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.
Honey Hush
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in a georgia cotton field
honey hush
come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
come fix my supper, don't want no talkin' back
well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
when i leave this time, i ain't comin' back no more
honey hush
come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
come in here woman, stop all that yackety yack
don't make me noivous1, 'cause i'm holdin' a baseball bat
singin' hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
hi-yo silver away!
In Chuck Berry's song "Honey Hush," the singer repeatedly urges a woman to stop talking and start doing something productive, specifically fixing him supper without any backtalk. The lyrics also compare her to an alley cat and tell her to stop crying. The repeated refrain of "honey hush" demonstrates the singer's frustration with the woman's constant talking and not taking action. The absurdity of the situation is emphasized in the third verse when the singer threatens the woman with a baseball bat to get her to stop talking.
Overall, the lyrics of "Honey Hush" can be interpreted in many ways, but one common understanding is that the song is a commentary on gender roles and power dynamics within relationships. The singer, who is presumably male, wants the woman to be subservient and fulfill traditional gender roles. The baseball bat threat reinforces the idea that the singer feels entitled to control the woman and stop her from talking back.
Line by Line Meaning
ah let 'em roll like a big wheel
Let them roll like a huge wheel
in a georgia cotton field
In a cotton field in Georgia
honey hush
Hush, my love
come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
Come inside and stop talking unnecessarily
come fix my supper, don't want no talkin' back
Make me dinner without any complaints
well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
You keep talking needlessly about different things
i got news for you baby, you ain't nothin' but an alley cat
You are not important to me, just like an alley cat
turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
Stop crying, your tears won't affect me
when i leave this time, i ain't comin' back no more
I won't return when I leave this time
come in here woman, stop all that yackety yack
Come inside and stop talking unnecessarily, woman
don't make me noivous1, 'cause i'm holdin' a baseball bat
Don't make me nervous, I have a baseball bat
singin' hi-yo, hi-yo silver
Singing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
(hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
hi-yo silver away!
Go fast, Silver
Writer(s): LOU WILLIE TURNER
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.