Chuck Berry remains an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music who first began performing in 1953. Cub Koda wrote, "Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers." John Lennon was more succinct: "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."
Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2000 in a "class" with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Angela Lansbury, and Clint Eastwood. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Chuck Berry #5 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was also ranked 6th on Rolling Stone's Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists of All Time.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included three of Chuck Berry's songs (Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, Rock & Roll Music), of the 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.
Chuck Berry held a special place, in terms of sound development, in the formation of, Mersey-Beat at Liverpool.
The finest exponent of Chuck Berry, guitar, sound at Liverpool during 1959 to 1963, was Vincent Tow/Ismail, who in turn passed on many of the learned skills to Lennon & McCartney, his friends and colleagues during that period--1959 to 1962/3.
Chuck Berry also influenced many of the great rock 'n' roll bands that we know today including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
30 Days
Chuck Berry Lyrics
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I done called up the gypsey woman on the telephone
She gonna send out a world wide hoodoo
That'll be the very thing that'll suit you
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
Oh thirty days (thirty days!)
Oh thirty days (thirty days!)
Baby I'mma see that you be back home in thirty days
That'll be the very thing that'll suit ya
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
I done talked to the judge in private early this morning
And he took me to the sheriff's office to sign a warrent
Gonna put a cross charge again ya
That'll be the very thing that'll send ya
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
Oh thirty days (thirty days)
Oh thirty days (thirty days)
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
Yeah we gonna put a cross charge again ya
That'll be the very thing that'll send ya
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
If I don't get no satisfaction from the judge
I'm gonna take it to the FBI and voice my grudge
If they don't give me no consolation
I'm gonna take it to the United Nations
I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
Oh Thirty Days! (thirty days)
Oh Thirty Days! (thirty days)
Babe I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
If you don't give me no consolation
I'm gonna take it to the United Nations
I'm gonna see that you be back home in Thirty Days!
The Chuck Berry's song "30 Days" is a classic rock and roll tune that tells a story of a man who is unhappy with his partner and gives her 30 days to return home. The first stanza establishes the timeline for the song's action and introduces the central character– the gypsy woman. The singer has called her up and asked her to send out a world-wide hoodoo that will bring his partner back home. The singer repeats the phrase "thirty days" to emphasize the urgency of the situation.
In the second stanza, the singer takes action. He talks to the judge in private, and he goes to the sheriff's office to sign a warrant, intending to send a cross-charge to his partner to bring her back home. The repetition of the "thirty days" phrase remains consistent through this verse as well.
The third and final stanza takes an unexpected turn. If the singer doesn't get satisfaction from the judge or the FBI, he claims he will take his case to the United Nations. The song ends on a defiant note, with the repetition of "thirty days" becoming more urgent with each successive line.
The song's meaning is straightforward– it's a man who is unhappy with his partner leaving him, and he's angry enough to enlist the help of a gypsy woman to bring her back home. This song predates many modern rock and roll tropes, but the rhythmic repetition and the use of urgent, punchy lyrics would continue to be used in rock and roll for decades to come.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna give you thirty days to get back home
I am giving you only one month to return to your original place of residence.
I done called up the gypsy woman on the telephone
I have contacted an individual with psychic abilities by making a phone call.
She gonna send out a world wide hoodoo
That individual is going to perform a powerful magical spell that will work globally.
That'll be the very thing that'll suit you
This spell will help you suitably complete the return journey.
I done talked to the judge in private early this morning
I spoke to the judge in secrecy during the early hours of the day.
And he took me to the sheriff's office to sign a warrant
The judge took me to the law enforcement agency and had me sign a legal document that authorizes a person's arrest or seizure of property.
Gonna put a cross charge again ya
I am preparing to make a counter accusation against you.
That'll be the very thing that'll send ya
This accusation will cause you trouble and distress.
If I don't get no satisfaction from the judge
If I am not pleased with the judge's decision regarding your case,
I'm gonna take it to the FBI and voice my grudge
I will approach the Federal Bureau of Investigation and lodge a formal complaint.
If they don't give me no consolation
If they do not provide any comfort to me,
I'm gonna take it to the United Nations
I will escalate the matter and take it to an international organization that promotes peace and security among nations.
Babe I'm gonna see that you be back home in thirty days
I am determined to make sure that you return to your place of origin in just one month.
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: CHUCK BERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jack
on Little Marie (Alternate)
Yes, oh yes, Long Distance, I'll accept the charge, I'll pay
Which love one is calling me, I did not hear you say.
Both are deep within my hearth, her Mom and my Marie
It so good to hear your voice from Memphis, Tennessee
Oh, you mean so much to me, more than you'll ever know,
Surely, you have not forgot how much I love you so
If you would remember, Dear, and sometimes talk to me
Maybe that would reunite our home in Tennessee.
Last time I saw you, just before I had to leave
You did not want to see me off and promised not to grieve,
My hearth was tore apart as I looked back at my Marie
And there the peace is still remain with you in Tennessee.
I guess I should stop talking, after all you placed the call
But anyway that I can help, you know I'll help you all
Then she spoke and asked me to come back and see Marie
And live together in our home in Memphis, Tennessee.