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What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll Lyrics by Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen

Shelley! All Her Hits plus Rarities

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Say, Dad
(Mmm, yes kids)
We'd like to have a heart-to-heart talk
(Oh-oh, have you spoken to your mother yet?)
No, Dad, we wanna ask you
(Well, I guess you're both old enough)
What we wanna know is
What did they do before rock 'n' roll? (ah-ha)
How'd they ever make it
Bless my soul
All day long they had to listen to (ah-ha)
(My time is your time)
What did they do before Elvis P (ah-ha)
Fabian and Avalon and Brenda Lee?
All they heard on the radio was
(Where the blue of the night meets the buh-buh-buh-boom)
I found some ancient records (ah-doo-wah)
From 1945 (ah-doo-wah)
I put a couple on the phonograph
Laughed ha-ha-ha-ha ha-ha
Oh well, I thought I'd die
Now, let me tell you, Dad
It was an awful sound
To hear what 27 cats
Were puttin' down
I couldn't believe my ears
It was a shock to me
'Cause all that they were playin'
Was the melody
They had a thing called swing
They didn't have no beat
That rikki-dikki music never move my feet
And then I played a record
Strangest thing I heard
I know you'll think I'm goofy
But I'm pretty swerve
They didn't twang guitars
I meant like it was sad
And tell me
What's a Hugo Winterhalter, Dad?
(Whoa-oh-oh)
(Ah, don't you dig that crazy sound?)
(That's the kind of music you can do your homework to)
(Yes)
(Whoa)
Oh well, I felt so poor
For those old time souls (ah-ha)
They never had the benefit
Of rock 'n' roll
All they heard on the radio was (ah-ha)
(Doo-fal-dee-ooh, boop-boop-pee-doo, ooh)
Oh, no!
Credits
Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares

Paul Petersen

Paul Petersen

About “What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll” by Shelley Fabares

Read the complete lyrics to "What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll" by Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen from the album "Shelley! All Her Hits plus Rarities". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rock, Pop-Rock.

"What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll" is performed by Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen. from the album "Shelley! All Her Hits plus Rarities" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll", explore more songs by Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll" is credited to Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"What Did They Do Before Rock n’ Roll" appears on "Shelley! All Her Hits plus Rarities".

Visit the Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen artist page at /artist/shelley-fabares for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.