“Jump In The Line (Shake Senora)” is Harry Belafonte’s irresistible calypso classic from 1961 — and an absolute joy to play on guitar. Younger audiences may know it best from the closing scene of Beetlejuice, but it’s been getting people on their feet for over six decades. The song uses just D, G, and A — with a quick A7 tucked in as a pickup chord that adds a little forward push back to D in the chorus.
This is the same simplified arrangement I teach in my 30 Day Guitar Chord Fluency course. The fun of “Jump In The Line” isn’t in fancy chord changes — it’s in nailing that bouncy calypso strumming feel and locking in with a steady rhythm. Let’s dive in!
The Chords You’ll Need
For the verse & chorus
For the chorus pickup
Chord Chart
Intro D - A (x8) Chorus 1 (Shake) D A Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line A7 D Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time A Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line A7 D Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time Verse 1 D G My girl's name is Senora D A I tell you friends, I adore her D G And when she dances, oh brother! D A She's a hurricane in all kinds of weather Chorus 2 (Jump in de line + Shake) D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Whoa! D A Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line A7 D Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time A Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line A7 D Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time Verse 2 D G You can talk about Cha Cha D A Tango, Waltz, or de Rumba D G Senora's dance has no title D You jump in the saddle A Hold on to de bridle! Chorus 3 (Jump in de line + Shake) D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Rock your body, child! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Somebody, help me! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Whoa! D A Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line A7 D Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time (Whoa) A Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line (Yep) A7 D Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time Verse 3 D G Senora, she's a sensation D A The reason for aviation D G And fellas, you got to watch it D A When she wind up, she bottom, she go like a rocket! Chorus 4 (Jump in de line + Shake) D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Hoist those skirts a little higher! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Up the chim-en-y! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Whoa oh oh oh! D A Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line A7 D Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time A Work, work, work, Senora, work your body line A7 D Work, work, work, Senora, work it all the time Verse 4 D G Senora dances Calypso D A Left to right is de tempo D G And when she gets the sensation D A She go up in the air, come down in slow motion Chorus 5 (Jump in de line + Shake) D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Somebody, help me! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you! D A D A (Jump in de line, rock your body in time) Whooooa! D A Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake your body line A7 D Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time Work, work, work, Senora!!
About A7 in the chorus
A7 is just an A chord with one finger lifted — specifically, lift your finger
off the G string and let it ring open. It acts as a pickup chord that leads back
into D (“…shake it all the time“), giving each chorus phrase a nice forward
push. We cover A7 in Module 3 of the course alongside the other dominant 7th chords.
If you’re not there yet, just play A in place of A7 — the song still works beautifully.
About the calypso strumming feel
The defining feature of “Jump In The Line” isn’t the chord changes — it’s that
bouncy, syncopated calypso rhythm. The strum emphasizes the off-beats: imagine the
pulse landing slightly between the beats rather than directly on them. If you feel
the rhythm by tapping your toe first and then bring your strumming hand along for the ride,
you’ll find it much faster than trying to count it out.
Practice Tips
- The chorus and verse use slightly different chord vocabularies — the chorus is built around D, A, and A7, while the verse moves between D, G, and A. Practice each section separately before stitching them together.
- Practice the A-to-A7 move on its own. Just lift your ring finger off the G string and put it back. That tiny motion gives the chorus its momentum and shows up multiple times in every chorus.
- Listen to the recording a few times before picking up the guitar. Your ears need to catch the calypso pulse before your hands can play it. Try lightly tapping the rhythm on the body of your guitar before strumming actual chords.
- Don’t take this song too seriously. It’s a celebration. If you’re not smiling and moving while you play it, slow down and start over until you are.