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.
Let It Rock
Chuck Berry Lyrics
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Working on the railroad with the steel driving hammer
I gotta get some money to buy some brand new shoes
Tryin' to find somebody to take away these blues
"She don't love me" hear them singing in the sun
Payday's coming and my work is all done
Well, in the evening when the sun is sinking lowAll day I been waiting for the whistle to blow
Sitting in a tee pee built right on the tracks
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
Pick up you belongings boys and scatter about
We've got an off-schedule train comin' two miles out
Everybody's scrambling, running around
Picking up their money, tearing the tee pee down
Foreman wants to panic, 'bout to go insane
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train
Engineer blows the whistle loud and long
Can't stop the train, have to let it roll on
Chuck Berry's Let It Rock is a narrative of a man working on the railroad in Mobile Alabama to earn some money, in order to purchase a brand new pair of shoes and cure his blues. He overhears people singing "She don't love me" in the sun, informing him of the frustration of not being loved by someone, and as his work comes to an end, payday is approaching. In the evening, he anxiously waits for the whistle to blow, sitting by a teepee he built right on the tracks. His companions are passing the time by gambling until they're interrupted by an off-schedule train approaching two miles away. Everyone picks up their belongings and scatters about as the foreman is screaming, running insane, attempting to get the workers out the way of the train. However, the engineer of the train blows the whistle, and the workers have no option but to let it roll on.
This song has several themes, but the most important one is the existence of unpredictability in life. The man in the song is trying to earn a wage through relentless work to purchase new shoes so that he can find someone to take away his problems. Everything appears to be according to schedule until an unexpected train arrives, and chaos ensues. It's a representation of the way fate can disrupt our plans, leaving little control in our hands. Additionally, the lyrics about gambling in the teepee hint at dangerous behavior, such as impatience, which can also lead to life-altering results.
Line by Line Meaning
In the heat of the day down in Mobile Alabama
In the sweltering heat of the day down in Mobile, Alabama
Working on the railroad with the steel driving hammer
Laboring on the railroad with a heavy hammer used to lay steel tracks
I gotta get some money to buy some brand new shoes
I need to earn some cash to purchase fashionable new footwear
Tryin' to find somebody to take away these blues
Attempting to discover someone to alleviate my melancholy feelings
"She don't love me" hear them singing in the sun
Listening to singers lament unrequited love in the bright sunlight
Payday's coming and my work is all done
My hard work is almost over and I will soon be compensated
Well, in the evening when the sun is sinking low
Later, in the evening as the sun begins to set
All day I been waiting for the whistle to blow
All day I have been anticipating the whistle signaling the end of the workday
Sitting in a tee pee built right on the tracks
Sitting in a tent built on the tracks themselves
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
Rolling dice until the overseer of the workers returns
Pick up you belongings boys and scatter about
Collect your possessions and disperse, boys
We've got an off-schedule train comin' two miles out
An unexpected train is approaching from two miles away
Everybody's scrambling, running around
Everyone is in a frenzy, hastening themselves to move
Picking up their money, tearing the tee pee down
Gathering their wages and dismantling the tent
Foreman wants to panic, 'bout to go insane
The supervisor is distressed and nearing a mental breakdown
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train
Attempting to move the laborers out of the train's path
Engineer blows the whistle loud and long
The train conductor blasts a powerful and prolonged whistle
Can't stop the train, have to let it roll on
They cannot halt the train's momentum and must let it continue
Lyrics © MUSIC SERVICES, INC.
Written by: E Anderson, 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.