Slap That Bass

(from "Shall We Dance," as heard on "Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers at RKO")

(Vocalizations to sound like ship's engine)
Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
World is in a mess
Politics and taxes and people grinding axes
There's no happiness

Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
Rhythm be your ale
Future doesn't upset me
If I can only get me
Someone to slap that bass

Happiness and not a little
When I'm listening to that big bass fiddle

Slap that bass, slap it til it's dizzy
Slap that bass, keep the rhythm busy
Zoom, zoom, zoom, misery, You've got to go!
(Echo: Misery, you've got to go!)

Slap that bass, use it like a tonic
Slap that bass, keep your philharmonic
Zoom, zoom, zoom, happiness ----------

These ? would be better off
If they zoomed-zoomed now and then
Today, you can see that
The happiest men all got rhythm

In that case, if you want to -------
Slap that bass, slap away your troubles
Zoom, zoom, zoom, slap that bass!
(I've got to, got to, got to
I've got to, got to, got to.)

(More “engine” sounds)