Johnny B. Goode
Bruce Springsteen & Chuck Berry Lyrics

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
In the southern state of Louisiana, near the city of New Orleans

Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
In a remote wooded area surrounded by tall evergreen trees

There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
In that area, there was a simple cabin made of natural materials

Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
This cabin was home to a young man named Johnny B. Goode who was from the countryside

Who never ever learned to read or write so well
Johnny was not very literate and did not have advanced education

But he could play a guitar just like a-ringin' a bell
However, he had a natural talent for playing the guitar and could make it sound beautiful

Go go
An expression of encouragement

Go Johnny go go
A specific encouragement to Johnny to continue performing

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Johnny did not have a proper guitar case and carried it in a rough fabric sack

Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track
He would go and sit under a tree next to a train track

Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade
The train engineers would notice him relaxing in the cool area under the tree

Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made
Johnny would play along with the rhythm of the trains as they passed by

People passing by, they would stop and say
As others walked past, they would hear his music and pause to listen

"Oh my that little country boy could play"
They were impressed by how talented the young musician was despite his humble background and rural upbringing

His mother told him "Someday you will be a man
Johnny's mother had hope and dreams for her son to grow up to be successful

And you will be the leader of a big old band
She envisioned him becoming the head of a large musical group

Many people coming from miles around
She also envisioned people traveling from far away just to hear Johnny play

To hear you play your music when the sun go down
Specifically, she imagined crowds gathering to listen to his music as the sun set

Maybe someday your name will be in lights
Johnny's mother hoped that he would achieve great recognition and have his name in bright lights

Saying "Johnny B. Goode tonight"
The specific phrasing would be "Johnny B. Goode" and would be indicating that he was to perform that night

Go go go Johnny go
An enthusiastic and urgent expression of encouragement for Johnny to perform

Go go go Johnny go
Repeated encouragement to perform

Go go go Johnny go
Further encouragement

Go go go Johnny go
Urging Johnny to continue playing his music

Go
A final exclamation of encouragement and enthusiasm

Johnny B. Goode
The name of the talented young country musician who could play the guitar beautifully