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.
Havana Moon
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me all alone with jug of rum
Me stand and wait for boat to come
It's long the night, it's quiet the dock
The boat she late since twelve o'clock
Me watch the tide easin' in
Is low the moon, but high the wind
Me all alone, me open the rum
It's long the wait for boat to come
American girl come back to me
We'll sail away across the sea
We'll dock in New York, the buildings high
We'll find a home up in the sky
Havana moon, Havana moon
Me still alone, me sip on the rum
Me wonder when the boat she come
To bring me love, ow! Sweet little thing
She rock and roll, she dance and sing
She hold me tight, she touch me lips
Me eyes they close, me heart she flip
Havana moon, Havana moon
But still alone, me drinkin' the rum
Begin to think the boat no come
American girl, she tell a lie
She say till then, she mean goodbye
Havana moon, Havana moon
Me lay down alone, was good the rum
Me fall asleep, the boat she come
The girl she look till come the dawn
She weep and cry, "Return for home"
The whistle blow, me open me eyes
Was bright the sun, was blue the sky
Me grab me shoes, me jump and run
Me see the boat head for horizon
Havana moon, is gone the rum
The boat she sail, me love she gone
Havana moon, Havana moon, Havana
Chuck Berry's Havana Moon is a song about longing, heartbreak and waiting. The singer is waiting for a boat that he's hoping will bring his love, an American girl, back to him. The song is set in Cuba, with the chorus repeating the phrase "Havana moon" several times, creating a sense of place and setting the mood for the story that's being told.
The lyrics describe the waiting period as long, with the night being quiet and the dock being empty. There's a strong sense of anticipation in the singer's voice as he's waiting for the boat, with the tide slowly easing in and the wind picking up, creating a sense of movement and a desire to get going. The singer is all alone, and he's accompanied by a jug of rum, which he keeps sipping from as he waits. He's hoping that his love will come back to him, and they'll be able to sail away to New York, find a home in the sky, and start a new life together.
Despite the hopeful mood of the lyrics, towards the end of the song, it becomes clear that the boat may not be coming. The American girl may have lied to him, and he finds himself alone once again, with his love gone. This sense of heartbreak resonates strongly through the lyrics, with the singer falling asleep after drinking his rum and waking up to find that the boat has already sailed away.
Line by Line Meaning
Havana moon, Havana moon
Chuck Berry sings about the place he's at.
Me all alone with jug of rum
He's alone and drinking rum.
Me stand and wait for boat to come
He's waiting for a boat to come.
It's long the night, it's quiet the dock
The night is long and the dock is quiet.
The boat she late since twelve o'clock
The boat is late since midnight.
Me watch the tide easin' in
He's watching the tide getting lower.
Is low the moon, but high the wind
The moon is low, but the wind is high.
American girl come back to me
Chuck Berry wants an American girl to come back to him.
We'll sail away across the sea
He wants to sail away with her.
We'll dock in New York, the buildings high
They'll arrive in New York and see the tall buildings.
We'll find a home up in the sky
They'll find a home in the sky-high buildings.
Me still alone, me sip on the rum
He's still alone, sipping on the rum.
Me wonder when the boat she come
He's wondering when the boat will arrive.
To bring me love, ow! Sweet little thing
He wants the boat to bring him his love, a sweet little thing.
She rock and roll, she dance and sing
He's describing his love's musical talents.
She hold me tight, she touch me lips
He's describing her physical affections towards him.
Me eyes they close, me heart she flip
His eyes close as he's overwhelmed with happiness.
But still alone, me drinkin' the rum
Though he's still alone, he continues to drink the rum.
Begin to think the boat no come
He's starting to think that the boat won't come.
American girl, she tell a lie
He accuses the American girl of lying.
She say till then, she mean goodbye
She said goodbye until then, implying that she'll come back.
Me lay down alone, was good the rum
He lays down alone while reflecting on the rum he drank.
Me fall asleep, the boat she come
He falls asleep and the boat arrives.
