The notion that "the South shall rise again" was a familiar sentiment and rallying cry for disaffected Southern whites after the American Civil War. The song uses a clever play on words to promote Southern rock music.
The south's gonna rattle again. You can damn well count me in. The south's gonna rattle again. We got some big old silver eagles, and we're fly'in all over this land. Yeah, The south's gonna rattle again.
'Cause the South's gonna do it again and again Elvin Bishop sittin' on a bale of hay He ain't good lookin', but he sure can play And there's ZZ Top and you can't forget That old brother Willie's gettin' soakin' wet And all the good people down in Tennessee Are diggin' Barefoot Jerry and C.D.B [Chorus] So gather 'round, gather 'round chillun' And again. And you can bet our brag on that rebel flag. The song co-opts that sentiment, but uses the statement to celebrate Southern rock acts contemporary to the song itself. Well, the train to Grinderswitch is runnin' right on time And the Tucker boys are cookin' down in Carolin' People down in Florida can't be still When old Lynyrd Skynyrd's pickin' down in Jacksonville And people down in Georgia come from near and far Verse 2 A Elvin Bishop's sittin' on a … Lyrics to 'The South's Gonna Do It' by Charlie Daniels Band. Chorus A So gather round gather round children, Get down well just get down children, D A Get loud well you can be loud and be proud, And you can be proud here, E D A Be proud to a rebel 'cause the south's gonna do it again. The grounds gonna shake like a big rattle snake And the south's gonna rattle again.