Down the Corner
John Fogerty Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Early in the evenin',
Just about supper time,
Over by the court house
They're starting to unwind.

Four kids on the corner,
Trying to bring you up.
Willy picks a tune out,
And he blows it on the harp.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'
Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

Rooster hits the washboard
And people just got smile,
Blinky thumps the gut bass,
And solos for a while.
Poorboy twangs the rhythm out
On his kalamazoo
Willy goes into a dance
And doubles on kazoo.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'
Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'
Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

You don't need a penny,
Just to hang around,
But if you've got a nickel,
Won't you lay your money down?

Over on the corner
There's a happy noise.
People come from all around
To watch the magic boy.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'
Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'
Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'
Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

Down on the corner
Out in the street.
Willy and the poor boys are playin'




Bring a nickel
Tap your feet.

Overall Meaning

In John Fogerty's song Down on the Corner, the singer describes a scene of a lively and fun-filled night on the street corner by the courthouse. The song opens with the singer noting that it's "early in the evening," and as the sun sets, people are beginning to "unwind." The four kids on the street corner are Willy, Rooster, Blinky, and Poorboy. Willy plays the harmonica, Rooster hits the washboard, Blinky plays the bass and performs a solo, and Poorboy plays the kalamazoo, a type of banjo. Willy even adds a little more fun to the mix by dancing and playing the kazoo.


The refrain repeatedly calls upon the listener to come down to the corner and "tap your feet" while "Willy and the poor boys are playin'." The song seems to be an invitation to join in the fun and to be part of the community that enjoys these impromptu concerts. It's a celebration of the power of music to bring people together and capture the joy of community.


Line by Line Meaning

Early in the evenin',
The events of this song occur in the evening before dinner time.


Just about supper time,
The events of this song are occurring around the time of dinner.


Over by the court house
The musicians and their instruments are located near the courthouse.


They're starting to unwind.
The musicians are beginning to play and relax.


Four kids on the corner,
There are four young people standing on the street corner.


Trying to bring you up.
The young people are attempting to raise your spirits.


Willy picks a tune out,
A musician named Willy chooses a melody to play.


And he blows it on the harp.
Willy plays this melody on a harmonica.


Down on the corner
The musicians are playing on the street corner.


Out in the street.
The musicians are playing in public on the road.


Willy and the poor boys are playin'
A band led by Willy, consisting of poor boys, is performing music.


Bring a nickel
If you give five cents, you can enjoy the performance.


Tap your feet.
The music is so good that you will dance to it.


Rooster hits the washboard
A performer named Rooster strikes the washboard with sticks to accompany the music.


And people just got smile,
Listeners feel happy and grin cheerfully as they listen to the music.


Blinky thumps the gut bass,
A musician named Blinky plays the double bass.


And solos for a while.
Blinky plays a solo for a bit.


Poorboy twangs the rhythm out
Another musician called Poorboy strums and maintains the beat with his guitar.


On his kalamazoo
Poorboy is playing his guitar called kalamazoo.


Willy goes into a dance
Willy begins to dance to the music.


And doubles on kazoo.
Willy holds two kazoos and plays them at the same time.


You don't need a penny,
You don't need one cent to come watch the performance.


Just to hang around,
You can hang around to listen even if you don't have any money.


But if you've got a nickel,
However, if you have five cents, you can contribute by giving it.


Won't you lay your money down?
Please, feel free to donate your money.


Over on the corner
On that very same street corner,


There's a happy noise.
A joyful sound can be heard.


People come from all around
From various directions, people gather to listen to the music.


To watch the magic boy.
To see the miraculous boy.




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: JOHN C FOGERTY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Josep G.

This concert is one of the best one i've ever seen. Time passes but J. Fogerty keeps his magic and talent.

Григорий Шадрин

Обожаю Джона, как талантливого певца, музыканта, виртуоза, завораживающего своих фонатов.

Ademir Silva

Um presente para os amantes das velhas e jamais superadas canções!!! D+!!

Earl Colter

Thank you John Fogerty for growing up with your sound that still follows me today and I always listen to it with pleasure!!!

Chris Bowen

CCR had dozens of unbelievable songs, and John Foggerty wrote or co-wrote most of them. The kicker is that John is a humble guy, a nice guy, a down to earth guy, and a really good guy!

Mike M

John used the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) method when writing a lot of his songs. They're some of the best songs of all time.

kyung shin

I can see people love the song. John Fogerty, an artist with real talent.

Arturo Rodz

his voice still rocks!!!

Dan Grossman

John still sounds as good as he did 36 years ago at Woodstock and can still knock-em-down with his vocals!!!Now THAT is coooooooool:-)Thank you for posting :-)

Carlos Antonio

O cara canta demais .

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