Well, the judge looked high and I looked low ♪

♪ And when he smiled at me, it was a one-man show ♪

♪ He said ♪

♪ "Two to five, the jury decides ♪

♪ Double parole, if you survive" ♪

♪ It's a dirty lie ♪

♪ It's a shakedown ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Another shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Well, it's a shakedown ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ We got a shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Lord, they're gonna get you this time ♪

♪ And throw away the key ♪

(upbeat metal guitar music)

♪ Lock him up ♪

(upbeat metal guitar music)

♪ Yeah, it's a shakedown ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Another shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ You got a shakedown ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Well, it's a shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Shake it down, shake it down ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Well, it's a shakedown ♪

♪ Another nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Yeah, shake it down, shake it down ♪

♪ And it's a nervous shakedown ♪

♪ Ooh, it's a shakedown ♪

♪ It's a shakedown on ♪

♪ You ♪

♪ Yes ♪

Key Grammar Structures

• "Freeze," said the man cruising the beat

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ Uses the imperative verb "Freeze" to give a direct command from an authority figure.

• "If you cross my path, you'll be doin' life"

  ➔ First Conditional

  ➔ Describes a likely future consequence ("you'll be doin' life") based on a real condition ("if you cross my path").

• "Don't tell me no lies, give me alibis"

  ➔ Double Negative + Imperatives

  ➔ "Don't tell me no lies" uses double negative for emphasis. Both phrases are imperatives demanding actions.

• "You'll be doin' time until the judgment day"

  ➔ Future Continuous

  ➔ "Will be doing" expresses an ongoing action (serving prison sentence) in the future.

• "When he smiled at me, it was a one-man show"

  ➔ Past Simple + Metaphor

  ➔ Past simple "smiled/was" describes completed actions. Metaphor "one-man show" implies solitary control/absence of fairness.

• "They're gonna get you this time"

  ➔ Future (Going to) + Colloquial Contraction

  ➔ "Gonna" replaces "going to" to express a definite future intention in informal spoken English.

• "Double parole, if you survive"

  ➔ Ellipsis with Conditional Clause

  ➔ Omits "you get" before "double parole" (ellipsis). The conditional "if you survive" implies uncertainty about the outcome.

• "Don't you move an inch"

  ➔ Negative Imperative + Emphatic Pronoun

  ➔ "Don't you..." structure adds strong emphasis to the negative command using the subject pronoun "you".

• "You got a one-way ticket to the county hall"

  ➔ Informal Present Simple (Got)

  ➔ Informal use of "got" instead of "have" to express possession in conversational English.

• "Or you'll be doin' time until the judgment day"

  ➔ Colloquial Future Continuous Contraction

  ➔ "Doin'" (instead of "doing") shows informal pronunciation common in spoken/casual English.