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.
Downbound Train
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Had drank so much he could drink no more
And so he fell asleep with a troubled brain
To dream that he rode on that down bound train
The engine with blood was sweaty and damp
And brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp
And imps for fuel was shovelling bones
The boiler was filled with lots of beer
The devil himself was the engineer
The passengers were most a motley crew
Some were foreigners and others he knew
Rich men and lost beggars in rags
Handsome young ladies and wicked old hags
As the train rushed on at a terrible pace
Sulfuric fumes scorched their hands and face
Wider and wider the country grew
Faster and faster the engine flew
Louder and louder the thunder crashed
Brighter and brighter the lighting flashed
Hotter and hotter the air became
Til' their clothes were burned with each quivering refrain
Then out of the din there came a yell
Ha ha, said the devil we're nearing home
Oh, how the passengers shrieked with pain
They go to Satan with this down bound train
The stranger awoke with an anguished cry
His clothes wet with sweat and his hair standing high
He fell on his knees on the bar room floor
And prayed a prayer like never before
And the prayers and vows were not in vain
For he never rode that down bound train
In Chuck Berry's song Downbound Train, the lyrics tell a haunting tale of a man who drinks himself into a stupor and falls asleep, only to dream that he is a passenger on a train headed straight to hell. The vivid imagery in the song creates an eerie atmosphere that adds to the chilling effect of the lyrics. The stranger in the song dreams of a train that is powered by imps shovelling bones into a furnace while the devil himself serves as the engineer. The passengers on the train are from all walks of life, from the rich to the beggars in rags, as well as handsome young ladies and wicked old hags.
As the train rushes on at a breakneck speed, the passengers suffer as they are forced to breathe in sulfuric fumes which scorched their hands and faces. The descriptions of the journey become more and more vivid as the train travels through a landscape that becomes hotter, brighter, and louder, with the thunder crashing and lightning flashing all around them. Finally, the train arrives at its destination, and the devil exclaims that they have reached their new home in hell. The passengers shriek with pain, as they realize that they are now in the hands of Satan himself.
The song Downbound Train reflects a common theme in blues music of the time, which was that of warning people about the dangers of leading a life of sin and debauchery. The lyrics to this song are a cautionary tale about the consequences of one's actions, and emphasizes the importance of leading an upright life. Chuck Berry's use of vivid imagery and poetic language in the song create a haunting and chilling atmosphere, which adds to the impact of the message being conveyed.
Line by Line Meaning
A stranger lying on a bar room floor
An intoxicated unknown person laid on the floor in that bar
Had drank so much he could drink no more
Got drunk to the point that they could not consume more drinks
And so he fell asleep with a troubled brain
Sleeping with a distressed mind
To dream that he rode on that down bound train
Dreamed of being on a train headed somewhere dangerous
The engine with blood was sweaty and damp
Train engine was sweaty and damp, as if it was alive
And brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp
Train engine was lit with a lamp made with sulfur
And imps for fuel was shoveling bones
Unnatural beings used bones as fuel for the train
While the furnace rang with a thousand groans
The train furnace sounded like it was crying out loudly in pain and anguish
The boiler was filled with lots of beer
Boiler had beer in it instead of water
The devil himself was the engineer
Satan was driving the train
The passengers were most a motley crew
The passengers were a strange and diverse group
Some were foreigners and others he knew
Some passengers were strangers to the artist, others he recognized
Rich men and lost beggars in rags
The passengers were a mix of wealthy people and poor, ragged individuals
Handsome young ladies and wicked old hags
Among the passengers were beautiful young women and wicked old ladies
As the train rushed on at a terrible pace
The train was speeding along at a frightening speed
Sulfuric fumes scorched their hands and face
The passengers were burned by the sulfuric fumes
Wider and wider the country grew
The landscape grew more expansive as they traveled
Faster and faster the engine flew
The train accelerated quickly
Louder and louder the thunder crashed
The thunder grew louder and more intense
Brighter and brighter the lightning flashed
The lightning strikes became more prominent
Hotter and hotter the air became
The environment within the train was heating up
Til' their clothes were burned with each quivering refrain
The passengers' clothes were burned by the train's movement
Then out of the din there came a yell
Amidst the chaos, someone screamed
Ha ha, said the devil we're nearing home
Satan, the engineer, laughed at the fact they were getting closer to Hell
Oh, how the passengers shrieked with pain
The passengers screamed in agony
They go to Satan with this down bound train
They were headed to Hell on this train
The stranger awoke with an anguished cry
The unknown person suddenly woke up and screamed
His clothes wet with sweat and his hair standing high
They were soaked in sweat with their hair standing on end
He fell on his knees on the bar room floor
They knelt on the floor of the bar
And prayed a prayer like never before
They prayed with more intensity than ever before
And the prayers and vows were not in vain
Their prayers were answered
For he never rode that down bound train
They never went on a dangerous journey like that again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: CHUCK BERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bass reeves
A stranger lying on a bar room floor
Had drank so much he could drink no more
So he fell asleep with a troubled brain
To dream that he rode on that downbound train
[Verse 2]
The engine with blood was sweaty and damp
And brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp
And imps for fuel was shoveling bones
While the furnace rang with a thousand groans
[Verse 3]
The boiler was filled with lots of beer
The devil himself was the engineer;
The passengers were most a motley crew
Some were foreigners and others he knew:
[Verse 4]
Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in rags
Handsome young ladies and wicked old hags
As the train rushed on at a terrible pace
Sulphuric fumes scorched their hands and face;
[Verse 5]
Wider and wider the country grew
Faster and faster the engine flew
Louder and louder the thunder crashed
Brighter and brighter the lightning flashed
[Verse 6]
Hotter and hotter the air became
Till their clothes were burned and they were screaming with pain;
Then out of the distance there came a yell
"Ha ha", said the devil, "We're nearing home"
[Verse 7]
Oh how the passengers shrieked with pain
And begged old Satan to stop that train
The stranger awoke with an anguished cry
His clothes wet with sweat and his hair standing high;
[Verse 8]
He fell on his knees on the bar room floor
And prayed a prayer like never before
And the prayers and vows were not in vain
For he never rode that downbound train
MORE ON GENIUS
MrJadedtom
Chuck has managed to turn 'rock lyrics' into a mini 'Twilight Zone' story. His command of the language reads like literature. Hail, hail Chuck Berry, the True King of Rock and Roll.
Erik Killmonger
He's such a brilliant, witty lyricist. That line "Then out of the distance there came a YELL, 'ha ha' said the devil we're nearing HOME." Now, "home" doesn't rhyme with "yell" and Chuck knows it. But he makes you think, "what does rhyme with "yell" and also starts with the letter H. He's clever, that Chuck Berry, very clever.
Papy Quarinius
That's mindblowing how did you got that idea ???
dan starr
could not say HELL on a record in those days...
Flyboy207
Fair enough... but why does he pronounce "Barstow" like it rhymes with "cow" in Route 66?
Thomas Crown
@John Rogers of course not. Chuck Berry was the first genius of Rock and Roll -- songwriter, guitarist, performer.
Stink Fistula
@John Rogers no . irony
Tyrone Smith
This song will stop you in your tracks so to speak. I think this is an amazing piece of music. it makes you think, it is haunting and it tells a story. Music and songwriting at its best which is why Chuck Berry was the best.
Vladimir Sánchez
One of my favorite musicians of all the time..
professorpsoop
Awesome song! He was the king and pioneer of lyrical storytellers.