Bye Bye Johnny

Album: Rockin' At The Hops (1960)
Play Video
  • She drew out all her money out of the Southern Trust
    And put her little boy aboard a Greyhound bus
    Leaving Louisiana for the Golden West
    Down came the tears from her happiness
    Her own little son name 'o Johnny B. Goode
    Was gonna make some motion pictures out in Hollywood

    Bye, bye, bye, bye
    Bye, bye, bye, bye
    Bye bye Johnny
    Good bye Johnny B. Goode

    She remembered taking money out from gathering crop
    And buying Johnny's guitar at a broker shop
    As long as he would play it by the railroad side
    And wouldn't get in trouble he was satisfied
    But never thought that there would come a day like this
    When she would have to give her son a goodbye kiss

    Going, bye, bye, bye, bye
    Bye, bye, bye, bye
    Bye bye Johnny
    Bye bye Johnny B. Goode

    She finally got the letter she was dreaming of
    Johnny wrote and told 'er he had fell in love
    As soon as he was married he would bring her back
    And build a mansion for 'em by the railroad track
    So every time they heard the locomotive roar
    They'd be a' standin', a' wavin' in the kitchen door

    Howling, bye, bye, bye, bye
    Bye, bye, bye, bye
    Bye bye Johnny
    Good bye Johnny B. Goode Writer/s: Chuck Berry
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Puntilla Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmI love this song, It's like the biography of Johnny B Goode in two songs
  • Dave from Northridge, CaSpringsteen recorded a song called "Johnny Bye Bye" and, obviously, credited this song as the inspiration. It is an amazing song: the first lines are the same: "She drew out all her money out of the Southern Trust, And put her little boy aboard a Greyhound Bus." But the rest of the song is about the death of Elvis Presley. If you haven't heard it, give it a try. It can be found as a b-side and on the 4-disc set "Tracks".
  • Bertrand from Paris, FranceThe Rolling Stones covered this in 1963.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."