The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Yo! Hey, what's happening, dude?
I'm the guy with the rep for being rude.
Terrorizing people wherever I go,
It's not intentional, just keepin' the flow.
Fixin' test scores to get the best scores.
Droppin' banana peels all over the floor.
I'm the kid that made delinquency an art,
Last name Simpson, first name Bart.
I'm here today to introduce the next phase,
The next step in the big Bart craze.
I've got a dance real easy to do;
I learned it with no rhythm, and so can you.
So move your body if you've got the notion,
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
Now that you've got it, if you think you can,
Do it to the music--that's the Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Whoa!
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Shake it out, man!
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Bartman!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Uh-huh.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Whoa, mama!
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Whoa.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
It wasn't long ago, just a couple of weeks,
I got in trouble, yeah, pretty deep.
Homer was yellin',
Bart!
Mom was too,
Because I put mothballs in the beef stew.
Punishment time, in the air lurks gloom,
Sitting by myself, confined to my room.
When all else fails, nothin' else left to do,
I turn on the music, so I can feel the groove.
Move your body, if you've got the notion.
Whoa, I'm feelin' the groove now, baby!
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
Bring it back, whoa!
Move you hips from side to side now.
Do the Bartman!
Don't ya slip, let your feet glide now.
Whoa, Lisa. Ha!
If ya got the groove, ya gotta use it.
Ha, ha, ha!
Light rhythm in time with the music.
Ha, ha, ha. Check it out, man.
You just might start a chain reaction.
If you can do the Bart, you're bad like Michael Jackson.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Oh, yeah!
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Shake yo' body!
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Huh!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Yeah, do the Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Everybody, yeah, do the Bartman.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Shake it out.
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Whoa, mama.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
I'm bad, I'm bad!
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Everybody back and forth, from side to side.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Pick your feet up off the floor, let 'em glide!
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
She can do it, he can do it, so can I.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Now here's a dance beat that you can't deny.
Turn it down! Will you stop that infernal racket?!
Do the Bartman!
Oh, my ears! Lisa! Put that saxophone away!
You can't touch this.
I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything.
Oops!
Now I'm in the house, feeling good to be home,
Till Lisa starts blowing that damn saxophone.
And if it was mine, you know they'd take it away,
But still I'm feeling good, so that's okay.
I'm up in my room, just a singin' a song,
Listen to the kick drum, kickin' along.
Yeah, Lisa likes jazz; she's their number one fan,
But I know I'm bad, 'cause I do the Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Hey, everybody!
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Need I remind you?
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
I am Bart, Bart-man.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Shake it out.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Everybody back and forth, from side to side.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
She can do it, he can do it, so can I.
Move your body, if you've got the notion.
Move it.
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
Swing it!
Move you hips from side to side now.
Don't ya slip, let your feet glide now.
If ya got the groove, ya gotta use it.
Dooby, dooby, dooby, dooby, doo, wop, bop, bop!
Light rhythm in time with the music.
Dabba doo, dabba doo, dab it!
You just might start a chain reaction.
Dabba dab, doo dab
Hee, hee, hee. I'm a Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Swing it, baby.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Hoo-uh.
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Oh yeah. I'm bad. Real bad.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Whoa, mama.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Ha, ha!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Oh yeah!
Do the Bartman.
Move your body, if you've got the notion.
You call that dancing? Ha!
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
(Do the Bartman)
Watch this move.
Move you hips from side to side now.
(Everybody in the house do the Bartman)
Ooh, uh uh, uh, ai, ai. Yeah!
Don't ya slip, let your feet glide now.
(Do the Bartman)
If ya got the groove, ya gotta use it.
Ha, ha, ha! Swing it!
Jack your body in time with the music.
You just might start a chain reaction.
Eat your heart out, Michael! Woop!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman.
I'm the guy with the rep for being rude.
Terrorizing people wherever I go,
It's not intentional, just keepin' the flow.
