Steamroller Blues
Elvis Presley Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll all over you
I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll all over you
I'm gonna inject your soul
With some sweet rock 'n' roll

I'm a cement mixer
A churning urn of burning funk
I'm a cement mixer
A churning urn of burning funk
I'm a demolition derby
A hefty hunk, steaming junk

I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll all over you
I'm a steamroller baby
I'm 'bout to roll all over you
I'm gonna inject your soul
With some sweet rock 'n' roll
And shoot you full of rhythm and blues

I'm a napalm bomb
Guaranteed to blow your mind
I'm a napalm bomb
Guaranteed to blow your mind




If I can't have your love now baby
There won't be nothing left behind

Overall Meaning

In Elvis Presley's song "Steamroller Blues," the singer portrays himself as a force to be reckoned with - a steamroller, a cement mixer, a demolition derby, and a napalm bomb. Through these lyrics, he exudes confidence in his ability to inject listeners' souls with rock 'n' roll, shoot them full of rhythm and blues, and blow their minds. The metaphorical language used in these lyrics suggests that the singer is powerful, unstoppable, and larger than life.


The imagery of a steamroller underscores the singer's domination over the listener. The metaphor of injecting the soul with rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues suggests that the singer's music is a potent elixir that can revive and invigorate the soul. The mention of the napalm bomb not only emphasizes the singer's power but also suggests that his music is explosive and transformative. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of energy, dynamism, and passion, and assert the singer's ability to capture the hearts and minds of his audience.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm a steamroller baby
He is powerful and ready to crush his opponent


I'm 'bout to roll all over you
He is going to dominate and destroy his competition


I'm gonna inject your soul With some sweet rock 'n' roll
He will infuse his music into the listener's soul and they will love it


I'm a cement mixer A churning urn of burning funk
He is like a cement mixer, mixing together different styles and creating burning funk music


I'm a demolition derby A hefty hunk, steaming junk
He is like a demolition derby car, a hefty hunk of steaming junk ready to destroy everything in its path


And shoot you full of rhythm and blues
He will fill the listener's soul with rock and blues


I'm a napalm bomb Guaranteed to blow your mind
He is like a napalm bomb, powerful and guaranteed to blow the listener's mind


If I can't have your love now baby There won't be nothing left behind
If he can't have the love of the person he desires, everything else will be meaningless and empty




Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Taylor

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@aBeatleFan4ever

@justiceforall6412 wrote this: "The greatest and most original artist in history. Eighteen number one hits! No one has ever achieved that! RIP Elvis.
Elvis had 18 #1 hits on the US Billboard singles chart over a 14 year period (1956-1969).
Mariah Carey has had 19 #1 hits on the US Billboard chart over a 19 year period (1990-2008).
The Beatles had 20 #1 hits on the US Billboard chart over a 7 year period (1964-1970).

Paul McCartney has had 9 #1 hits on the Billboard chart as a performer after the Beatles broke up (1971-1983)
Which gives him a total of 29 #1 hits on the Billboard chart as a performer over a 20 year period (1964-1983).
McCartney has had 32 #1 hits on the Billboard chart as a writer.
McCartney has had 33 #1 hits in the UK as a writer.



All comments from YouTube:

@ronmangano9094

There is no one today that can even come close to a live performance of this magnitude.

@DianeNorman-fh6gq

Absolute Truth!

@kozmicjulio

Truth

@sebastianmiranda7250

It was the time too. Queen was great but this was the first viral live concert show

@Elvis_throwback

2 billion people watched this concert with a population of around 3.5 billion and this was 1973 so it would be harder to watch ๐Ÿ˜Šking

@coreyferguson401

NO ONE.

@bradsmith9411

I'm a 51 year old dude. Straight as an arrow. And I'm just gonna say... this is fire.

@oliviancollins2879

It is. I watch it several times daily. He truly felt his music.

@moviebuff1941

God damn, heโ€™s so handsome.

@mattconnor8677

James Taylor wrote it, Elvis owned it.

More Comments

More Versions