Founded in 1985 by Rick Richards, Rick Price, singer Dan Baird and drummer Mauro Magellan, the Satellites quickly launched into stardom on the back of rockers like Keep Your Hands to Yourself, Battleship Chains, Hippy Hippy Shake and others. Critically acclaimed albums and mind-bending performances earned the boys a permanent spot in music history.
After a brief sabbatical following the departure of Baird, The Georgia Satellites returned with a vengeance in 1993. Led by Price and Richards and joined by drummer Todd Johnston, they have packed houses around the world with their blistering brand of Southern rock.
***Taken from the bands website***
Let It Rock
Georgia Satellites Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm workin' on the railroad with a steel drivin' hammer
I gotta get some money buy some brand new shoes
Gotta find somebody take away my blues
Well she don't love me when I'm singin' in the sun
Payday's comin' when the work is all done
Well now late here in the evening when the sun is sinkin' low
Sitting in a teepee built right on here on the tracks
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
Pick up your belongings boys and scattere about
We've got an off schedule train comin' two miles out
Everybody's scrambling and a running around
Picking up their money tearing the teepee 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 gotta let it roll on
Bye bye johnny
Well now she drew out all of the money of southern trust
And put her little johnny on a greyhound bus
Leavin' Louisiana for the golden west
Drowned in the tears from her happiness
Her own little son named johnny be goode
Gonna make some motion pictures out in Hollywood
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
Well she remembers taking money after gathering crops
And buying johnny's guitar at the brokers shop
As long as he would play it by the railroad site
He wouldn't get in trouble she was satisfied
Well she never knew there would come a day like this
When she'd have to give johnny a good bye kiss
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
Well now she finally got the letter she'd been dreaming of
When johnny wrote and told her he had done fell in love
As soon as he was married he'd bring her back
And build a mansion for her by the railroad track
And every time you heard that locomotive roar
She'd be standing there waiting at the kitchen door
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
The Georgia Satellites' song Let It Rock tells the story of a railroad worker named Johnny and his mother. The song is divided into three parts, with each part representing a different stage in Johnny's life. In the first part, Johnny is working on the railroad in Mobile, Alabama, hoping to earn some money to buy new shoes and find someone to cure his blues. Although he works hard, he knows his girlfriend doesn't love him when he's working in the sun, but he looks forward to payday when the work is done.
In the second part of the song, it's late in the evening, and Johnny is sitting with his fellow workers in a teepee built beside the tracks, rolling dice and waiting for the whistle to blow. When they hear the off schedule train coming, chaos ensues as they scramble to collect their money and tear down the teepee. The foreman is trying to get everyone out of the way of the train, but they can't stop it and have to let it roll on.
The third and final part of the song features Johnny's mother, who remembers buying Johnny his guitar so he could play it while he worked on the railroad. She has a bittersweet goodbye with Johnny as he heads off to Hollywood to make motion pictures. She hopes he finds happiness and tells him that she'll be waiting for him by the kitchen door every time she hears the sound of a locomotive roaring.
Line by Line Meaning
Well in the heat of day down in mobile, Alabama
It's really hot outside where I'm working on the railroad in Mobile, Alabama
I'm workin' on the railroad with a steel drivin' hammer
I'm using a big hammer to work on the railroad tracks
I gotta get some money buy some brand new shoes
I need to earn some cash so I can buy new shoes
Gotta find somebody take away my blues
I'm feeling sad and need to find someone to cheer me up
Well she don't love me when I'm singin' in the sun
I don't feel loved by my girlfriend when I'm working in the sun
Payday's comin' when the work is all done
I'll get paid when the work is finished
Well now late here in the evening when the sun is sinkin' low
It's getting late in the evening and the sun is setting
All day I've been waitin' for that whistle to blow
I've been waiting all day for the work whistle to blow
Sitting in a teepee built right on here on the tracks
I'm sitting in a tent that's set up on the railroad tracks
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
I'm playing dice until the supervisor returns
Pick up your belongings boys and scattere about
Everyone needs to grab their things and move away
We've got an off schedule train comin' two miles out
There's an unscheduled train coming our way from a couple of miles away
Everybody's scrambling and a running around
Everyone's running around and scrambling to pack up
Picking up their money tearing the teepee down
People are grabbing their money and tearing down the tent
Foreman wants to panic, bout to go insane
The supervisor is about to go crazy with panic
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train
He's trying to get everyone to move out of the way of the train
Engineer blows the whistle loud and long
The train engineer is blowing the whistle loudly and for a long time
Can't stop the train gotta let it roll on
They can't stop the train, it needs to keep moving
Bye bye johnny
Goodbye Johnny
Well now she drew out all of the money of southern trust
She took all the money from the Southern Trust bank
And put her little johnny on a greyhound bus
She put her son Johnny on a Greyhound bus
Leavin' Louisiana for the golden west
She's leaving Louisiana and heading to the West Coast
Drowned in the tears from her happiness
She's crying tears of happiness
Her own little son named johnny be goode
Her son's name is Johnny B. Goode
Gonna make some motion pictures out in Hollywood
He's going to make movies in Hollywood
I said bye, bye, bye, bye
I said goodbye
Bye bye johnny, goodbye johnny be goode
Goodbye Johnny B. Goode
Well she remembers taking money after gathering crops
She remembers working in the fields and saving money
And buying johnny's guitar at the brokers shop
She used that money to buy Johnny a guitar
As long as he would play it by the railroad site
She allowed him to play the guitar by the railroad
He wouldn't get in trouble she was satisfied
She was happy that he wasn't getting into trouble
Well she never knew there would come a day like this
She never thought she'd have to say goodbye to Johnny
When she'd have to give johnny a good bye kiss
When she'd have to say goodbye to Johnny
Well now she finally got the letter she'd been dreaming of
She finally received the letter she'd been hoping for
When johnny wrote and told her he had done fell in love
Johnny wrote to say he'd fallen in love
As soon as he was married he'd bring her back
As soon as he's married, he'll bring her back home
And build a mansion for her by the railroad track
He'll build her a big house by the railroad tracks
And every time you heard that locomotive roar
Whenever they hear the train, she'll be waiting for him
She'd be standing there waiting at the kitchen door
She'll be waiting for him at the door
Lyrics © ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP
Written by: Chuck Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hugo Alejandro Pinilla Calderón
When I listen to this kind of rock, I feel I wanna drink a beer.
Paul Asmussen
Spark....one up.
.
MrManc55
Me to and I gave up drinking years ago
Brian Bednarek
If one beer is good, imagine a dozen!!!
eddiebrown192
Hugo Alejandro Pinilla Calderón Greatest bar band ever !
Army Master
Georgia Satellites is literally the best Band ever
Rock and Roll
No, that's Status Quo.
ebban jenkins
Just found this band.....I feel like taking myself outside and kicking my own ass for taking so long! EXCELLENT
Leinie
I kinda just rediscovered them and feel the same way
Tony Wilson
HAHAHAHAAA