Chuck Berry – Let It Rock

Pick up you belongings boys and scatter about
We’ve got an off-schedule train comin’ two miles out

Great title for Mr. Chuck Berry. My only complaint about this song is it’s way too short. He borrowed liberally from Johnny B. Good but that is alright…hell it’s his song to borrow from. Just think how many artists have taken this riff, especially the rhythm track, and used it over and over again. The Rolling Stones, Animals, and Beatles owe a large part of their success to this man.

Speaking of the Rolling Stones…they recorded this song live as a B-side in the UK for the single Brown Sugar. It was recorded live in March 1971 at the University of Leeds in England. Right around the time when The Who recorded possibly the best rock live album ever…Live At Leeds. The Stones do a good job on this song…it’s in their wheelhouse completely.

This song is not about teenagers. Chuck wrote this from the perspective of a railroad worker in Alabama. The phrase “Let It Rock” won’t be found in the lyrics. Supposedly the train that is coming is Rock and Roll.

The musicians on this album are Johnnie Johnson on piano, Willie Dixon on double bass, and Fred Below on drums. Johnnie Johnson was one of the best boogie-woogie piano players around at the time.

Johnnie Johnson never got his due for these wonderful riffs that he helped Chuck create. When Keith Richards wanted him to play in Hail Hail Rock and Roll in the mid-80s…he was driving a bus in Saint Louis. Chuck gave his OK and Johnnie was in the band. After he appeared in the movie he worked for the rest of his life as a musician.

This song has been covered by The Connection, The Grateful Dead, Rockpile, The Rolling Stones, Motörhead, Jerry Garcia, Hasil Adkins, Skyhooks, The Yardbirds, Widespread Panic, The MC5, Bob Seger, the Stray Cats, George Thorogood, The Head Cat, Shadows of Knight, John Oates, The Georgia Satellites, and Jeff Lynne to name a few.

The song peaked at #18 on the Billboard R&B Charts and #64 on the Billboard 100 Charts in 1959.

Have a great day and Let It Rock!

Let It Rock

In the heat of the day down in Mobile Alabama
Working on the railroad with the steel driving hammer
I gotta get some money to buy some brand new shoes
Tryin’ to find somebody to take away these blues
“She don’t love me” hear them singing in the sun
Payday’s coming and my work is all done

Well, in the evening when the sun is sinking low
All day I been waiting for the whistle to blow
Sitting in a tee pee built right on the tracks
Rolling them bones until the foreman comes back
Pick up you belongings boys and scatter about
We’ve got an off-schedule train comin’ two miles out

Everybody’s scrambling, running around
Picking up their money, tearing the tee pee down
Foreman wants to panic, ’bout to go insane
Trying to get the workers out the way of the train
Engineer blows the whistle loud and long
Can’t stop the train, have to let it roll on

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

21 thoughts on “Chuck Berry – Let It Rock”

  1. I have heard this tune as the Georgia Satellite’s covered it and if my memory is correct they named one of there compilations that as well. But don’t quote me on that Max! Lol

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      1. Its right up their alley…Chuck has probably has been covered more than anyone I would say in rock.

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    1. Thats a cool subject…the first one that comes to mind is obvious but the second one that comes to mind is Alabama Getaway by the Dead.
      When we go to Florida…he have to drive through that state…damn it’s a long boring ride.

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  4. Chucks lyrics are so simple yet they are perfect- he doesn’t jam in the wrong word or syllable in, every word rolls along in the right order.
    Not recalling hearing the Stones do it, but it is obvious right up their alley.

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    1. They did a really good version of that on this one….see…I’m a rolling Beatle lol….
      Chuck wrote these songs with lyrics that were so cool…just reading the lyrics are great.

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  8. With Chuck Berry you rarely go wrong, except perhaps “My Ding-a-Ling”. But at least, he finally scored a no. 1 hit, and for that I’m happy for him! Of course, he really should have had many others, but that’s a different story!

    “Let It Rock” definitely sounds like “Johnny B. Goode” but, hey, it’s an iconic guitar riff Chuck obviously used a few more times. But that’s all right with me. Plus, as you noted, many other artists borrowed it as well.

    The Stones did a nice job with “Let It Rock” in that clip. Plus, it’s amazing to look at Mick Jagger who was 28 years at the time. Here we are, some 52 years later, and Mick is still rocking and moving and sounding pretty good!

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    1. The song is really good man… it’s those lyrics… just as good as Dylan in his own way… telling stories with them…
      Same as JBG but it works anyway… he was the most ripped off artist ever probably.

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