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.
Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was sitting in the witness stand
The judge's wife called up the district attorney
She said, "free that brown eyed man
If you want your job, you better free that brown eyed man"
Flyin' across the desert in a TWA
I saw a woman walking 'cross the sandShe been walkin' thirty miles en route to Bombay
To meet a brown eyed handsome man
Her destination was a brown eyed handsome man
Way back in history, 3000 years
In fact, ever since the world began
There's been a whole lotta good women sheddin' tear
Over a brown eyed handsome man
It's a lot of trouble with a brown eyed handsome man
Beautiful daughter couldn't make up her mind
Between a doctor and a lawyer man
Her mother told her, "darling, go out and find
Yourself a brown eyed handsome man
Just like your daddy, he's a brown eyed handsome man"
Marlo Venus was a beautiful lass
She had the world in the palm of her hand
She lost both her arms in a wrestling match
To meet a brown eyed handsome man
She fought and won herself a brown eyed handsome man
Two, three the count, with nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stand
Rounded third, he was headed for home
It was a brown eyed handsome man
That won the game, it was a brown eyed handsome man
Chuck Berry's classic song, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," is a tribute to the people who spark admiration in others and how they stand out from society's status quo. In the song, Berry tells the story of a brown-eyed man who has been arrested for unemployment and was sitting in the witness stand. The judge's wife calls the district attorney, encouraging him to "free that brown eyed man." She makes it clear that he should free the man if he wants to keep his job. This part of the song highlights the fact that brown-eyed men, even those who are wrongly accused, have a certain allure and command respect.
The song then switches to a story of a woman walking 30 miles en route to Bombay to meet a brown eyed handsome man. Berry is suggesting that women are willing to travel great distances and take on hardships to be with someone who catches their eye. This is followed by a verse in which a mother advises her daughter to seek a brown-eyed man, just like her father. Lastly, Berry sings about a brown-eyed man who wins a baseball game by hitting a home run, rounding third to head home, thereby winning the game. All of these stories illustrate how brown-eyed men stand out and attract the admiration of others.
Overall, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" is a song about how the color of one's eyes can accentuate their physical attractiveness and how they capture the hearts and minds of people. It speaks to how people are admired for more than material wealth or social status, but also for intangible qualities like charm, wit, and physical features.
Line by Line Meaning
Arrested on charges of unemployment
He was arrested for being unemployed
He was sitting in the witness stand
He was sitting in the witness stand
The judge's wife called up the district attorney
The judge's wife called the district attorney
She said, "free that brown eyed man
The judge's wife told the district attorney to release the brown eyed man
If you want your job, you better free that brown eyed man"
If the district attorney wants to keep his job, he needs to release the brown eyed man
Flyin' across the desert in a TWA
Narrator was flying across the desert in a TWA plane
I saw a woman walking 'cross the sand
Narrator saw a woman walking across the sand
She been walkin' thirty miles en route to Bombay
The woman was walking thirty miles to get to Bombay
To meet a brown eyed handsome man
She was walking to meet a brown eyed handsome man
Her destination was a brown eyed handsome man
Her destination was a brown eyed handsome man
Way back in history, 3000 years
3000 years ago
In fact, ever since the world began
Since the beginning of time
There's been a whole lotta good women sheddin' tear
Women have shed a lot of tears
Over a brown eyed handsome man
Over a brown eyed handsome man
It's a lot of trouble with a brown eyed handsome man
A brown eyed handsome man can be a lot of trouble
Beautiful daughter couldn't make up her mind
A beautiful daughter couldn't decide
Between a doctor and a lawyer man
Between a doctor and a lawyer
Her mother told her, "darling, go out and find
Her mother told her to go out and find
Yourself a brown eyed handsome man
A brown eyed handsome man like her father
Just like your daddy, he's a brown eyed handsome man"
The brown eyed handsome man should be like her father
Marlo Venus was a beautiful lass
Marlo Venus was a beautiful girl
She had the world in the palm of her hand
She was very successful
She lost both her arms in a wrestling match
She lost both her arms in a wrestling match
To meet a brown eyed handsome man
She lost her arms to meet a brown eyed handsome man
She fought and won herself a brown eyed handsome man
She fought and won the love of a brown eyed handsome man
Two, three the count, with nobody on
The baseball count was two balls and three strikes with no one on base
He hit a high fly into the stand
He hit a ball high into the stands
Rounded third, he was headed for home
He rounded third base and was headed for home plate
It was a brown eyed handsome man
The player who hit the home run was a brown eyed handsome man
That won the game, it was a brown eyed handsome man
The brown eyed handsome man who hit the home run won the game
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Awoxl
Lyrics :
A-a-arrested on charges of unemployment
He was sitting in the witness stand
The judges wife called up the district attorney
She said, "Free that brown-eyed man.
If you want your job, you better free that brown-eyed man."
Flying across the desert in a TWA,
I saw a woman walkin' 'cross the sand.
She'd been walking thirty miles en route to Bombay
To meet a brown-eyed handsome man,
Her destination was a brown-eyed handsome man.
Way back in history, three thousand years,
In fact ever since the world began,
There's been a whole lotta good women shedding tears
All for a brown-eyed handsome man,
(It)'sa lot of trouble with a brown-eyed handsome man.
Beautiful daughter couldn't make up her mind
Between a doctor and a lawyer man.
Her mother told her, "Darling go out and find yourself
A brown-eyed handsome man,
Just like your daddy He's a brown-eyed handsome man."
Marlo Venus was a beautiful lass,
She had the world in the palm of her hand
She lost both her arms in a wrestling match
To meet a brown-eyed handsome man,
She fought and won herself a brown-eyed handsome man.
2-3 the count with nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stands
Roundin' third, he was headed for home
It was a brown-eyed handsome man that won the game
It was a brown-eyed handsome man.
@rachelkrieger243
really so cool.
@kaycrow6167
Those were the days ....anybody agree !!
@NevadaBoss
there's been pretenders, there's been contenders, but there's only one Father of Rock n Roll. Hail hail Charles Berry.
@DIANEDONOFRIO
TOTAL MASTERPIECE BY ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@Ray-lo4hr
Beautiful .🌎
@thomastimlin1724
chuck could write rock and roll in different styles and tell a hundred stories. That's what set him apart, aside from his stage performance showmanship. This has a Louisiana vibe whether intended or not, tells a great story with a great hook. I wanted it to go on for at another minute.
@mikekaup5252
I was eight when this came out. Still love Chucks great music. Rock & Roll forever!
@justinreedflynn
I am 42 y.o., I got to see the LEGEND in So-Cal at the hootenanny rockabilly show... I think maybe 2000? 2001? Put on an AWESOME show!
@alanwilson8407
Classic from the KING OF ROCK UND ROLL.! AND DON'T Y'ALL FOGIT IT!
@heiltd1286
Kinda with you on that. Love that CB was really into C&W too.