Chords + Lyrics | Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
Intro
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 F/G G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 F/G G7 :|| (keyboard chords)
Oh!
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 :||
Verse 1
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 :||
I don’t know what’s gonna happen to you, baby.
But I do know that I love you.
You walk around this town with your head all up in the sky.
And I do know that I want you.
Chorus 1
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 :||
||: Let’s dance, let’s shout (shout), shake your body down to the ground :|| x4
Instrumental 1
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 :||
Oh!
Verse 2
You tease me with your loving to play hard to get.
Cause you do know that I want you.
You walk around this town with your head all up in the sky.
And you do know that I want you.
Chorus 2
||: Let’s dance, let’s shout (shout), shake your body down to the ground :|| x4
Instrumental 2
Shake it all down.
Verse 3
You’re the spark that lit the fire inside of me.
And you do know that I love it.
I need to do just something to get closer to your soul.
And you do know that I want you.
Chorus 3
||: Let’s dance, let’s shout (shout), shake your body down to the ground :|| x4
Instrumental 3
||: G7 G6 | G7 G9 :|| x4
Ow!
Verse 4
||: G7 G6 | G7 :||
You tease me with your loving to play hard to get.
Cause you do know that I want you.
I need to do just something to get closer to your soul.
And you do know that I want you.
Chorus 4
||: G7 G6 | G7 (G9) :||
Let’s dance (dance), let’s shout (shout), shake your body down to the ground.
Let’s dance (dance), let’s shout (come on, shout), shake your body down to the ground (are you aroused?).
Let’s dance (dance), let’s shout (come on, shout), shake your body down to the ground.
Let’s dance (dance), let’s shout (and shout), shake it over.
Instrumental 4
||: G7 G6 | G7 (G9) :||
Ow! Down, down, down, down, down, yeah down.
||: G7 G6 | G7 G9 :||
Shake it over. Oh! You know I will move for you.
Chorus 5 (as chorus 4)
Let’s dance (dance), let’s shout (dance, shout), shake your body down to the ground.
Dance, dance shout.
Dance, dance shout.Dance, dance shout.
Shake Your Body Down Chords: Learn the Progressions and How Each Instrument Interprets Them
Defining the chords for Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) isn’t as straightforward as it might seem—you’ll get a different answer depending on which band member you ask.
The keyboard player, guitarist 1, and guitarist 2 each interpret the progression differently.
Keyboard chords
The keyboardist might describe it like this:
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 F/G G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 F/G G7 :||
Or perhaps with different extensions, but once translated into guitar terms, this is what you’d likely play.
Guitar 1 chords
However, Guitar 1 doesn’t follow that exactly. Instead, they play:
||: G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 | G7omit3 G7sus4 G7 :||
When the keyboard plays F/G, Guitar 1 sticks to G7—creating a clashy but funky interaction between the C in the keyboard and the B in the guitar.
Guitar 2 chords
Meanwhile, Guitar 2 offers yet another interpretation:
||: G7 G6 | G7 G9 :||
Sometimes, they loop just the first bar, and occasionally, the 6th isn’t played at all, adding further variation to the groove.
The chords above represent a “best of” version—once you’ve got the TAB, it will all make sense. Without it, these extensions might seem overwhelming.
Here’s a link to the full lesson: Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
If you’re the only guitarist in the band, you’ll likely need to shift between Guitar 1 and Guitar 2, or even blend their parts. And if there’s no keyboard player, you’ll have to cover the keys’ role—especially in the intro!
With the TAB in hand, all you need now is this chord chart and an open mind.
Shake Your Body Down Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Shake Your Body Down chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Shake Your Body Down iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Shake Your Body Down TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we look at how to play the keyboard part on guitar, as well as both guitar parts from the original recording.
If you’re the only guitarist and the keyboard player’s stayed home, you’ll learn how to move between and morph all those parts. As a preview, here’s guitar 1’s part.
Conceived using reference tracks
Inspired by Teddy Pendergrass’ Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose and Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give It Up, Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) became The Jacksons’ last major hit, released a year after Blame It on the Boogie.
By this time, they had changed their name multiple times, moved away from Motown, and Michael was already laying the groundwork for his solo career.
Released in 1979, when disco was still going strong, this floor-filling classic remains a staple more than 40 years later.
From a songwriting perspective, it’s fascinating to compare Shake Your Body to its inspirations. Listen to the tracks mentioned above, then check out Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, another song that drew heavily from Got to Give It Up.
Also, take a look at how The Jacksons covered Blame It on the Boogie, and you’ll soon realise that songwriting at the highest level is more about craft than waiting for divine inspiration!
Shake Your Body Down Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) (The Jacksons) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
