Berry Rides Again
Steppenwolf Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well thinking of my schooldays,I remember Maybeline
Used to dance with her all night she was little sweet sixteen
Her brother used to chase me
He thought I did, but I never could
I used to call him Little Queenie
His name was Johnny B. Good

I used to hold 'till I was older
Then I got bolder
Her brother used to scold her
I left there in the mornin'
Went back to Memphis, Tennessee
You know her brother never found me
And that's all right with me.

I went to New York City to find what could be found
Just for kicks down sixty-six, stopped in L.A. Town
Yes I went to California just to see what I could see
Well nobody knew just where I was
And that's all right with me
You know I met a girl named Carol
And her girlfriend sweet Nadine
Played rock n' roll music
Used to kiss me in between
Roll over Beethoven that happened to be her favorite song
But we never did much rollin'
I didn't stay there long

I used to hold her and try to mold her
Somebody told her, Nadine and I were bolder
I left there in the mornin'
Went back to Memphis, Tennessee
You know I never saw her face again
And that's all right with me

I used to hold her and try to mold her
Somebody told her, Nadine and I were bolder
I left there in the mornin'
Went back to Memphis, Tennessee




You know I never saw her face again
And that's all right with me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Steppenwolf's "Berry Rides Again" paint a picture of a man reminiscing about his younger days and romantic pursuits. The first stanza talks about the singer's memories of a girl named Maybeline whom he used to dance with all night when they were both sixteen. Her brother chased him and thought he was seeing his little sister, but in reality, the singer was innocent. He even referred to her brother as Little Queenie, who was named Johnny B. Good.


As the song progresses, the singer talks about being bolder as he got older, and Maybeline's brother used to scold her for her association with the singer. Later on, the singer moves to New York City and then California, where he meets a girl named Carol, and her friend Nadine. They both played rock 'n' roll music and would kiss him in between songs. One of their favorite songs was "Roll Over Beethoven." However, the singer never stayed there for long and left in the morning, going back to Memphis, Tennessee.


The song ends with the singer saying that he never saw Carol or Nadine again, but that's alright with him. All throughout the song, he speaks of his romantic pursuits but ultimately always leaves, never settling down or staying in one place for long. The song highlights the carefree nature of young love and the allure of adventure.


Line by Line Meaning

Well thinking of my schooldays,I remember Maybeline
As I reflect on my younger days, one memory stands out: Maybeline, a girl I used to dance with.


Used to dance with her all night she was little sweet sixteen
Maybeline was just a sweet sixteen-year-old girl, and we used to dance all night long.


Her brother used to chase me
Maybeline's brother would often come after me, as if he had something against me.


He thought I did, but I never could
Maybeline's brother suspected that I was up to no good, but I could never convince him otherwise.


I used to call him Little Queenie
I had a nickname for Maybeline's brother, which was Little Queenie.


His name was Johnny B. Good
Johnny B. Good was actually Maybeline's brother's real name.


I used to hold 'till I was older
As I grew older, I became more confident and daring in how I approached situations.


Then I got bolder
I started to take more bold actions that I had previously shied away from.


Her brother used to scold her
Maybeline's brother would tell her off when we spent time together - probably because he didn't like me.


I left there in the mornin'
I had to leave early in the morning because Maybeline's brother would never let me stay for very long.


Went back to Memphis, Tennessee
I returned to where I was originally from: Memphis, Tennessee.


You know her brother never found me
Maybeline's brother never caught up with me, even though he tried.


And that's all right with me.
That didn't bother me much because I was already on my way to my next adventure in life.


I went to New York City to find what could be found
I decided to go to New York City to see what the place had to offer me.


Just for kicks down sixty-six, stopped in L.A. Town
While on my way to New York, I stopped by Los Angeles, just for the fun of it.


Yes I went to California just to see what I could see
I went to California with no specific goal in mind, just to observe what the place was like.


