Johnny Rivers

[fox69]

"Look To Your Soul"

"Look To Your Soul"


I nearly lost myself
Tryin’ to be someone else
All of life I’ve been playing the game.

Gotta get out of myself it seems
Life’s not real when you’re in a dream
Hang on to your head and give it a try.

To live you must nearly die
Giving up the need to say I
Look to your soul for the answer
Look to your soul.

So many people passing by
Have a need to identify
All of us want to be satisfied.

Few people seem to care
Livin’ the life that goes nowhere
Nobody takes the time to try.

To live you must nearly die
Giving up the need to say I
Look to your soul for the answer
Look to your soul.

 

[fox69]

"Louisiana Man"

"Louisiana Man"


First, Mama Papa call a little boy 'Ned'
Raise him on the banks of the riverbed
In a houseboat tied to a big tall tree
Home for my mama and my papa and me

Half-past three, Papa jumps to his feet
Already Mama cooking Papa somethin' to eat
Half-past five, Papa's ready to go
Jumps in his hero, headed down the bayou

Got fishin' lines running 'cross the Louisiana River
Gonna catch a big fish for us to eat
Settin' traps in the swamp, catchin' everything they can
Gonna make a livin', he's a Lousiana man
Gonna make a livin', he's a Lousiana man

Muskrat hides hangin' by the dozen
Even got a little baby muskrat cousin
Got 'em out dryin' in the hot, hot sun
Tomorrow, Papa's gonna turn 'em into money

I can hardly wait until the mornin' comes around
That's the day my Papa taked the furs to town
Last time he told me that I could go
Maybe even catch a cowboy show

Saw cowboys and Indians for the first time then
Told my Papa: Got to come back again
Papa said: Son, we got lines to run
We'll come back again; there's work to be done

 

[fox69]

"Matchbox"

"Matchbox"


Well I'm sitting here wondering, will a matchbox hold my clothes
Yeah I'm sitting here wondering, will a matchbox hold my clothes
I ain't got no matches, but I got a long way to go

I'm an ol' poor boy and a long way from home
I'm an ol' poor boy and a long way from home
Guess I'll never be happy, everything I do is wrong, yeah

Well let me be your little dog, till your big dog comes
Let me be your little dog, till your big dog comes
When the big dog gets here, tell him what this little puppy done

Yeah I'm sitting here wondering, will a matchbox hold my clothes
Yeah I'm sitting here wondering, will a matchbox hold my clothes
I got no matches, got a long way to go
Let 'er go boy, go-go

 

[fox69]

"Maybelline"
(originally by Chuck Berry)

"Maybelline"
(originally by Chuck Berry)



As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Mabellene in a Coup de Ville
A Cadillac a-rollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford
The Cadillac doin' about 95
She's bumper to bumper, rollin' side by side

Maybellene, why can't you be true
Oh, Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do

Well, the Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
It then got cloudy and started to rain
I tooted my horn for a passin' lane
The rainwater blowin' all under my hood
I know that I was doin' my motor good

Maybellene, why can't you be true
Oh, Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do

The heat went down, the motor cooled down
And that's when I heard that highway sound
The Cadillac a-sittin' like a ton of lead
A hundred and ten half a mile ahead
The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
I caught Mabellene at the top of the hill

Maybellene, why can't you be true
Oh, Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do

 

[fox69]

"Memphis"
(originally by Chuck Berry)

"Memphis"
(originally by Chuck Berry)



Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennessee
Help me find a party that tried to get in touch with me
She could not leave a number, but I know who placed the call
'Cause my uncle took a message, and he wrote it on the wall

Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd call me here from Memphis, Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high upon a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi bridge

Last time I saw Marie, she was wavin' me goodbye
With "hurry-home" drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
But we were pulled apart, because her mom did not agree
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis, Tennessee

Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
Marie is only six years old, information, please
Try to put me through to her in Memphis, Tennessee

 

[fox69]

"Memphis '72"

"Memphis '72"


Long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee
Help me find the party trying to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number, but I know who placed the call
Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall

Help me, information, get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here from Memphis Tennessee
Her home is on the south side, high up on a ridge
Just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge

Help me, information, more than that I cannot add
Only that I miss her and all the fun we had
But we were pulled apart because her mom did not agree
And tore apart our happy home in Memphis Tennessee

Last time I saw Marie she's waving me good-bye
With hurry home drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye
Marie is only six years old, information please
Try to put me through to her in Memphis Tennessee

 

[fox69]

"Michael, Row The Boat Ashore"

"Michael, Row The Boat Ashore"


Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah

The river is deep and the river is wide, hallelujah
Green pastures on the other side, hallelujah

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah

Jordan's river is chilly and cold, hallelujah
Chills the body but not the soul, hallelujah

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah

The river is deep and the river is wide, hallelujah
Milk and honey on the other side, hallelujah

Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah
Sister, help to trim the sail, hallelujah

 

[fox69]

"Midnight Special"
(originally by Lead Belly)

"Midnight Special"
(originally by Lead Belly)



You get up in the mornin', you hear the ding dong ring
Now you look up on the table, you see the same darn thing
You find no food upon the table and no pork up in the pan
But if you say a thing about it, you be in trouble with the man

Ah, let the Midnight Special shine a light on me
Oh, let the Midnight Special shine its everlovin' light on me

Now if you're ever in Houston, oh, you better walk right
Aw, you better not gamble boy, I say you better not fight
Or the sheriff he will grab you, and the boys will pull you down
And then before you know it, you're penitentary bound

Ah, let the Midnight Special shine a light on me
Let the Midnight Special shine its everlovin' light on me

Here comes Miss Lucy, how in the world did you know?
I can tell by her apron and by the clothes she wore
An umbrella on her shoulder, she got a paper in her hand
She come to see the warden to try to free her man

So, let the Midnight Special shine a light on me
Ah, let the Midnight Special shine its everlovin' light on me
I said, let the Midnight Special shine a light on me
Ah, let the Midnight Special shine its everlovin' light on me

 

[fox69]

"Monkey Time"

"Monkey Time"


There's place right across town
Where the dancin' is steady
Where people gather round - whenever they're ready
And then the music begins to play
You feel a fool standin' round this way
Are you ready, are you ready
Well you get yours, 'cause I got mine,
For the monkey time, monkey time

Now the dance that the people do
I don't know how it started
All I know that when it's feelin' good
It's hard to get parted
And then the music begins to play,
Automatically you're on your way
Are you ready, are you ready, well you get yours,
'Cause I got mine, for the monkey time

Do the monkey - yeah- twist them hips
Let your back bone slip- now move your feet
Get on the beat, are you ready - are you ready
Well you get yours, 'cause I got mine, for the monkey time
Do the monkey, yeah
Give me a big strong line
You're lookin' real fine

 

[fox69]

"Moody River"

"Moody River"


Moody river more deadly than the natalest night
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life.

Last Saturday evening I came to the old oak tree
That stands beside the river where you were to meet me.

On the ground your glove I found with a note addressed to me
It read : 'Dear love, I've done you wrong, now I must set you free'.

No longer can I live with this hurt and this sin
I just couldn't tell you that guy was just a friend.

Moody river more deadly than the natalest night
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life.

I looked into the muddy water and what could I see?
I saw a lonely, lonely face just looking back at me.

Tears in his eyes and the prayer on his lips
And the glove of his lost love was at his fingertips.

Moody river more deadly than the natalest night
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life.

Moody river more deadly than the natalest night
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life.