Jerry Lee Lewis

Songwriter: Allen Reynolds Dickey Lee Milton Addington

Producer: Shelby Singleton Jr.

Down the Mississippi where the water gets muddy
Forty-four school where the kids don't study
Well they all hang around at the root of Beale Street
Oh that's where they hear that Memhpis Beat

I'm goin' to Memphis where the beat is tough Memphis I can't get enough
It makes you tremble and it makes you weak gets in your blood that Memphis Beat

Whoo they're hitchhikin' here from California ride on a Honda from Arizona
Houston Boston Kansas City New Orleans and a doo wa diddy
Oh I'm goin' to Memphis where the beat is tough Memphis I can't get enough
It makes you tremble and it makes you weak gets in your blood that Memphis Beat

Well people come a ridin' a walkin' a swimmin'
Got a little chance at them good lookin' women
Oh they march on down to the foot of Beale Street
Ah then dance all night to that Memphis Beat

Oh I'm goin' to Memphis where the beat is tough Memphis I can't get enough
It makes you tremble and it makes you weak gets in your blood that Memphis Beat

Oh come on now let's go to Memphis
Where the beat is tough I can't get enough
I gotta get back there I gotta get back there

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.

more tracks from the album

Memphis Beat

From the album

Memphis Beat (1966)

Jerry Lee Lewis popular songs

Memphis BeatJerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis

Memphis Beat