Well nobody knew just where I was
I didn't stay in one place for very long, so no one really knew where I was.


And that's all right with me
I was okay with that, as it allowed me to have more freedom to explore without anyone checking up on me.


You know I met a girl named Carol
While in California, I met another girl named Carol.


And her girlfriend sweet Nadine
Carol introduced me to her friend, Nadine, who was equally nice.


Played rock n' roll music
Carol and Nadine loved listening to rock n' roll music, which they would play in their free time.


Used to kiss me in between
Carol and Nadine would sometimes kiss me in between the music and our conversations.


Roll over Beethoven that happened to be her favorite song
One of their favorite songs was Roll Over Beethoven, by Chuck Berry.


But we never did much rollin'
Unfortunately, we didn't get to enjoy each other's company for very long, since I had to leave within a few days.


I didn't stay there long
I left California in a hurry, and didn't stay for long.


I used to hold her and try to mold her
Just like how I tried to hold Maybeline before, I attempted to shape Carol into a person I wanted her to be.


Somebody told her, Nadine and I were bolder
However, someone let Carol know that Nadine and I were more adventurous than she and I.


You know I never saw her face again
After that, I never had a chance to see Carol again.


And that's all right with me
But I didn't mind, because I was already on my way to other experiences in life.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN KAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

tuxguys

I hadn't heard this in at least 40 years before tonight, and I remembered all of it.
In 1968, when this "psychedelic" LP came out, this was a brave and bold move:
Chuck Berry, the King of R 'n' R, was anything but hip at this point, and for these guys to do such a clever tribute to him, both stylistically and lyrically, and not in the least bit "ironically," was a big wake-up call for a lot of Counter-culture Kids...
Note how good the rhythm section is, how the drummer, Mars Bonfire (nee Jerry Edmonton) nails it; how the guitar player, Michael Monarch, I believe, gives his nod to Chuck; and most well-executed, the pianist, Goldy McJohn, best known for his extremely percussive B-3 playing on tunes like "Magic Carpet Ride," plays an extremely accurate and controlled piano part, echoing both Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.
This music had a history that pre-dated the Beatles, and this cut showed that Steppenwolf understood that.
Great stuff.

John Paul Makowski

Excellent accurate review. I am also old enough to know this first hand!

Ben Lewis

I think there were different groups of cats and chicks regarding the appreciation of the big beat that came before. Musicians dug it the most, they grew up with it, they could take a bit of it now and then. Fans and teenyboppers were all about the here and now, what the media gods and trendsetters said was hip and therefore you must dig it. Like, dig, Jerry Garcia didn't put down The Monkees, it was the media gods and trendsetters who put down The Monkees.

Jimi Mac Sheen

Mars Bonfire (nee Dennis Edmonton) songwriter "Born to Be Wild"! Jerry Edmonton drummer( brother)

mikeisamovie

a five star album that outstrips the current flavor any year!

Jimi Mac Sheen

Goldie bangin the keys like an animal, Jerry rippin the heads to shreds as if a metronome! John Kay the greatest band leader to walk the face of the Earth!

Steven Semanoff

This is an amazing tribute to Chuck Berry and early rock and roll sound - a sound that was emulated and copied by every band that came after it. This is perhaps the most purely executed and cleverly crafted original tribute that I can think . Goldy's very tasty piano solo perfectly captures the genius and spirit of Chuck Berry's piano player Johnny Johnson - yet another unsung hero. I play keyboards and when young, I spent many hours/days/years listening and playing back and transcribing what these masters put down on piano and B3 to try and learn and admittedly copy their sounds. This song is one of many that now stands a lasting tribute and testimony to this iconic songwriter and amazing band.

B.W. Barbee

Probably my 2nd favorite of the band!..."Goldie" one of the BEST!...Outstanding song!...PLAY...it...LOUD!!!

out there

This whole album is a masterpiece I found this gem at a used record store years ago

𓂀

this entire album is a masterpiece

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