Ike & Tina Turner - Proud Mary - Live 1971

The song "Proud Mary" was written by John Fogerty of American roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song is about an old steamboat on the Mississippi River -- typically "down home" lyrics like so many songs by CCR. Over the years the song has been covered by various artists. The version of Ike & Tina Turner is something special, because it contains a spoken word intro by Tina Turner as a slow opening -- only to become a typically wild and energetic Ike & Tina Turner tune.

Also much has been said about the lyrics of the song. The original line "... pumped a lot of pain in New Orleans" by Fogerty was interpreted by Tina Turner as "... pumped a lot of 'tane ..." -- referring to "octane". A famous example for a type of "mondegreen" in song lyrics ...

Lyrics

You know

Every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us nice, easy

There's just one thing

You see we never ever do nothing nice, easy

We always do it nice and rough

And we're gonna take the beginning of this song and do it easy

But then we're gonna do the finish rough

That's the way we do

Proud Mary

Left a good job down in the city

Workin' for the Man every night and day

But I never lost one minute of sleepin'

I was worryin' 'bout the way things might have been

Big wheel keep on turnin'

Proud Mary keep on burnin'

And we're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

Listen to the story

Left a good job down in the city

Workin' for the Man every night and day

And I never lost one minute of sleepin'

And I was worryin' 'bout the way that things might have been

You know that big wheel keep on turnin'

Proud Mary keep on burnin'

And we're rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis

You know I pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans

But I never saw the good side of the city

Until I hitched a ride on the river boat queen

You know that big wheel keep on turnin'

Proud Mary keep on burnin'

And we're rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

We're rolling on the river

Say we're rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river,

We're rolling on the river

I left a good job in the city

Workin' for the Man every night and day

And I never lost a minute of sleepin'

Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been

Big wheel keep on turnin'

Proud Mary keep on burnin'

Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

Say we're rollin', we're rollin', rollin' on the river

Alright

Oh, I cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis

And I pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans

But I never saw the good side of a city

'Til I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen

Big wheel keep on turnin'

Proud Mary keep on burnin'

And we're rollin', so we're rollin', we're rollin' on the river

I tell you we're rollin', rollin', we're rollin' on the river

Alright

If you come down to the river

I bet you're gonna find some people who live

And you don't have to worry if you got no money

People on the river are happy to give

Big wheel keep on turnin'

Proud Mary keep on burnin'

And we're rollin', and we're rollin', and we're rollin' on the river

Tell me one more time

Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

Alright

Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

Alright then

We're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

So we're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

I tell you we're rollin', we're rollin', we're rollin' on the river

Alright