verse 1
deep down in louisiana close to new orleans way back up in the woods among the ever greens there's still a log cabin made of earth and wood where lived a country boy named johnny be good
Di dalam hutan yang dalam di Louisiana, dekat New Orleans, jauh di antara pepohonan hijau, masih ada sebuah kabin kayu terbuat dari tanah dan kayu, tempat tinggal seorang anak desa bernama Johnny Be Good.
who never ever learned to read or write so well but he could play the guitar just like he's ringing a bell
Dia tidak pernah belajar membaca atau menulis dengan baik, tapi dia bisa main gitar seolah-olah dia sedang membunyikan lonceng.
chorus
go go (go johnny go) go (go johnny go) go (go johnny go) go (go johnny go) go johnny be good
Ayo ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo Johnny Be Good.
verse 2
he used carry his guitar in a gunny sack or sit beneath the tree by the railroad track oh he landed in tree sittin in the shade strummin at the rhythm that the drivers made the people passin by they would stop and say o my what the little country boy could play
Dia biasa membawa gitarnya dalam tas karung atau duduk di bawah pohon di tepi rel kereta. Oh, dia asyik duduk di bawah bayangan sambil memainkan irama yang dibuat oleh para pengemudi. Orang-orang yang lewat berhenti dan berkata, "Wow, anak desa kecil ini bisa main!"
chorus
(instrumental)
verse 3
his momma told him someday he will be a man and you will be a leader of a big ole band many people commin from miles around to hear you play your music when the sun go down maybe someday your name will be in lights sayin johnny be good tonight
Ibunya bilang, suatu hari dia akan jadi pria dan pemimpin sebuah band besar. Banyak orang datang dari jauh untuk mendengar dia main musik saat matahari terbenam. Mungkin suatu saat namamu akan bersinar di papan reklame, bilang "Johnny Be Good malam ini."
chorus
go go (go johnny go) go go (go johnny go) go go (o johnny go go go go johnny go go johnny be good
Ayo ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo (ayo Johnny ayo) ayo Johnny Be Good.