The band then began to take on a life beyond the confines of the television screen, releasing an album, Briefcase Full of Blues, in 1978, and then having a Hollywood film, The Blues Brothers, created around its characters in 1980.
After the death of Belushi in 1982, the Blues Brothers have continued to perform with a rotation of guest singers and other band members. Aykroyd reunited the original band in 1988 for a world tour and again in 1998 for a sequel to the film, Blues Brothers 2000. Aykroyd and the band, occasionally joined by Belushi's brother Jim, make regular appearances at musical festivals worldwide.
'B' Movie Box Car Blues
The Blues Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With two girls in a light blue Desoto
One's name was Jane, the other was plain
But they both had racing motors
Next I caught a ride with a gamblers wife
She had a brand new lay down Rambler
She parked inside of town, layed the Rambler down
I'm doing my best to get back to you
Ain't nothing I'd rather do
Look for me Sunday, gonna be there, honey
With something special just for you
Special just for you
Made a truck stop, toothpick and water
I got a ride from a fruit pickers daughter
Drove her through the night, let the fruit just rot
She said "All I could eat for a quarter"
Next, hopped a train with a hobo woman
Said she's from Texas too
The way that she did, what she did
When she did, what she did to me, made me think of you
Yeah, honey, made me think of you
I'm doing my best to get back to you
Ain't nothing I'd rather do
Look for me Sunday, gonna be there, honey
With something special just for you
Special just for you
Yeah, honey something special just for you
The Blues Brothers' song 'B' Movie Box Car Blues is a humorous tale of a man who is trying to get back to his lover after having many unique and unpredictable experiences on the road. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery and creative descriptions of the different people he meets along the way. In the first verse, he describes two girls he caught a ride with in a Desoto, both with "racing motors" indicating their wild and free-spirited nature. In the second verse, he rides with a "gamblers wife" in her new Rambler, who he finds attractive and intriguing, but ultimately has to leave behind. These characters are each introduced in a humorous and memorable way, which makes the song very entertaining to listen to.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "I'm doing my best to get back to you, ain't nothing I'd rather do" which emphasizes that the singer's ultimate goal is to reunite with his lover. The final verse describes his experience riding with a "hobo woman" from Texas who reminds him of his lover. This verse has a particularly memorable line when he says "when she did, what she did to me, made me think of you" which highlights the lascivious nature of the song and provides a moment of comic relief.
Overall, the song is a humorous and light-hearted take on the timeless theme of love and adventure, showcasing The Blues Brothers' unique style and flair.
Line by Line Meaning
Caught a ride into South Dakota
I hitchhiked my way into South Dakota.
With two girls in a light blue Desoto
I was accompanied by two young ladies in a light blue Desoto car.
One's name was Jane, the other was plain
One of the girls was named Jane, while the other one had a plain, simple name.
But they both had racing motors
However, both of them had a passion for fast cars and engines.
Next I caught a ride with a gamblers wife
Later on, I hitched a ride with a gambler's wife.
She had a brand new lay down Rambler
She was driving a brand new, low-riding Rambler car.
She parked inside of town, layed the Rambler down
She parked the car in town and lowered its suspension.
She said she sure could dig if I'd knew her
She expressed interest in getting to know me better.
I'm doing my best to get back to you
I am putting in all efforts to come back to you.
Ain't nothing I'd rather do
There is nothing else I would rather do than come back to you.
Look for me Sunday, gonna be there, honey
Expect me to arrive on Sunday, my dear.
With something special just for you
I have a surprise for you that is exclusive and unique.
Made a truck stop, toothpick and water
I stopped at a truck stop and only had a toothpick and some water.
I got a ride from a fruit pickers daughter
I managed to catch a ride from a young lady whose family picked fruit for a living.
Drove her through the night, let the fruit just rot
I drove her all night, while the fruit the family picked remained unattended and therefore rotted.
She said "All I could eat for a quarter"
She revealed that she had a meager diet, and could only afford to eat very little food.
Next, hopped a train with a hobo woman
Then, I boarded a train with a woman who identified as a homeless wanderer.
