These members played together since 1959, first as The Blue Velvets, then as The Golliwogs. Their musical style encompassed the roots rock, swamp rock, and blues rock genres. They played in a Southern rock style, despite their San Francisco Bay Area origin, with lyrics about bayous, catfish, the Mississippi River, and other popular elements of Southern United States iconography, as well as political and socially conscious lyrics about topics including the Vietnam War. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York.
The group disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom Fogerty had officially left the previous year, and his brother John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in subsequent lawsuits among the former bandmates. Fogerty's ongoing disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz created further protracted court battles, and John Fogerty refused to perform with the two other surviving members at CCR's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Creedence Clearwater Revival's music is still a staple of US radio airplay; the band has sold 26 million albums in the United States alone. Rolling Stone ranked them 82nd on its Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.
John Fogerty, Doug Clifford, and Stu Cook met at Portola Junior High School in El Cerrito, California. Calling themselves the Blue Velvets, the trio began playing instrumentals and "juke box standards", as well as backing Fogerty's older brother Tom at live gigs and in the recording studio. Tom soon joined the band, and in 1964 they signed with Fantasy Records, an independent jazz label in San Francisco that had released Cast Your Fate To The Wind, a national hit for jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. The record's success was the subject of a National Educational Television special, which prompted budding songwriter John Fogerty to contact the label. For the band's first release, Fantasy co-owner Max Weiss renamed the group the Golliwogs (after the children's literary character, Golliwogg).
Bandmembers' roles and the instruments they played changed during this period. Stu Cook switched from piano to bass guitar and Tom Fogerty from lead vocals to rhythm guitar; John became the band's lead vocalist and primary songwriter. In Tom Fogerty's words: "I could sing, but John had a sound!".
Don't Look Now
Creedence Clearwater Revival Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who will take the salt from the earth?
Who'll take a leaf and grow it to a tree?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
Who will work the field with his hands?
Who will put his back to the plough?
Who'll take the mountain and give it to the sea?
[CHORUS:]
Don't Look Now, someone's done your starvin';
Don't Look Now, someone's done your prayin' too.
Who will make the shoes for your feet?
Who will make the clothes that you wear?
Who'll take the promise that you don't have to keep?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
[CHORUS]
Who will take the coal from the mines?
Who will take the salt from the earth?
Who'll take the promise that you don't have to keep?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
The lyrics of "Don't Look Now" by Creedence Clearwater Revival contain a series of rhetorical questions that speak about the struggles of the working class. The questions highlight the importance of the manual labor force that keeps society functioning, but are met with a resigned answer, "Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me." It brings up the idea that while the manual labor force is necessary for the functioning of society, it is often undervalued and unappreciated. The first verse speaks about mining coal and harvesting salt, which are the most tiring and tedious jobs, but are essential for the smooth functioning of industries. The second verse talks about agricultural work and the transformation of the ecosystem. The chorus, "Don't Look Now, someone's done your starvin'/ prayin' too", provides a bitter commentary on the fact that the wealthy exploit the poor only to then take on a spiritual high ground.
The third verse highlights the importance of the textile industry, which involves creating products that are essential to everyday life. The line, "Who'll take the promise that you don't have to keep?" is particularly striking, as it refers to the capitalist promises of a world where everyone has access to the basic necessities of life, like sufficient clothing, only to leave many still lacking. The song, as a whole, represents a powerful political statement against the capitalist system that exploits and undervalues the manual labor force.
Line by Line Meaning
Who will take the coal from the mine?
Who will do the challenging work of mining coal?
Who will take the salt from the earth?
Who will extract salt from the earth?
Who'll take a leaf and grow it to a tree?
Who will nurture a small thing and help it grow into something greater?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
We are not the ones who will do these things, so don't worry about it.
Who will work the field with his hands?
Who will till the soil and plant crops?
Who will put his back to the plough?
Who will work hard and tirelessly to achieve something?
Who'll take the mountain and give it to the sea?
Who will perform seemingly impossible feats of strength and move mountains?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
We are not capable of these things, so don't get too caught up in our limitations.
[CHORUS:]
The start of the chorus.
Don't Look Now, someone's done your starvin';
Don't worry about going hungry because someone else has already taken care of it.
Don't Look Now, someone's done your prayin' too.
Someone has already prayed for your needs so don't worry about it.
Who will make the shoes for your feet?
Who will manufacture the shoes that you wear?
Who will make the clothes that you wear?
Who will produce your clothing?
Who'll take the promise that you don't have to keep?
Who will take an unfulfilled promise off of your plate and handle it for you?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
We are not responsible for these things, so there's no need to worry about them.
[CHORUS]
The chorus is repeated.
Who will take the coal from the mines?
Who will mine the coal?
Who will take the salt from the earth?
Who will extract salt from the earth?
Who'll take the promise that you don't have to keep?
Who will relieve you of unfulfilled promises and their associated stress?
Don't Look Now, it ain't you or me.
We can't do these things, so let's not worry about them.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JOHN FOGERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@russysy
When I was younger than now (59) and I heard this band at the first time, the hammer almost fall from my hands! (sorry for my terrible English!)! Greetings from Budaperst, Hungary!
@kermitinatorbobby7339
Holy cow man, your spelling is amazing! Just keep up the good work and practice your grammar.
@merlingomez7
I stoped eating and star listening
Greeting too
From the big country el Salvador
@christopheratsynia858
You're English is just fine! I hope you're still listen in 2021
@ClaptonDennis
Haha 😂 great comment!
Reminds me to that guy in the Bond Movies who after He sees something unlikely happening - like a Lotus driving out of the water at a beach - looks at the bottle in his hand like 'man, what's that stuff'
Also sorry for my english by the way.
@user-lx6tx5cw9m
Great music knows no borders. Good music goes into the ears and right to the soul, no matter what country you are in.
Your English is fine my friend
@Mr1087shotwell
Driving across the Mojave Desert on the I-15 for HOURS on the way to Sin City, while listening to this album, I can see the flat lands, and ALLLLLLL the way down there were huge mountains, canyons, but mostly mountains, and sometimes driving by HUGE mountains, and man what a time that was.
@brucewayne3602
done that in 85 ... Sin City to San Diego then back ... whew certainly an exhausting but wonderful memory !!!
@johniorio7951
alot of folk did my praying when i was in jail in 1983 and going to hell......they prayed me out of jail, and into God's kingdom.
@claudiea6636
Last summer driving with my sister in Vancouver... singing our hearts out to this song.. made people smile as we passed by... awesome day!! <3