The girl she look till come the dawn
The girl looks until dawn arrives.
She weep and cry, 'Return for home'
She's crying and begging him to return home with her.
The whistle blow, me open me eyes
He wakes up to the sound of a whistle.
Was bright the sun, was blue the sky
The sun was bright and the sky was blue.
Me grab me shoes, me jump and run
He puts on his shoes and runs towards the boat.
Me see the boat head for horizon
He sees the boat heading towards the horizon.
Havana moon, is gone the rum
Reflecting on everything, he realizes the rum is gone.
The boat she sail, me love she gone
The boat sails away and his love is gone.
Havana moon, Havana moon, Havana
He repeats the location again to end the song.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@garfieldfarkle
It was Elvis that electrified the nation and took rock and roll from a regional curiosity to sweep around the globe.
I was a kid in the Mississippi delta when E detonated.
There was a point around 1960 where one out of all four records sod was an Elvis Presley record.
Chuck didn't have a number one record until "My Ding-A-Ling" topped the U.S. charts on August 23, 1972 and the UK charts on November 11, 1972.
By that time Elvis already had 15 number one hits.
By the time "My Ding-A-ling" hit number one, Berry previously had 6 top ten hits, with 3 making the top 5 in the U.S.
Presley, on the other hand, had 25 top ten hits by then, with 18 of them in the top 5 Billboard charts.
It's one thing to prefer the music of one over the other. Someone famous once said in matters of taste there can be no judgement.
But there is no comparison of the degree of impact to which one or the other ruled the kingdom.
We loved Chuck, but the dominance and impact of Elvis is hard to overestimate.
@eguinaldosantosnobre
Havana moon, Havana moon
Me all alone with jug of rum
Me stand and wait for boat to come
Is long de night, is quiet de dark
De boat she late, it's twelve o'clock
Me watch de tide easing in
Is low de moon but high de wind
Havana moon, Havana moon
Me all alone, me open de rum
Is long de wait for boat to come
American girl come back to me
We'll sail away across de sea
We'll dock in New York
De building's high
We find a home in de sky
Havana moon, Havana moon
Me still alone, me sip de rum
Me wonder when de boat she come
To bring me love, oh sweet little thing
She rock 'n' roll, she dance and sing
She hold me tight, she touch me lips
Me eyes they close, me heart she flip
Havana moon, Havana moon
But still alone me drinking de rum
Begin to think de boat no come
American girl she tell a lie
She say "Till then," she mean "Goodbye"
Havana moon, Havana moon
Me lay down alone, was good de rum
Me fall asleep, de boat she come
De girl she look till come de dawn
She weep and cry, return for home
De whistle blow, me open me eyes
Was bright de sun, was blue de sky
Me grab me shoes, me jump and run
Me see de boat head for horizon
Havana moon, is gone de rum
De boat she sail, my love she gone
Havana moon, Havana moon
Havana moon, Havana moon
@Byrns1942
I heard this song on the radio in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It instantly became a favorite. Great guitar licks.
@johnnydark4802
I was a "Teddy boy" teenager in late 70´s early 80´s. Rockabilly was huuuge in Finland at the time, missed this one though.
Embarrassed to say but my first time, now. Yeah, awesome song.
@Strock073
Just heard this song.
Where have I been!
Great song!! 🎸🥁
@musiccforever
Its my name now:) HavanahMoon, my parents named me after they heard it on a tape they bought.
@laurencehortop853
i think they spelled it wrong
@postatility9703
Your photo is as charming as this Chuck Berry classic.I'm listening to this while watching the beautiful "Buck Moon" of July 4/5.
@noblehillministerprophet8689
Ha ha ha! Don't moon anyone Ms Moon
@rapidotlussoguitar
❤️
@joelbrown9322
That is awesome. I named my daughter after a song Brandy by looking glass. Mikayla Brandy
@Pithecanthropus2483
The lusty howl he gives right after "To bring me love" has to be one of the best screams in RNR. A young dude on the prowl...