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.
It Wasn't Me
Chuck Berry Lyrics
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It must have been some other body, uh uh, baby, it wasnæ?° me
Said he was cold, tired and hungry, came a begin?for bread;
The lady took him and fed him breakfast in bed.
It wasnæ?° me, Boss, it wasnæ?° me, it wasnæ?° me.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Boss, it wasnæ?° me.
Came over to speak to me, I was out of sight
I wasnæ?° me, baby, uh uh, baby, it wasnæ?° me
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Sarge, it wasnæ?° me
Yes, a shrewd young whipper snapper love to run and play;
But the draft got him, they inducted him today
It wasnæ?° me, Sarge, uh uh, Sarge, it wasnæ?° me
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Sarge, it wasnæ?° me
I met a German girl in England who was goin?to school in France
Said we dance in Mississippi at a Alpha Keppa dance
It wasnæ?° me, Officer, no, Officer, it wasnæ?° me
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Officer, it wasnæ?° me
Wailing down the freeway, testing out the cruisin?power;
State trooper trailing, clocked him ninety miles per hour
It wasnæ?° me, Sheriff; Uh huh, Sheriff, it wasnæ?° me
Ah! It must have been some other body, uh uh, Sheriff, it wasnæ?° me
Calling for brave young soldiers, needed on the front row;
Lieutenant said, æ?¥hich one of yæ??ll volunteer to go??br> It wasnæ?° me, Captain, uh uh, Captain, it wasnæ?° me
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Captain, it wasnæ?° me
Chuck Berry's "It Wasn't Me" is a song that involves a character who repeatedly denies doing certain acts. Berry uses a call-and-response structure to reflect the conversation between the character and other people, such as police officers or military personnel, who accuse him of these deeds. The character insists that he was not the one who committed these actions, claiming it must have been someone else.
The first verse is about a man who comes to a woman's house hoping for help. Though he asks for food, the woman gives him a comfortable place to rest and breakfast in bed. The man later denies that he was the one who asked for the food and points to someone else as the culprit.
In the second verse, someone accuses the character of driving recklessly and parking illegally, but he denies it and claims it must have been another person who looked like him. He further denies being drafted into the army by using the same line, abdicating responsibility.
As the song progresses, the character denies more serious allegations against him, including dancing with a German girl in Mississippi and traveling nearly 100 miles per hour on the freeway. The final verse involves a call to action by the military, and even when asked to volunteer for battle, the character repeats his refrain that it wasn't him.
Line by Line Meaning
It wasn't me, baby, no it wasn't me, baby.
I did not do what you are accusing me of, my love.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, baby, it wasn't me.
Someone else must have done it because it was definitely not me.
Said he was cold, tired and hungry, came a-beating for bread;
He explained that he was suffering from hunger, fatigue, and coldness as he knocked on someone's home to request for food.
The lady took him and fed him breakfast in bed.
The woman who he asked for help provided him with breakfast while he rested in bed.
It wasn't me, Boss, it wasn't me, it wasn't me.
I did not do it, sir or boss, it was someone else.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Boss, it wasn't me.
It is possible that someone else did what you are accusing me of, sir or boss, as it was not me.
You say you saw my car parked in the drive in one night;
You claim that you spotted my car parked in the driveway one evening;
Came over to speak to me, I was out of sight
You came to talk to me, but I was not there to respond.
It wasn't me, baby, uh uh, baby, it wasn't me.
I did not do what you are accusing me of, my love.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Sarge, it wasn't me.
Someone else must have done it since it was not me, sarge.
Yes, a shrewd young whipper snapper love to run and play;
A clever young person who enjoys running and playing;
But the draft got him, they inducted him today
But he was drafted into the military service today by the government.
It wasn't me, Sarge, uh uh, Sarge, it wasn't me.
I didn't do what you're saying I did, Sergeant, I promise.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Sarge, it wasn't me.
Another person must be responsible for the wrongdoings since it wasn't me, Sarge.
I met a German girl in England who was going to school in France
I came across a German lady in England who was traveling to France for education.
Said we danced in Mississippi at a Alpha Keppa dance
She told me about how we danced at an Alpha Kappa dance in Mississippi.
It wasn't me, Officer, no, Officer, it wasn't me
I am not responsible for what you are accusing me of, officer.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Officer, it wasn't me
It is highly likely that someone else is responsible since it wasn't me, officer.
Wailing down the freeway, testing out the cruising power;
Driving at high speed along the highway, testing the car's cruising capability.
State trooper trailing, clocked him ninety miles per hour
A state trooper followed and recorded him driving at ninety miles per hour.
It wasn't me, Sheriff; Uh huh, Sheriff, it wasn't me
I didn't do it, Sheriff, trust me.
Ah! It must have been some other body, uh uh, Sheriff, it wasn't me
It wasn't me who committed the offense if you think that, Sheriff.
Calling for brave young soldiers, needed on the front row;
Summoning courageous young soldiers that are needed on the war's front lines;
Lieutenant said, 'Which one of y'all volunteer to go?'
The Lieutenant in charge asked, 'Who among you wants to volunteer to go?'
It wasn't me, Captain, uh uh, Captain, it wasn't me
I didn't volunteer, Captain, that wasn't me.
It must have been some other body, uh uh, Captain, it wasn't me
Someone else must have volunteered since I didn't do it, Captain.
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.