Lyrics

Louie Louie, me gotta go 
Louie Louie, me gotta go

Fine little girl, she wait for me
Me catch the ship for cross the sea
I sail the ship all alone
I never think I’ll make it home

Louie Louie, me gotta go
Louie Louie, me gotta go

Three nights and days, me sailed the sea
Me think of girl constantly
On the ship, I dream she there
I smell the rose in her hair

Louie Louie, me gotta go
Well, Louie Louie, me gotta go

Me see Jamaica moon above
It won’t be long, me see me love
Me take her in my arms and then
I tell her I’ll never leave again

Louie Louie, well, me gotta go
Louie Louie, me gotta go
I said me gotta go
I said me gotta go
Well, me gotta go

Commentary

It is the best of songs, it is the worst of songs. A rock’n’roll song, a calypso song, a sea chanty, a filthy, dirty, obscene song, the story of rock ’n’ roll in a nutshell, the most ridiculous piece of junk in the history of damnation. A stupid song, a brilliant song, an R&B oldie, a punk rock classic, a wine cooler commercial, an urban legend, a sacred text, a song with roots, a glimpse of the future, the song that defines our purpose, the very voice of barbarism. A song that casts a spell, a song that ought to have been forgotten and many times has been – and for all that, a song that roots into the brain until there’s no erasing it. Barely a song at all – three chords and a cloud of dust; the song that really does remain the same – no matter the reinterpretations it suffers. An old story, an untold story.

This is “Louie Louie.”

Marsh, Dave (1993). Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World’s Most Famous Rock ‘n Roll Song… (p. 3).

Ironically, Dave Marsh’s excellent book on the history of the song “Louie Louie” failed to get permission to reprint the song lyrics from the corporate owners of the publishing rights.

“Louie Louie” vs “Louie, Louie”

Is the title “Louie Louie” or “Louie, Louie”? These things matter to me. The Fall’s setlists always had the comma. But the Wikipedia entry on the song says, “Berry told Esquire magazine that the correct title of the song was “Louie Louie” with no comma”. However, if you read the Esquire article it is clear that Berry had not previously given the question any thought, and that his answer may not be as definitive as Wikipedia suggests.

Was there a comma in “Louie Louie”?
“A comma?” Berry said.
“Yeah,” I said, “Is it ‘Louie, Louie,’ or is it ‘Louie Louie’?”
“I don’t know,” Berry said. “I never thought about it.”
“They’re going to want to know, and they’re going to drive you crazy until they find out,” I said. “Could you look on the original song?”
Berry laughed.
“You must be kidding,” he said. “That piece of toilet paper that I wrote ‘Louie Louie’ on fell apart many years ago.”
That made sense. “Could you make a decision then?” I said.
“Okay,” Berry said. “‘Louie Louie.’ No comma.”

An excess of commas being inefficient, I’ve gone with “Louie Louie”.

John the Postman

< In progress >

Footnotes

1. Richard Berry wrote the original, but from the way they deliver it (“Lou-ee Lou-ay”) The Fall seem to have been covering The Kingsmen’s version. But The Kingsmen followed the original lyrics relatively closely so I’ve used the Richard Berry text. Determining the lyrics to The Fall’s version is pretty much a lost cause. ↩︎
2. According to Berry, “Louie” is the person – a barman, perhaps – being addressed by the protagonist or narrator of the song. (Greene, 1988, p.63). ↩︎

Sources / Links

• Greene, Bob (1988). “The Man Who Wrote ‘Louie Louie’.” Esquire, September. p.63, 67. [Text available from archive.org].
• Marsh, David (1993). Louie Louie: the history & mythology of the world’s most famous rock ‘n’ roll song; including the full details of its torture & persecution at the hands of The Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover’s F.B.I., & a cast of millions; & introducing for the first time anywhere, the actual dirty lyrics. New York: Hyperion. [First paperback edition]. [Text of hardback edition available online in The Internet Archive]
• The Track Record: “Louie Louie”
• Wikipedia: “Louie Louie” (Richard Berry song)