Rocky Raccoon
The Beatles
Written by: Paul Mccartney, John Lennon
Album: The Beatles (The White Album)
Released: 1968
The main character was originally called Rocky Sassoon but McCartney changed it to Raccoon, as he thought the name was more cowboyish.
Paul McCartney wrote this song. He got the idea for it when he was playing guitar with John Lennon and Donovan Leitch at the Maharishi's camp in India. The Beatles went there in 1968 to study transcendental meditation.
Beatles producer George Martin played the piano in an old-west saloon style. Several Beatles songs feature piano parts, which were usually played by either Martin, Lennon, Nicky Hopkins or Billy Preston.
Most Bibles found in hotel rooms came from a group called Gideons International, and are thus known as "Gideon's Bibles." In this song, Rocky checks into a room before the showdown, where he finds one. At the end of the song, he returns to the room and encounters the Bible again. He figures it was some kind of sign: a guy named Gideon must have left it for him to aid in his recovery. Rocky isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
In the Jethro Tull song "Locomotive Breath," there is also a mention of these Bibles:
"He picks up Gideons Bible
Open at page one
I think God, He stole the handle and
The train won't stop going"
There is both a harmonica and accordion on this track. The harmonica, likely played by John Lennon, comes in at the "in the next room at the hoedown" line. The accordion, possibly played by McCartney, can be heard starting with the line, "The doctor came in, stinking of gin."
Richie Havens released this as the B-side to his "Stop Pulling and Pushing Me" single in 1969.
Now somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye
Rocky didn't like that
He said, "I'm gonna get that boy"
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon
Rocky Raccoon
Checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Rocky had come equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival, it seems
Had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy
Her name was Magill
And she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy
Now she and her man
Who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoedown
Rocky burst in and grinning a grin
He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown"
But Daniel was hot
He drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner
Now, the doctor came in stinking of gin
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said, "Rocky, you met your match"
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
Now Rocky Raccoon
He fell back in his room
Only to find Gideon's Bible
Gideon checked out
And he left it no doubt
To help with good Rocky's revival, oh, ooh, yeah, yeah
Come on Rocky boy, do the do-do-do
Come on Rocky boy, do the do-do-do
Do-do-do, yeah, I saw you rockin' a
