Song lyrics to Shuffle Off to Buffalo (1932) lyrics by Al Dubin, music by Harry Warren, as performed in 42nd Street
Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler): Now that we have had the rice and flowers
The knot is tied
I can visualize such happy hours
Right by your side
Billy Lawler (Dick Powell): The honeymoon in store
Is one that you’ll adore
I’m gonna take you for a ride
I’ll go home and pack my panties
You go home and get your scanties
And away we’ll go
Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler): Oooh, ooh, ooh
Billy Lawler (Dick Powell): Off we’re gonna shuffle
Shuffle off to Buffalo
Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler): To Niagra in a sleeper,
There’s no honeymoon that’s cheaper,
And the train goes slow,
Billy Lawler (Dick Powell): Ooh, ooh, ooh
Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler): Off we’re gonna shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo.
Billy Lawler (Dick Powell): Someday, I hope we’ll be elected,
To buy a lot of baby clothes,
We don’t know when to expect it,
But it’s a cinch Winchell knows.
Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler): For a little silver quarter
We can have the Pullman porter
Turn the lights down low
Billy Lawler (Dick Powell): Ooh-ooh-ooh
Together: Off we’re gonna shuffle
Shuffle off to Buffalo
Anytime Annie Lowell (Ginger Rogers) : [singing while eating an apple] Matrimony is baloney
Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel): [eating a banana] She’ll be wanting alimony in a year or so;
Together: Still they go and shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo.
Anytime Annie Lowell (Ginger Rogers): When she knows as much as we know, she’ll be on her way to Reno,
Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel): While he still has dough; she’ll give him the shuffle
Together: When they’re back from Buffalo.
Anytime Annie Lowell (Ginger Rogers): I’ll bet that she’s the farmer’s daughter
Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel): And he’s that well-known traveling man;
Anytime Annie Lowell (Ginger Rogers): He once stopped down at the farmhouse,
Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel): That’s how the whole affair began!
Anytime Annie Lowell (Ginger Rogers): He did right by little Nelly, with a shotgun at his bel… tummy, How could he say “No?”
Together: He just had to shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo.
Chorus: You go home and pack my panties
I’ll go home and get your scanties
And away we’ll go
Oooh, ooh, ooh
Off we’re gonna shuffle
Shuffle off to Buffalo, shuffle off to Buffalo
Chorus: To Niag’ra in a sleeper
There’s no honeymoon that’s cheaper
And the train goes slow
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Off, we’re gonna shuffle,
Shuffle off to Buffalo
Chorus: Someday, I hope we’ll be elected,
To buy a lot of baby clothes,
We don’t know when to expect it,
But it’s a cinch that Winchell knows.
Chorus: For a little silver quarter
We can have the Pullman porter
Turn the lights down low
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Off we’re gonna shuffle
Shuffle off to Buffalo
Shuffle off, shuffle off, shuffle off to Buffalo