New Orleans
John Goodman Dan Aykroyd and The Blues Brothers Band Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
(I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah)
I said a hey, a hey, hey, yeah
(I said a hey, a hey, hey, yeah)
A come on everybody take a trip with me, well
Down the Mississippi down to New Orleans

They got a honeysuckle growing on a honeysuckle vine
And love is a blooming there all the time
Well every southern belle is a Mississippi queen
Down the Mississippi down to New Orleans


I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
(I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah)
I said a hey, hey, hey, yeah
(I said a hey, hey, hey, yeah)


A come on take a stroll down to Basin street
Listen to the music with that Dixieland beat
Well the magnolia blossoms fill the air
Whoa,whoa, and you ain't been to heaven till you been down there

They got French moss hangin from a big oak tree
Get outta here Jimmy Vaughan take it!


I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
(I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah)
I said a hey, hey, hey, yeah
(I said a hey, hey, hey, yeah)


Come on everybody take a trip with me
(whoo!)
Down the Mississippi down to New Orleans, yeah, yeah.
With a honeysuckle hanging on a honeysuckle vine
Well love is blooming there all the time
Every southern belle is a Mississippi queen
Down the Mississippi down to New Orleans


Yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)


Come on take a stroll down to Basin street
Listen to the music with the dixieland beat, yeah
I say, the magnolia blossoms fill the air
And you ain't been to heaven if you ain't been there.
Honeysuckle hanging from a hollow tree
Down in Mississippi down in New Orleans


Well, I said Hey, hey, hey, yeah
(Hey, hey, hey, yeah)




I said a look out John, hey, yeah, yeah
( I said a look out John hey, yeah, yeah)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the Blues Brothers Band’s “New Orleans” are an invitation to take a trip down the Mississippi River, to the city of New Orleans, a place that’s renowned for its music, culture, and nightlife. The song opens with a call to join the band on this journey, with a repeated refrain of “hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah”. The chorus goes on to describe the atmosphere in New Orleans, including the presence of honeysuckle vines and blooming love, as well as the idea that every southern belle is a “Mississippi queen”.


The second verse of the song is an invitation to visit Basin Street, a historic entertainment district in New Orleans known for its jazz music and nightlife. The singer describes the beauty of the magnolia blossoms in the air and makes the bold claim that “you ain’t been to heaven till you been down there”. The song returns to the chorus, with a guitar solo by Jimmy Vaughan, and finally ends with the repeated refrain of “hey, hey, hey, yeah”.


Line by Line Meaning

I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
Let's go, let's go, let's go, yeah!


I said a hey, a hey, hey, yeah
Come on, come on, come on, yeah!


A come on everybody take a trip with me, well
Let's all go down to New Orleans!


Down the Mississippi down to New Orleans
Heading down to party in the Big Easy!


They got a honeysuckle growing on a honeysuckle vine
Beautiful honeysuckles flourish everywhere


And love is a blooming there all the time
The city is filled with love and positivity


Well every southern belle is a Mississippi queen
All women here are royalty


I said hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
Let's go, let's go, let's go, yeah!


I said a hey, hey, hey, yeah
Come on, come on, come on, yeah!


A come on take a stroll down to Basin street
Let's head over to Basin Street for some great music


Listen to the music with that Dixieland beat
Enjoy the energetic Dixieland music


Well the magnolia blossoms fill the air
The scent of magnolias is everywhere


Whoa,whoa, and you ain't been to heaven till you been down there
You can't know true happiness until you experience New Orleans!


They got French moss hangin from a big oak tree
The beautiful Spanish moss on oak trees is breathtaking


Get outta here Jimmy Vaughan take it!
Musician Jimmy Vaughan is tearing it up


Come on everybody take a trip with me
Join the party and let's head down to New Orleans


(whoo!)
Woo-hoo!


Yeah, yeah.
Yes, indeed!


With a honeysuckle hanging on a honeysuckle vine
More beautiful honeysuckles to enjoy


Well love is blooming there all the time
Spread love and happiness in New Orleans!


Every southern belle is a Mississippi queen
All women here are royalty once again


Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yes, indeed!


(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Let's keep the party going!


Come on take a stroll down to Basin street
Let's head over to Basin Street once again


Listen to the music with the dixieland beat, yeah
Enjoy the lively Dixieland music once again


I say, the magnolia blossoms fill the air
The intoxicating scent of magnolias is everywhere


And you ain't been to heaven if you ain't been there.
New Orleans is a city like no other, a true slice of heaven.


Honeysuckle hanging from a hollow tree
Even more honeysuckles growing from the giant hollow trees


Down in Mississippi down in New Orleans
Enjoying the party once again, this time in Mississippi and New Orleans


Well, I said Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Everybody join in and keep the party going!


(Hey, hey, hey, yeah)
Hey, hey, hey, yeah!


I said a look out John, hey, yeah, yeah
Watch out, John! Hey, yeah, yeah!


(I said a look out John hey, yeah, yeah)
Hey, watch out, John! Hey, yeah, yeah!




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joseph F. Royster, Frank J. Guida

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@jessetorres8738

It's been 25 years since this film came out, & here's a list of all of the cast members who have died since its release:

Junior Wells, 1998.
Grover Washington Jr., 1999.
Kathleen Freeman, 2001.
Jeff Morris, 2004.
Lou Rawls, 2006.
Wilson Pickett, 2006.
Billy Preston, 2006.
James Brown, 2006.
Bo Diddley, 2008.
Isaac Hayes, 2008.
Koko Taylor, 2009.
Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin, 2011.
Clearance Clemmons, 2011.
Donald "Duck" Dunn, 2012.
B.B. King, 2014.
Lonnie Brooks, 2017.
Matt "Guitar" Murphy, 2018.
Aretha Franklin, 2018.
Dr. John, 2019.



All comments from YouTube:

@jonblankenship5908

Jake and Curtis is up in heaven loving it

@74woodze

No belushi. Movie should have never been made

@gterrymed

THAT KID ROCKS I!!!!! HE'S GOT THE BLUES!!!! ❤ I still can't get through this movie; I break down crying over John Belushi who died when I was 9 and I credit him with saving my life because I never did cocaine or heroin because of him dying; he influenced my future decision making.

@jadecawdellsmith4009

So just fentynol & trank then? And do u smoke or drink cos they kill too

@MASTIFFKB

Who else is ready for Blues Brothers 2026

@EducatedSkeptic

This is the BEST YouTube posting of an incredibly awesome scene from a truly great movie! It's rare that a sequel lives up to the stature of an original (unless it was originally planned as a two- or three-part series, like Star Wars or Hunger Games). But even with the loss of Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and of course John Belushi, Blues Brothers 2 was a great video and musical experience. Have DVD copies of both of them, and re-watch them at least annually - coming here for the periodic "fix" on special scenes, like this one. Thanks so much for making this perfect video version available! 😍🤩🥰💕

@libertarianrevolution7026

Blues Brothers 2000 did a very good job at capturing the spirit of the original. Well done.

@MrBob303303

I'm very thankful that James Belushi and Dan Akroyd to the time to point me in the direction me in such a fantstic genre of music. i'm not sure I would have realised what was there, I am better person for this...

@tartak8226

Same here, brother !

@Dave.C8546

It's John Belushi

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