Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC The refrain of the song repeats the urgent call to action and the celebratory dance afterwards. The speaker intends to work on a farm as a means of living.

We're gonna dig potatoes, we're gonna pick tomatoes. The speaker plans to go to a venue to enjoy blues music. I said we're goin' down here and I listen to 'em play the blues. The speaker asks someone to put on fashionable shoes. The speaker instructs to load the firearm and quickly take action before the target escapes. We're gonna load it up baby now 'a then you shoot 'em 'fore he run now. The speaker advises getting a firearm and preparing for a serious confrontation. I said buy yourself a shotgun now, were gonna break it down baby now. The speaker tells someone to dress up and go to a specific location. Put on your red dress and then you go down yonder. The speaker urges someone to quickly take action against an impending threat and then celebrate their victory by doing the latest dance craze. I said shotgun shoot 'em 'fore he run now do the jerk baby do the jerk now. The refrain repeated throughout the song is a call to action to be ready to seize every opportunity presented and to face life's challenges head-on. The verse about potatoes and tomatoes suggests that you must work hard if you want to succeed in life, otherwise, you won't have anything to put in your sandwiches. The red dress is a symbol of confidence, and putting on your high-heeled shoes is the signal to be ready to take a stand in the face of adversity. The song reminds us to be ready for life's opportunities and to take advantage of them using whatever we've got to succeed. The shotgun represents whatever tool one needs to succeed and achieve their goals, whether it be talent, hard work or determination. The song 'Shotgun,' by Vanilla Fudge, is not about actual violence, but rather it represents the idea of fighting for what one wants in life. The song then shifts to talk of going down yonder and listening to the blues, while also throwing in a few lines about digging potatoes and picking tomatoes before returning to the refrain of 'shotgun' and 'do the jerk.' Next, he tells the listener to put on a red dress and get a shotgun. He then commands the listener to 'do the jerk,' which is a reference to a popular dance move of the time. The song opens with the singer instructing the listener to 'shoot 'em' with a shotgun before the target is able to run away. Vanilla Fudge's song 'Shotgun' is a cover of a single by Junior Walker and the All Stars from 1965, with the Fudge's version being released in 1968.

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