In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Way 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 name of Johnny B. Goode
He never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar like ringing a bell
Go go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Johnny B. Goode
He use to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
And sit beneath the trees by the railroad track
Oh, the engineers used to see him sitting in the shade
Playing to the rhythm that the drivers made
People passing by would stop and say
"Oh my, but that little country boy can play"
Go go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Johnny B. Goode
His mama told him someday he would be a man
And he would be the leader of a big old band
Many people coming from miles around
To hear him play his music til the sun go down
Maybe someday his name would be in lights
Saying Johnny B. Goode tonight
Go go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Johnny B. Goode
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy name of Johnny B. Goode
He never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar like ringing a bell
Go go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Johnny B. Goode
He use to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
And sit beneath the trees by the railroad track
Oh, the engineers used to see him sitting in the shade
Playing to the rhythm that the drivers made
People passing by would stop and say
"Oh my, but that little country boy can play"
Go go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Johnny B. Goode
His mama told him someday he would be a man
And he would be the leader of a big old band
Many people coming from miles around
To hear him play his music til the sun go down
Maybe someday his name would be in lights
Saying Johnny B. Goode tonight
Go go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Go Johnny go, go
Johnny B. Goode
Lyrics submitted by kaan
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
No man, covering Johnny B. Goode is a good thing. It's like having an endless selection of different versions of the same song. You can tell almost anything about a person by their favourite cover of this song.
Good song, good cover...