Johnny Be Good
T-Band Lyrics

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Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play a guitar just like a-ringin' a bell

Go go

Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Johnny B. Goode

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track
Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade
Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made
People passing by, they would stop and say
"Oh my that little country boy could play"

Go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Go Johnny go go
Johnny B. Goode

His mother told him "Someday you will be a man
And you will be the leader of a big old band
Many people coming from miles around
To hear you play your music when the sun go down
Maybe someday your name will be in lights
Saying "Johnny B. Goode tonight"

Go go
Go Johnny go
Go go go Johnny go
Go go go Johnny go
Go go go Johnny go

Go
Johnny B. Goode

Overall Meaning

"Johnny B. Goode" by T-Band is a song about a young and talented musician from the countryside named Johnny. He may not be well-educated, but he has mastered the skill of playing the guitar. Johnny lives in a log cabin in Louisiana surrounded by evergreens. The song describes how he carries his guitar in a gunny sack to sit under a tree by the railroad track, playing music to the beat of the passing trains. People passing by often stop to enjoy Johnny's performance, and his mother predicts that someday he will become a famous musician, with his name shining brightly in lights. Overall, the song celebrates Johnny's exceptional musical ability, his love for music, and his dream of becoming a star.

Line by Line Meaning

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Johnny B. Goode lived in Louisiana, closer to New Orleans.

Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
His log cabin was in a remote area in the forest where there were many evergreen trees.

There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Johnny's house was built of natural materials- soil and timber.

Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Johnny B. Goode was a charismatic and talented country boy who lived in this house.

Who never ever learned to read or write so well
Despite Johnny's limitations in reading and writing, his guitar skills were phenomenal.

But he could play a guitar just like a-ringin' a bell
Johnny had awesome guitar skills that belted out the melodious sounds of his strings like chimes.

Go go
Here we go!

Go Johnny go go
Johnny's amazing sound should continue coming out of his guitar.

Go Johnny go go
Johnny's incredible sound should keep coming out of his guitar.

Go Johnny go go
Johnny's unmatchable sound should keep flowing out of his guitar.

Go Johnny go go
Johnny's remarkable sound should always keep coming out of his guitar.

Johnny B. Goode
Johnny's B. Goode!

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Johnny carried his guitar in a coarse-woven bag lining called a gunny sack whenever he was on the move.

Go sit beneath the tree by the railroad track
Johnny enjoyed playing his guitar under the shade of a tree by the railroad track.

Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade
Train engineers would spot Johnny playing his guitar while in the comfort of the shade from their train cabins.

Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made
He played his guitar to the rhythm generated by the train driver's movements.

People passing by, they would stop and say
Johnny's guitar skills attracted attention from people passing by to them giving him recognition.

"Oh, my that little country boy could play"
Johnny's country boy style was an added flavor to his already impressive guitar playing skills, which wowed his listeners.

His mother told him "Someday you will be a man
Johnny's mother prophesied he would grow up to be a man someday.

And you will be the leader of a big old band
Johnny would lead a big old band, according to his mother's prophecy.

Many people coming from miles around
People from far and wide would come to watch Johnny play music.

To hear you play your music when the sun go down
Fans of Johnny would wait to hear him play music when the sun goes down.

Maybe someday your name will be in lights
Johnny's dream was to see his name in lights, which may come to pass in the future.

Saying "Johnny B. Goode tonight"
The lights could show off as they displayed, "Tonight featuring Johnny B. Goode."

Go go
Here we go again.

Go Johnny go
People are cheering Johnny to keep up his fantastic performance.

Go go go Johnny go
People are overwhelmingly continuing to cheer on Johnny to keep up his fantastic performance.

Go go go Johnny go
Fans are cheering Johnny to keep playing with his tremendous sound.

Go go go Johnny go
The audience is still cheering Johnny to keep playing his music with his fantastic skills.

Go
Keep going with your great music, Johnny!