When the sun goes down, the tide goes out The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout "Hey, hey, Uncle Dud It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi mud It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi mud" What a dance do they do, Lordy, how I'm tellin' you They don't need no band They keep time by clappin' their hand Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud When the people beat their feet on the Mississippi mud Lordy, how they play it Goodness, how they sway it Uncle Joe, Uncle Jim How they pound the mire with vigor and vim Joy, that music thrills me, boy, it nearly kills me What a show when they go Say, they beat it up either fast or slow When the sun goes down, the tide goes out The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout "Hey, hey, Uncle Dud It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi mud It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi mud" What a dance do they do, Lordy, how I'm tellin' you They don't need no band They keep time by clappin' their hand Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud When the people beat their feet on the Mississippi mud