Escrita Chuck
Berry pro seu disco St Louis to Liverpool. Como compacto, foi lançada
em 1965 e foi o primeiro compacto depois que saiu da prisão.
Na letra, o
cantor, que se refere a si mesmo como um garoto pobre, conta sua
história a partir de Norfolk, Virginia para a terra prometida, Los
Angeles, California, mencionando as diversas cidades que ele
encontrou no seu caminho.
Chuck Berry escreveu essa
canção enquanto estava na prisao. Pediu um Atlas na livraria da
cadeia pra traçar o intineário. Na música, ele diz que pegou um
onibus Greyhound em Norfolk, Virginia, e passou por Raleigh, North
Carolina e parou em Charlotte, tambem em North Carolina. Entao passa
por Rock Hill, South Carolina, Atlanta, e vai quebrar em Birmingham,
Alabama. Pega então um trem até New Orleans, de lá pra Houston,
onde ele comprou um terno de seda, uma mala e uma passagem de aviao
pra Los Angeles. Chegando lá, ele telefona pras pessoas de Norfolk,
seus parentes, que ele chegou na Promised land.
Foi regravada por Johnny
Rivers, Elvis Presley, James Taylor, Grateful Dead, entre outros
artistas.
A letra:
I left my home in Norfolk
Virginia
California on my mind
Straddled that greyhound, rode him past Raleigh
On across Caroline
California on my mind
Straddled that greyhound, rode him past Raleigh
On across Caroline
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed rock hill
And we never was a minute late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
Rollin' 'cross the Georgia state
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle
Half way 'cross Alabama
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham
Straight off, I bought me a through train ticket
Ridin' 'cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston Town
There's people there who care a little 'bout me
And they won't let the poor boy down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hands
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land
Workin' on a T-bone steak a la carte
Flying over to the golden state
Oh, when the pilot told me us in thirteen minutes
He was headin' at the terminal gate
Swing low sweet chariot, come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone
Cut your engines and cool your wings
And let me make it to the telephone
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia
Tidewater four ten o nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
And the poor boy's on the line
And we never was a minute late
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown
Rollin' 'cross the Georgia state
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle
Half way 'cross Alabama
And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham
Straight off, I bought me a through train ticket
Ridin' 'cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flier out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston Town
There's people there who care a little 'bout me
And they won't let the poor boy down
Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hands
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land
Workin' on a T-bone steak a la carte
Flying over to the golden state
Oh, when the pilot told me us in thirteen minutes
He was headin' at the terminal gate
Swing low sweet chariot, come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone
Cut your engines and cool your wings
And let me make it to the telephone
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia
Tidewater four ten o nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
And the poor boy's on the line
Chuck Berry
ao vivo em 1972 com Promised Land:
A versão de
Elvis Presley:
James Taylor ao vivo na
BBC em 1971:
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