Twenty Flight Rock
Paul McCartney Lyrics
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When it comes to rockin', she's a queen
Went to a dance on a Saturday night
All alone where I could hold her tight
She lives on the twentieth floor uptown
The elevator's broken down
So I walk one, two flight, three flight four
Up on the twelfth I'm starting to sag
Fifteen before I'm ready to drag
Get to the top and I'm too tired to rock
Well, she, she called me up on the telephone
Said, "come on over, baby, I'm all alone"
I said, "baby, you're mighty sweet
But I'm in bed with a aching feet"
This went on for a couple of days
But I couldn't stay away
So I walk one, two flight, three flight four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm starting to sag
Fifteen before I'm ready to drag
Get to the top and I'm too tired to rock
Well, sent to Chicago for repairs
Till it's fixed I'm usin' the stairs
I hope they hurry, before it's too late
You know, I love my baby too much to wait
All this climbing is getting me down
They'll find my corpse draped over the rail
But I walk one, two flight, three flight four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm starting to sag
Fifteen before I'm ready to drag
I get to the top and I'm too tired to rock
Ooh, oh-oh-oh
Ooh, well, I got a girl with a record machine
When it comes to rockin', you know she's a queen
Went to a dance on a Saturday night
All alone where I could hold her tight
She lives on the twentieth floor uptown
The elevator's broken down
Well, I walk one, two flight, three flight four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
Up on the twelfth I'm starting to sag
Fifteen before I'm ready to drag
I get to the top and I'm too tired to rock
The lyrics to Paul McCartney’s song “Twenty Flight Rock” tell the story of a young man’s uphill journey to visit his girlfriend on the 20th floor of her apartment building. He first introduces his girlfriend, admiring her record machine and her rockin’ skills. He then describes the situation that led him to climb the stairs to see her. The elevator is broken, so he climbs the twenty flights, a feat that exhausts him. When his girlfriend calls and invites him over, he is conflicted, as his feet are aching from the climb. However, he simply can’t resist her, so he must climb back up the stairs to see her. Finally, he laments his fate as he faces the prospect of continuing to climb the flights of stairs until the elevator is fixed.
The song demonstrates a few important themes. First, it exemplifies the youth culture’s interest in rock and roll and its rebellious, raucous spirit. This youthful angst is made clear in the song’s fast, upbeat tempo and its lyrics about a young guy trying to reach his girlfriend. Second, the song highlights the characters’ relationships and the lengths to which they are willing to go for love. Despite being totally knackered after climbing up so many flights of stairs, the singer can’t help but return to his girlfriend’s apartment when she calls for him. Lastly, it conveys the idea of perseverance and determination in the face of obstacles. Despite the strain on his body, the singer perseveres to reach the twentieth floor, demonstrating his determination not to be thwarted by the broken elevator.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, well, I got a girl with a record machine
I have a girlfriend who owns a record player
When it comes to rockin', she's a queen
She is really good at dancing to rock music
Went to a dance on a Saturday night
I went to a dance on a Saturday night
All alone where I could hold her tight
I was alone with my girlfriend and was able to hold her closely
She lives on the twentieth floor uptown
My girlfriend lives on the 20th floor of an uptown building
The elevator's broken down
Unfortunately, the elevator is not working
So I walk one, two flight, three flight four
I start walking up the stairs, one floor at a time
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight more
I continue walking up and up, counting each flight of stairs as I go
Up on the twelfth I'm starting to sag
By the time I get to the twelfth floor, I'm getting tired and feeling weak
Fifteen before I'm ready to drag
By the time I get to the 15th floor, I'm really struggling to keep going
Get to the top and I'm too tired to rock
Finally, I make it to the top, but I'm too exhausted to dance
Well, she, she called me up on the telephone
My girlfriend called me on the phone
Said, "come on over, baby, I'm all alone"
She invited me to come over, saying that she was home alone
I said, "baby, you're mighty sweet
I told her that she was really kind
But I'm in bed with a aching feet"
I explained that my feet were in pain and I was already in bed
This went on for a couple of days
We continued to talk on the phone for a few days
But I couldn't stay away
However, I couldn't resist her invitations and wanted to see her
Well, sent to Chicago for repairs
The record machine got sent to Chicago for repairs
Till it's fixed I'm usin' the stairs
Until the machine is fixed, I have to keep using the stairs
I hope they hurry, before it's too late
I'm hoping that the repairs are done quickly before I can't handle the stairs anymore
You know, I love my baby too much to wait
I can't wait to see my girlfriend again because I love her too much
All this climbing is getting me down
All this walking up the stairs is really depressing me
They'll find my corpse draped over the rail
I'm so exhausted that I feel like I might die on the stairs
Ooh, oh-oh-oh
A musical interlude
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cochran, Ned Fairchild
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pilu Frog
Ooh, well I got a girl with a record machine
When it comes to rockin' she's the queen
We love to dance on a Saturday night
All alone where I can hold her tight
But she lives on the twentieth floor uptown
The elevator's broken down
So I'll walk one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight, more
Up on the twelfth I'm startin' to drag
Fifteenth floor I'm a-ready to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
When she calls me up on the telephone
Say, come on over honey, I'm all alone
I said, baby you're mighty sweet
But I'm in bed with the achin' feet
This went on for a couple of days
But I couldn't stay away
So I'll walk one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight, more
Up on the twelfth I'm startin' to drag
Fifteenth floor I'm a-ready to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
Well, they sent to Chicago for repairs
Till it's a-fixed I'm a-usin' the stairs
Hope they hurry up before it's too late
Want my baby too much to wait
All this climbin' is a-gettin' me down
They'll find my corpse draped over a rail
But I'll climb one, two flight, three flight, four
Five, six, seven flight, eight flight, more
Up on the twelfth I'm startin' to drag
Fifteenth floor I'm a-ready to sag
Get to the top, I'm too tired to rock
Traduci in italiano
Dean Chambers
The great Sir Paul McCartney covering the supremely underrated Mr Eddie Cochran! Got to love it!!!!!
Brvckbo
you know you're a genius when you can play a right handed guitar upside down and left handed
Emma
Brvckbo At 15
sunsetsamara
I can play it like that
Jamie Wells
Brvckbo I’ve been a genius since 11
Luke Lyons
Garlic Fantasy No. Cotton picking is a style where a bass rhythm is kept by hitting the bass strings with the fingers and where the treble melody is played with the thumb. Flipping the guitar upside down doesn't just make it cotton picking.
Arnie Wince
First of all, it's easy if that's the way you start playing right from the beginning. Secondly, Paul didn't play upside down.. He wast just a left-handed guitarist. The strings were correct. Hendrix on the other hand could do what you say.
marc moribella
This is so cool. Nice homage to Eddie, one of Rock-n-roll's greatest.
Sinister_Jester
"There's a solo here, but I won't attempt it" That comment practically described me trying to play this song on the guitar. 😂
SiouxieDeetz
Rock N RollLover2002 "🎶and these is the bit where I don't know the words and I won't attempt to learn them before the end of the tour🎶" —Paul McCartney