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.
Promised Land
Chuck Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
California on my mind
I Straddled that Greyhound,
and rolled in into Raleigh and all across Carolina
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill
And we never was a minute late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
Half way 'cross Alabam
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham
Right away, I bought me a through train ticket
Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston town
There are people there who care a little 'bout me
And they won't let the poor boy down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hands,
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land
Workin' on a T-bone steak a la carte
Flying over to the Golden State
Oh when The pilot told me in thirteen minutes
We'd be headin' in the terminal gate
Swing low chariot, come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone
Cut your engines, cool your wings
And let me make it to the telephone
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia
Tidewater four ten O nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
And the poor boy's on the line
The song Promised Land by Chuck Berry is a musical representation of the American Dream. It talks about a journey from Norfolk Virginia, where the singer originates from, to California, where the 'promised land' is. The journey was made by straddling a Greyhound bus, which broke down midway through the journey in Birmingham, Alabama, leading to the purchase of a through train ticket. The singer expresses a longing to escape Louisiana and be in Houston town where they have people who care about them.
The song paints a picture of a journey and a struggle towards a better life, with some of the lyrics evoking themes of resistance, perseverance, and hope. Berry describes a man who is on a journey to reach his dream, but has to face many challenges like motor trouble and being stranded, before he ultimately reaches California, the 'promised land'. It is not just the journey that makes the song appealing but also its underlying message. The song's meaning is considered to be "a Black man's yearning for both a better life and a America free of the stereotypes that have dogged him."
Line by Line Meaning
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia
I departed my hometown in Norfolk, Virginia
California on my mind
I was thinking about heading to California
I Straddled that Greyhound,
I got on a Greyhound bus
and rolled in into Raleigh and all across Carolina
I traveled and stopped in various cities across North and South Carolina
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill
I took a pause in Charlotte and passed by Rock Hill
And we never was a minute late
We made sure we were on schedule
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
We were almost 100 miles away from Atlanta when the sun went down
Rollin' out of Georgia state
We left the state of Georgia
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
We encountered some engine issues which caused a big problem
Half way 'cross Alabam
We were traveling through Alabama when the trouble began
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
The bus broke down, leaving all of us with nowhere to go
In downtown Birmingham
We were stranded in the downtown area of Birmingham
Right away, I bought me a through train ticket
Immediately, I purchased a ticket for a through train
Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
I traveled across Mississippi smoothly
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
I caught the midnight flight out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
I arrived in New Orleans by plane
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
I needed assistance to leave Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston town
I just needed help getting to Houston
There are people there who care a little 'bout me
I have some people who care about me in Houston
And they won't let the poor boy down
They will not disappoint me
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
They bought me a silk suit for sure
Put luggage in my hands,
They gave me some luggage to hold
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
I woke up on a plane flying over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land
I was on a plane to the place I've been waiting for
Workin' on a T-bone steak a la carte
I was enjoying a T-bone steak prepared to my specifications
Flying over to the Golden State
I was flying over to California
Oh when The pilot told me in thirteen minutes
The pilot informed me that we would land in thirteen minutes
We'd be headin' in the terminal gate
We would be heading towards the airport terminal gate
Swing low chariot, come down easy
A reference to the spiritual song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot urging for an easy descent
Taxi to the terminal zone
The plane taxied to the terminal area
Cut your engines, cool your wings
The engines were shut down and the wings were allowed to cool
And let me make it to the telephone
And let me reach the telephone
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia
I wanted to call from Los Angeles to Norfolk, Virginia
Tidewater four ten O nine
Tidewater, a region near Norfolk with an area code of 410 and phone number 09
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
Let those at home know that I have made it to the place I've been waiting for
And the poor boy's on the line
I am on the phone, speaking as the poor boy who has made it to the promised land
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@million_bells
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia
California on my mind
I straddled that Greyhound,
And rolled in into Raleigh and all across Carolina
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill
And we never was a minute late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
Rollin' out of Georgia state
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
Half way 'cross Alabam
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham
Right away, I bought me a through train ticket
Ridin' cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston town
There are people there who care a little 'bout me
And they won't let the poor boy down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hands,
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land.
@1945biged1
I don't care what anyone says, Chuck Berry was the rock n roll poet. He not only revolutionized the guitar riff, but he also wrote fantastic lyrics. His lyrics made sense and yet were still fun.
@icanfartloud
He "borrowed" JBGoode guitar riff from and old big band r@b song
@modoc97405
Well he’s widely recognized as a poet. He even won the Pen award for literary excellence along with Leonard Cohen
@modoc97405
@@icanfartloudWhat band and what song did he get it from?
@joesephsizian9113
Thank goodness for Chuck and Keeef
@jeroengeronimo
Very strong, almost invincible, this man is what you get if you want Rock and Roll
@tylercoogan1870
Might be best 2 minutes 9 seconds on whole net. Facts / pure joy/ thanks for post.
@buckodonnghaile4309
It's definitely up there. Incredible, cheers
@Furball2k
Rock N' Roll Owes Everything To This Man!!!
@MrLeadbelly1966
Don't you know? Ike Turner invented Rock-n-Roll!!!!