Jerry Lee Lewis

Released: September 7, 2010

Featuring: Mavis Staples Nils Lofgren Robbie Robertson

Songwriter: A.P. Carter

Producer: Jim Keltner Steve Bing

I was standing by the window
On a cold and cloudy day
When I saw the hearse come rolling
To carry my mother away

Will the circle be unbroken
Bye and bye Lord bye and bye
There's a better home a waiting
In the sky Lord in the sky

Lord I told that undertaker
Undertaker please drive slow
For that body you're a haulin'
Lord I hate to see her go

Well I followed close behind her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in that grave

I went back home Lord that home was lonesome
Since my mother, she was gone
All my brothers and sisters crying
What a home so sad and alone

One by one the seats were emptied
One by one they went away
Now that family they are parted
Will they meet again some day

I was singing with my sisters
I was singing with my friends
And we all can, sing together
'Cause the circle never ends

Jerry Lee Lewis was a leading figure in the popularization of rock & roll during the 1950s. He was first signed to Sun Records in 1956 where he was labelmates with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and other early rock artists. Of those musicians, however, he was the only piano player and combined with his heavy-handed playing style, sexually suggestive lyrics, and provocative stage antics he came to epitomize the rebelliousness of the genre.

He rose to international fame for his 1957 versions of the songs “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.”

Lewis' popularity rapidly tumbled, however, when in 1958, when at the age of 22, he married his 13-year-old cousin. Though this scandal continued to tarnish his image, Lewis never retired from music. As of October 2015, he continues to perform live.

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