Oh Louisiana
Chuck Berry Lyrics


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Oh, Louisiana, I stayed away from you too long
Oh, Louisiana, how can a true love go so wrong ?
She put me in shame and in sorrow and I come home tomorrow
Oh, Louisiana

Oh, Louisiana, yea, yea, Creole baby, Cajun queens
Quaint porches and windows, filet de gumbo, the Basin beans
Your beautiful Delta and bayous in greens
Oh, Louisiana

Oh, Louisiana, yea-e-e, yea, I'm flyin' on Delta Nine-o-three
Right over St. Louis, high over Memphis, Tennessee
On southward to the sea, where I long to be
Oh, Louisiana

Oh, o, Louisiana, yea, yea, them Yankee nights are cold and long
Oh, Louisiana, she broke my heart and wrecked my home




She shamed me in sorrow, to face my tomorrow
Oh, take me back, oh, Louisiana

Overall Meaning

In Chuck Berry's "Oh Louisiana," the singer is expressing his yearning to return to Louisiana after a long period of absence. The song highlights his struggle with a past love, who caused him pain and humiliation. He describes Louisiana as a place of beauty and culture, filled with "Creole babies" and "Cajun queens," quaint porches and windows, and mouth-watering dishes like "filet de gumbo" and "Basin beans." He longs to see the Mississippi delta's lush green bayous again and be back home in Louisiana, his true love.


The lyrics portray the deep heartache of being away from a place that holds so much meaning for the singer, complicating the situation is the person who caused him heartbreak, also exists in that place. His voice carries a mix of ache and longing for the forgiving embrace of Louisiana. The lines "She shamed me in sorrow, to face my tomorrow" denotes an unbearable sadness and the need for him to make peace with it, returning to the place he considers home.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh, Louisiana, I stayed away from you too long
I regret not being in Louisiana for a long time.


Oh, Louisiana, how can a true love go so wrong ?
I am deeply saddened how my relationship in Louisiana turned out.


She put me in shame and in sorrow and I come home tomorrow
I feel ashamed and sorrowful because of her, but I am going back home tomorrow.


Oh, Louisiana, yea, yea, Creole baby, Cajun queens
Louisiana has beautiful Creole and Cajun people.


Quaint porches and windows, filet de gumbo, the Basin beans
The place is peaceful with striking features such as porches, gumbo, and beans.


Your beautiful Delta and bayous in greens
The beauty of Delta and bayous in Louisiana is immaculate and natural.


Oh, Louisiana, yea-e-e, yea, I'm flyin' on Delta Nine-o-three
I am excited and pleased to be flying to Louisiana on Delta Nine-o-three.


Right over St. Louis, high over Memphis, Tennessee
I will fly over St. Toni and Memphis, Tennessee to reach Louisiana.


On southward to the sea, where I long to be
I deeply yearn to be close to the sea in the south of Louisiana.


Oh, o, Louisiana, yea, yea, them Yankee nights are cold and long
The cold and lonely nights in Yankee contrast Louisiana's warm days and pleasant nights.


Oh, Louisiana, she broke my heart and wrecked my home
Louisiana ruined my heart and home.


She shamed me in sorrow, to face my tomorrow
I face tomorrow with shame and sorrow because of Louisiana.


Oh, take me back, oh, Louisiana
I plead that I be taken back to Louisiana.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CHUCK BERRY

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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.

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