Said she's from Texas too
She revealed that she is from the same state as me, Texas.
The way that she did, what she did
The actions she performed, and the way she did them.
When she did, what she did to me, made me think of you
The things she did to me reminded me of you, my dear.
Yeah, honey, made me think of you
Indeed, my dear, she made me think of you.
Special just for you
Yes, dear, what I have prepared for you is unique and extraordinary.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DELBERT ROSS MC CLINTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Duccio Leoncini
Caught a ride into South Dakota
With two girls in a light blue Desoto
One's name was Jane, the other was plain
But they both had racing motors
Next I caught a ride with a gamblers wife
She had a brand new lay down Rambler
She parked inside of town, layed the Rambler down
She said she sure could dig if I'd knew her
I'm doing my best to get back to you
Ain't nothing I'd rather do
Look for me Sunday, gonna be there, honey
With something special just for you
Special just for you
Made a truck stop, toothpick and water
I got a ride from a fruit pickers daughter
Drove her through the night, let the fruit just rot
She said "All I could eat for a quarter"
Next, hopped a train with a hobo woman
Said she's from Texas too
The way that she did, what she did
When she did, what she did to me, made me think of you
Yeah, honey, made me think of you
I'm doing my best to get back to you
Ain't nothing I'd rather do
Look for me Sunday, gonna be there, honey
With something special just for you
Special just for you
Yeah, honey something special just for you
spankywzl
@3:05 Steve Jordan's stuttered fills on this song are the stuff of legend.
I must've heard this song a million times and I still cannot replicate how he brings the song back in. Phenomenal!
Michael Clark
You can barely hear it on this YouTube video, but the Kick is the best part of all of that. That one might have even made Roger Hawkins a bit jealous the first time he heard it.
Tysons Accosta
And he plays it all right on the beat, too. I am certain he's been asked about this a zillion times throughout his career.
17primemover
This is bad ass. Doesn’t get enough props.
Theodore Bennett
True.
g will
man, i had my mom buy me this album and take me to see the movie when i was like 9 or 10yrs old...i havent listened to this song in many yrs...always was my favorite on the album...that snl band was tight as hell and akroyd and belushi damn near transcended their comedic roots
Michael Clark
It was about half SNL Band (Malone, Rubin, Marini, Jordan, Shaffer) and half R&B All-World All-Stars (Dunn, Cropper, Murphy, Scott).
giovanni spinotti
Imagine being an 11 piece band and recording live, one single gig, one single take, a song that's totally sloppy with a lot of loose parts, slow downs, hurry ups.
And despite this, coming out in the end so tight and perfectly aligned in every single hit, every single beat, grooving and pushing it.
How good were those guys is amazing. This song is majestic.
knife lyfe
What do you expect? They bought the best players in the business.Love this cover and Matt Murphy's funky riff but can't touch Delberts original version.
AINT IT FUN BEING FROM TEXAS.
Michael Clark
They'd been touring over most of the summer of 1978 when they cut this on September 9, 1978 near the end of the tour in L.A., so this was definitely NOT a one-off performance.
The tour started a couple of weeks after SNL's summer hiatus began in May. They opened for several different acts over the course of the summer before they hooked up with Steve Martin's tour, which had exploded after he performed "King Tut" on SNL that spring. Incidentally, the same episode that included Martin doing "King Tut" on an elaborately staged set that included "Blue" Lou Marini bursting out of a 'sarcophagus' in a mummy suit with the portions of his skin that were showing painted gold for the sax solo, was the first ever SNL appearance of the "Blues Brothers" with a band that was all made up of SNL Band regulars before Dunn, Cropper, Murphy, and Scott were brought on board for the tour a little over a month later.
All of the horn line except Tom Scott had been playing together in the SNL band for several years. Dunn and Cropper had been together as the mainstays of the house rhythm at Stax records in Memphis for well over a decade. It didn't take long for those guys to get in sync. Cropper & Dunn had played on the original versions of several of the songs the BBB covered, and Matt "Guitar" Murphy, who was mostly a Chicago session player, had played on a few of the others.