You’ve probably heard the name "Sugaree" belt out from a Grateful Dead soundboard, or maybe you’ve caught a snippet of it in a dusty folk playlist. It sounds sweet, doesn't it? Sugaree. Like a candy coating on a rough life.
But the real story of Elizabeth Cotten Shake Sugaree is way more interesting than just a catchy chorus. It’s a song built from pawn shops, family secrets, and a woman who played guitar upside down because nobody told her she couldn't.
Honestly, it’s one of those rare tracks that feels like it’s been around for three hundred years, even though it was recorded in a living room in the 1960s.
Who Actually Wrote Shake Sugaree?
There’s a bit of a myth that Libba (that’s what everyone called Elizabeth) wrote every single word of this thing. Not quite.
Elizabeth Cotten was already in her 70s when the song really took shape. She had spent decades working as a domestic for the Seeger family—yeah, those Seegers, the folk royalty. She’d given up music for forty years to raise a family and work as a maid before the Seegers "discovered" her playing their guitar in the kitchen.
By the time she was recording her second album for Folkways in 1967, she was living with her grandchildren. The lyrics to Shake Sugaree weren't pulled from some ancient blues archive. They were actually written by her 12-year-old great-granddaughter, Brenda Evans.
According to Libba herself, her eldest great-grandson made up the first verse, and then the other kids—Brenda, Johnny, Sue, and Wendy—all chipped in words. It was basically a family collaboration over a guitar riff. Brenda is the one you hear singing on the original recording because Libba felt her own voice was getting too "raggedy" to do it justice.
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The Mystery of the Lyrics: What Does "Sugaree" Mean?
If you look at the words, they’re pretty bleak for a song written by kids.
Everything I got is in pawn > Everything I got is in pawn > I pawned my watch, I pawned my chain > I'd have pawned myself, but I was ashamed It’s a song about having absolutely nothing left. It’s about the struggle of poverty in the rural South, seen through the eyes of a child watching their elders try to make ends meet.
But what about that "Sugaree" part?
There are a few theories. Some folks think it refers to "sugar" being thrown on a dance floor to make the shoes of dancers slide and scratch better—a common practice at country socials. Others think it’s just a pet name, like "honey" or "darling."
Then there’s the Grateful Dead connection. Robert Hunter, the Dead’s legendary lyricist, famously borrowed the name for their song Sugaree. He admitted he "cadged" the name from Libba, though he turned his version into a song about a pimp or a criminal on the run.
In Elizabeth Cotten's world, Shake Sugaree feels more like a prayer or a lullaby for the desperate. It’s about "shaking" off the bad luck, the debt, and the pawn shop tickets to make it to the "Jubilee"—that mythical time of celebration and freedom.
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The "Cotten Picking" Style
You can't talk about this song without talking about how it sounds.
Elizabeth Cotten was left-handed. She bought her first guitar for $3.75 (which she earned making 75 cents a month). Since she didn't have a teacher, she just picked it up and played it. The problem? It was a right-handed guitar.
Instead of re-stringing it, she just played it upside down.
Why her technique changed everything:
- She used her thumb to play the melody on the bottom strings.
- She used her index finger to play the bass lines on the top strings.
- This created a rolling, syncopated sound that most guitarists find impossible to replicate perfectly.
This style became known as "Cotten Picking." When you listen to the guitar work on Shake Sugaree, you’re hearing a totally unique musical DNA. It’s complex but sounds effortless.
Impact on the 1960s Folk Revival
By the time the Shake Sugaree album dropped in '67, the folk world was obsessed with her.
She wasn't just a performer; she was a living link to a pre-industrial Black musical tradition that was rapidly disappearing. She was the granddaughter of a slave, a woman who named herself "Elizabeth" on her first day of school because she didn't like being called "Little Sis."
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Artists like Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, and later, Devendra Banhart, all obsessed over her. Dylan even covered Shake Sugaree in his live sets.
The song has this weird, haunting quality. It’s catchy enough to be a nursery rhyme but heavy enough to break your heart. That’s the magic of Elizabeth Cotten. She could take the most "raggedy" parts of life and turn them into something beautiful.
How to Really Hear the Song Today
If you want to appreciate the song, don't start with the covers.
Go back to the 1967 Smithsonian Folkways recording. Listen to the way Brenda Evans’ young, clear voice contrasts with the deep, rhythmic thrum of Libba’s guitar. There’s a recording of them performing it where Brenda is just a kid, standing next to this tiny, elderly woman who is moving her fingers in ways that shouldn't make sense.
It’s a reminder that great art doesn't always come from a studio or a professional songwriter. Sometimes it comes from a grandmother and her grandkids sitting around a kitchen table, trying to figure out how to "shake" the blues away.
Your Next Steps to Discover More
If you're ready to go down the rabbit hole of American folk history, here is exactly what you should do next:
- Listen to the 1967 Original: Find the version featuring Brenda Evans on vocals. Notice the "upside-down" guitar rhythm.
- Compare the Grateful Dead Version: Listen to Jerry Garcia’s Sugaree from his 1972 solo album. See if you can spot where the "Shake it" refrain influenced Robert Hunter’s lyrics.
- Watch the Footage: Search for the 1978 video of Elizabeth Cotten performing at her home. Watching her hands move is the only way to truly understand "Cotten Picking."
- Explore "Freight Train": If you like Shake Sugaree, listen to Libba’s most famous song, which she wrote when she was only 11 years old. It’s the blueprint for her entire career.