Fixin' test scores to get the best scores.
Droppin' banana peels all over the floor.
I'm the kid that made delinquency an art,
Last name Simpson, first name Bart.
I'm here today to introduce the next phase,
The next step in the big Bart craze.
I've got a dance real easy to do;
I learned it with no rhythm, and so can you.
So move your body if you've got the notion,
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
Now that you've got it, if you think you can,
Do it to the music--that's the Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Whoa!
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Shake it out, man!
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Bartman!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Uh-huh.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Whoa, mama!
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Whoa.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
It wasn't long ago, just a couple of weeks,
I got in trouble, yeah, pretty deep.
Homer was yellin',
Bart!
Mom was too,
Because I put mothballs in the beef stew.
Punishment time, in the air lurks gloom,
Sitting by myself, confined to my room.
When all else fails, nothin' else left to do,
I turn on the music, so I can feel the groove.
Move your body, if you've got the notion.
Whoa, I'm feelin' the groove now, baby!
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
Bring it back, whoa!
Move you hips from side to side now.
Do the Bartman!
Don't ya slip, let your feet glide now.
Whoa, Lisa. Ha!
If ya got the groove, ya gotta use it.
Ha, ha, ha!
Light rhythm in time with the music.
Ha, ha, ha. Check it out, man.
You just might start a chain reaction.
If you can do the Bart, you're bad like Michael Jackson.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Oh, yeah!
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Shake yo' body!
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Huh!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Yeah, do the Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Everybody, yeah, do the Bartman.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Shake it out.
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Whoa, mama.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
I'm bad, I'm bad!
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Everybody back and forth, from side to side.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Pick your feet up off the floor, let 'em glide!
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
She can do it, he can do it, so can I.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Now here's a dance beat that you can't deny.
Turn it down! Will you stop that infernal racket?!
Do the Bartman!
Oh, my ears! Lisa! Put that saxophone away!
You can't touch this.
I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything.
Oops!
Now I'm in the house, feeling good to be home,
Till Lisa starts blowing that damn saxophone.
And if it was mine, you know they'd take it away,
But still I'm feeling good, so that's okay.
I'm up in my room, just a singin' a song,
Listen to the kick drum, kickin' along.
Yeah, Lisa likes jazz; she's their number one fan,
But I know I'm bad, 'cause I do the Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Hey, everybody!
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Need I remind you?
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
I am Bart, Bart-man.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Shake it out.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
Everybody back and forth, from side to side.
Do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman!
She can do it, he can do it, so can I.
Move your body, if you've got the notion.
Move it.
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
Swing it!
Move you hips from side to side now.
Don't ya slip, let your feet glide now.
If ya got the groove, ya gotta use it.
Dooby, dooby, dooby, dooby, doo, wop, bop, bop!
Light rhythm in time with the music.
Dabba doo, dabba doo, dab it!
You just might start a chain reaction.
Dabba dab, doo dab
Hee, hee, hee. I'm a Bartman.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Swing it, baby.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Hoo-uh.
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Oh yeah. I'm bad. Real bad.
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Whoa, mama.
Everybody, if you can, do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman.
Shake your body, turn it out if you can, man.
Front to the back, to the side if you can, can.
Ha, ha!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Oh yeah!
Do the Bartman.
Move your body, if you've got the notion.
You call that dancing? Ha!
Front to back in a rock-like motion.
(Do the Bartman)
Watch this move.
Move you hips from side to side now.
(Everybody in the house do the Bartman)
Ooh, uh uh, uh, ai, ai. Yeah!
Don't ya slip, let your feet glide now.
(Do the Bartman)
If ya got the groove, ya gotta use it.
Ha, ha, ha! Swing it!
Jack your body in time with the music.
You just might start a chain reaction.
Eat your heart out, Michael! Woop!
Everybody in the house do the Bartman.
Do the Bartman.
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Really? MJ wrote this? Funny...