But in 1971, a cover version was released by Ike & Tina Turner that differed greatly from the structure of the original, rearranged by Soko Richardson and Ike Turner, including a sultry, slow opening and spoken-word intro by Tina Turner.
Ike & Tina Turner's Proud Mary were originally released in the album Workin' Together in late 1970, and in early 1971 as single, both by Liberty Records. This cover version became largely well known, reaching #4 on the pop charts in 1971, and is one of Tina's most recognizable signature songs.
Proud Mary
Ike & Tina Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us
(Left a good job down in the city)
Nice and easy
But there's just one thing, you see (workin' for the man every night and day)
We never ever do nothin'
(But I never lost one minute of sleepin') nice and easy
We always do it nice and rough
And we're gonna take the beginning of this song and do it easy
(Big wheel keep on turnin')
But then we're gonna do the finish rough
(Proud Mary keep on burnin') this is the way we do "Proud Mary"
And we rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
Listen to the story now
Left a good job down in the city
Workin' for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
I was worryin' 'bout the way that things might've been
Big wheel keep on turnin'
Ooh, the Proud Mary keep on burnin'
And we're rollin' (rollin'), rollin', yeah (rollin')
Rollin' on the river (rollin' on the river)
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
And I pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
Until I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen
You know the big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
And we're rollin' (rollin'), rollin', yeah (rollin')
Rollin' on the river (rollin' on the river)
Say we're rollin' (rollin'), rollin' (rollin')
Rollin' on the river (rollin' on the river)
Oh, I left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin' (turnin')
Proud Mary keep on burnin' (burnin')
Rollin' (yeah), rollin' (alright)
Rollin' on the river (go 'head now)
Rollin' (oh), say we're rollin' (yeah)
Rollin' on the river
We're up, do do do do do do do do do do do
Alright
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, y'all
Pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin' (turnin')
Proud Mary keep on burnin' (burnin')
Rollin' (oh), rollin' (yeah)
Rollin' on the river (go 'head now)
Say we're rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
We're up, do do do do do do do do do do do
Alright
Yeah
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Alright, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh yeah, yeah
If you come down to the river
Now, I bet you gonna find some people who live
You don't have to worry if you got no money
The people on the river are happy to give
Big wheel keep on turnin' (turnin')
Proud Mary keep on burnin' (burnin')
Rollin' (yeah), say we rollin' (yeah)
Rollin' on the river (alright now)
Rollin', rollin'
Rollin' on the river
We're up, do do do do do do do do do do do
Woo
Alright
Woo, alright, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Rollin', alright
Alright now, yeah
Rollin' (yeah), rollin' (uh-huh)
Rollin' on the river (give me one more time)
Rollin' (yeah), rollin' (woo-wee)
Rollin' on the river
Rollin' (ow), rollin' (yeah)
Rollin' on the river
Rollin' (yeah), rollin'
The opening to "Proud Mary" by Ike & Tina Turner establishes the contrast between their musical style and the audience's expectations. They never do anything nice and easy, always opting for a rougher approach. The song is about the story of a person who left a good job in the city and finds happiness and fulfillment on a riverboat trip. The singer sings about cleaning plates and pumping oil in different cities but never found the good side until hitching a ride on the riverboat queen. The chorus repeats the phrase "Big wheel keep on turning, Proud Mary keep on burning" as a way of maintaining momentum in spite of any setbacks.
The song can be interpreted as a way of embracing and celebrating the hardships of life. The river represents the unpredictability and constant change that characterizes life. It suggests that we're not in control of everything but we can choose to keep moving forward regardless of the circumstances. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the importance of resilience and persistence in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Why' know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us Nice and easy
We're aware that sometimes you might want to hear something from us that's simple and gentle
But there's just one thing You see we never ever do nothing Nice and easy We always do it nice and rough
However, we can't comply with your request as we always do things with intensity and vigor
So we're gonna take the beginning of this song And do it easy Then we're gonna do the finish rough This is the way we do "proud Mary"
Therefore, we'll compromise by starting the song with a softer tone and gradually increasing the energy until the end. This is our unique style for performing 'Proud Mary'
And we're rolling, rolling, rolling on the river Listen to the story
We're caught up in the rhythm, moving forward on the river as we bring this song to life. Listen to our tale
I left a good job in the city Working for the man every night and day And I never lost one minute of sleeping Worrying 'bout the way things might have been
I walked away from a secure job in the city where I worked tirelessly for someone else without losing any sleep over what could have been
Big wheel keep on turning Proud Mary keep on burning And we're rolling, rolling,rolling Rolling on the river
Despite obstacles, we persevere with determination and energy as we push forward on the river
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis Pumped a lot of tane down in New Orleans But I never saw the good side of the city 'Till I hitched a ride on a riverboat queen
I've done my fair share of odd jobs in Memphis and pumped gas in New Orleans, but it wasn't until I got on a riverboat that I saw the beauty in these places
If you come down to the river I bet you gonna find some people who live You don't have to worry if you got no money People on the river are happy to give
The river is home to many hospitable people who are willing to help those in need, even if they have little themselves
Rolling, rolling Rolling on the river
We keep moving, pushing forward, as we roll down the river
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Cameron Fogerty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shawnpreston1639
She definitly created the blueprint for Beyonce and many others.
@Alinegeneve
+shawn preston i think that too
@MsTynysha
+shawn preston Yes she did!!!! Beyonce looks up to her, she is her idol! She is not tryin to be her she just has a high level of respect for her....Like me :-) :-)
@JM-xh8mu
+shawn preston You are right.. Just notice who were the blueprints for Tina and many others. James Brown and to a lesser degree Chuck Berry.
@sfdude3
People call me a hater when I say that
@smartalek180
+sfdude3 It's all in the wrist action.
@surlechapeau
RIP Tina Turner, one of the greatest female artists of all time! 😢😢
@Scott_Silver
One of the greatest artists of all time, but I think she broke the glass ceiling for what a female artist could be in Rock and R&B
@TravisTPhoenix
https://youtu.be/g_5JyqfK76A
@TravisTPhoenix
Freshly released this morning.☝️☝️👆☝️ tribute cover video.