Led Zeppelin's version of this song was recorded at the BBC studios in Aeolian Hall on June 24, 1969, by engineer John Waters, which took place during the band's UK Tour of Summer 1969. Jimmy Page dubbed extra guitar tracks onto the track (the main track being played on a 12-string electric guitar, possibly the same one used on the track "Thank You"), and it was broadcast four days later on John Peel's Top Gear show under the title "Travelling Riverside Blues '69",[1] and repeated on January 11, 1970.
It is quite different from the original, and it is more a tribute to Robert Johnson than a straight cover. The song showcases a riff by Page (also in open G tuning), and in the lyrics Robert Plant quotes many Robert Johnson songs, such as "She studies evil all the time", from "Kind Hearted Woman Blues", and "Why don't you come on in my kitchen", from "Come on in My Kitchen" (which is heard during the song's solo). Conversely, parts of Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues" are used as lyrics in Led Zeppelin's "The Lemon Song", namely the "squeeze my lemon" sequence. It is likely that Johnson borrowed this lyric himself, from a song recorded earlier that same year (1937) called "She Squeezed My Lemon", by Roosevelt Sykes. The line "she got a mortgage on my body, got a lien on my soul" and reference to "front teeth lined with gold" at the end of the song are also from Johnson's original.
"Travelling Riverside Blues" can be found on the Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions album, on disc one of the Led Zeppelin Boxed Set, and on the expanded Coda album from The Complete Studio Recordings box set. It was interest from US radio interviewers and fans during Page's Outrider tour that originally led him to negotiate with BBC Enterprises for the song's release. A promotional video clip was also released in 1990, with out-take footage from the band's 1976 concert film, The Song Remains the Same inter-spliced with other footage from the band's archive. The clip also features a railroad montage, and underwater shots of the Mississippi River. The song reached number seven on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks Top 50 chart in November 1990, culled from national album rock radio airplay reports.
Traveling Riverside Blues
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If your man get personal, want to have your fun
Best come on back to Friar's Point, mama, barrelhouse all night long
I got women's in Vicksburg, clean on into Tennessee
I got women's in Vicksburg, clean on into Tennessee
But my Friar's Point rider, now, hops all over me
I ain't gon' to state no color but her front teeth is crowned with gold
She got a mortgage on my body, now, layin' on my soul
Lord, I'm goin' to Rosedale, gon' take my rider by my side
Lord, I'm goin' to Rosedale, gon' take my rider by my side
We can still barrelhouse baby, on the riverside
Now you can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice run down my
'Til the juice rune down my leg, baby, you know what I'm talkin' about
You can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice run down my leg
That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, now
But I'm goin' back to Friar's Point, if I be rockin'to my head
"Traveling Riverside Blues" is a song by Led Zeppelin that is a tribute to the classic, bluesy style of American music. The song tells the story of a man who is seeking pleasure and satisfaction, and his journey takes him from place to place, woman to woman. He warns women that if their man gets too personal, they should come back to Friar's Point with him where they can have their fun and barrelhouse all night long. The man has multiple women in different places, including Vicksburg and Tennessee, but his "Friar's Point rider" is the woman who has his heart, and she is the one who "hops all over him."
The man describes his "Friar's Point rider" as having gold-crowned front teeth and a mortgage on his body that lays on his soul. Despite this, the man still wants to go to Rosedale and take his rider by his side where they can still barrelhouse on the riverside. In the end, the man sings about having his lemon squeezed until the juice runs down his leg, but he will always go back to Friar's Point if he feels like he's rocking too much in his head.
The song's lyrics have a clear sexual undertone, which is typical of blues songs. The song's emphasis on the importance of location and the woman with whom the singer can find a real connection is a recurring theme in blues music.
Line by Line Meaning
If your man get personal, want to have your fun
If your man becomes possessive, you should go have your own enjoyment
Best come on back to Friar's Point, mama, barrelhouse all night long
The best way to have fun all night long is to come back to Friar's Point
I got women's in Vicksburg, clean on into Tennessee
I have women from Vicksburg all the way to Tennessee
But my Friar's Point rider, now, hops all over me
My woman from Friar's Point has a strong grip on me
I ain't gon' to state no color but her front teeth crowned with gold
I'm not going to mention her race, but she has gold front teeth
She got a mortgage on my body, now, layin' on my soul
She has control over my body and soul
Lord, I'm goin' to Rosedale, gon' take my rider by my side
I'm going to Rosedale with my woman by my side
We can still barrelhouse baby, on the riverside
We can still have fun and party on the riverside
Now you can squeeze my lemon 'til the juice run down my
You can squeeze my lemon and make me feel good
'Til the juice rune down my leg, baby, you know what I'm talkin' about
You know what I'm talking about when I say that the juice runs down my leg
But I'm goin' back to Friar's Point, if I be rockin'to my head
I'm going back to Friar's Point no matter what
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ROBERT LEROY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cl5619
When a band has a throwaway unreleased song that would be any other band’s signature hit, you have true greatness
@mikem8621
True that
@ctbadger
When it came out I thought how the f*ck did this not make it on an album?
@bobvervillejr9484
Love this, but it owes a ton to Robert Johnson's Terraplane Blues....to which they also paid homage further on with Trampled Underfoot...
@kat7011
Amen! Zeppelin had no throw aways!
@tabi5901
Abso effin lutely. They’re phenomenal!!
@journeystarr
I've fallen down a Led Zep rabbit hole, going over the hills and far away with digging deep into their career. This song and video are absolutely amazing
@brianperson5152
I fell down that rabbit hole 35 years ago and never came out.
@maureent6800
You will embellish what we were ALL BLESSED WITH IN THE 70 S !!!!!@
@socalraps7850
Me too. I always liked the hits but never really listened until a few weeks ago. I haven't listened to anything else since