Proud Mary

Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Tina Turner version) is featured in Wheels, the ninth episode of Season One. It is sung by the New Directions with Artie, Mercedes, and Tina as leads.

The Glee Club performed this song in wheelchairs, which they originally found difficult, but they managed to stick with it over the week and planned to sing it at Sectionals with wheelchairs.

In the episode Sectionals, Jane Addams Academy stole the song from New Directions' setlist after Sue reveals the setlist to the competing schools. Due that action the Jane Addams Academy director Grace Hitchens so they could perform it along with And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, which the New Directions also had planned to sing. She added it to their own setlist for Sectionals, and they did perform it at Sectionals in wheelchairs to the horror of McKinley High's Glee Club. Sue also tells Dalton Rumba from Haverbrook School for the Deaf to perform the group's best song, Don't Stop Believin'. Due to Sue's action the New Directions had nothing on their setlist to perform at Sectionals.

This is considered to be one of the most difficult and dangerous choreographies of the first season, due to most of the cast being inexperienced in operating wheelchairs.

Lyrics[]

New Directions:
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

Finn:
This one's for you Artie!

Mercedes:
Left a good job

Mercedes with Artie:
(Artie: Down) In the city,
Workin' for The Man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
I was worryin' 'bout the way that things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin'

Mercedes (with New Directions Girls):
Oooh the (Proud Mary keep on burnin)

Mercedes (Artie with New Directions Boys):
And we're rollin' (Rollin')
Rolling yeah (Rollin')
Rolling on the river (Rollin')
(with New Directions Girls: on the river)
Said we're rolling (Rollin')
Rolling (Rollin')
Rolling on the river (Rollin')
(with New Directions Girls: on the river)

Artie:
So I left a good job in the city
Workin' for The Man every night and day

Mercedes:
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been

Tina:
Big wheel keep on turnin' (New Directions: Turnin'!)
Proud Mary keep on burnin'(New Directions: Burnin'!)

Artie and Tina with New Directions:
Rolling (Mercedes: Rolling)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Yeeah)

Tina with New Directions:
Rollin' on the river (Artie: Rollin' on the river)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Rolling)

Artie and Tina with New Directions:
Rollin' (Mercedes: Yeeeah)
Rollin' on the river

New Directions:
Da do do do, da do do do, da do do do,
Ba da ba yeaah!
Ba ba ba yeaah! (Artie: Aaah!)
Ba da pa pa pa pa pa da da yeah!

Mercedes:
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis y'all (New Directions: Memphis y'all!)
Pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans (New Directions: New Orleans!)

Artie (with New Directions):
But I never saw the (good side of the city)
'Til I hitched a ride on a (river boat queen)

Tina:
Big wheel keep on turnin! (New Directions: Turnin')

Mercedes:
Proud Mary keep on burnin! (New Directions: Burnin')

Tina with New Directions:
Rolling (Artie and Mercedes: Rolling)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Rolling!)
Rollin' on the river (Artie: Rollin' on the river)

New Directions:
Rollin' (Tina: Yeaah!)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Rolling!)

Tina with New Directions:
Rollin' on the river (Mercedes: Rollin' on the river!)

New Directions (with Artie):
Da do do do, da do do do, da do do do,
Ba da ba (yeaah!)
Ba da ba (yeaah!)
Ba da pa pa pa pa pa da da yeah!

Artie:
If you come down to the river, (New Directions: Do, do do)
Bet you gonna find some people who live (New Directions: Do, do do)

Tina:
You don't have to worry if you have no money,
People on the river are happy to give.

Mercedes:
Big wheel keep on turnin' (New Directions: Turnin') (Artie: Oh yeah!)
Proud Mary keep on burnin' (New Directions: Burnin')

Tina with New Directions:
Rolling
Rollin' (Artie: Rolling!)
Rollin' on the river (Mercedes: Rollin' on the river)
Rollin', rollin' (Mercedes: Yeaah!)
Rollin' on the river (Mercedes: Rollin' on the river, eh!) (Artie: Ah, yeah...)

New Directions (with Artie):
Da do do do, da do do do, da do do do,
Da da da (yeaah!) (Mercedes: Heeey!)
Da ba ba (yeaah!) (Mercedes: Yeaaah!)
Ba da pa pa pa pa pa da da yeah! (Mercedes: Oooh!)

New Directions:
Rolling (Artie: Rolling)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Rolling!)
Rollin' on the river (Artie: Rollin' on the river)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Rolling!)
Rollin' (Mercedes: Yeaah!)
Rollin' on the river (Mercedes: Rollin' on the river!)

New Directions (with Artie):
Ba da ba (yeaah!) (Mercedes: Heey!)
Ba ba ba (yeaah!) (Mercedes: Yeaah!)
Ba da pa pa pa pa pa da da yeah!

Mercedes:
Heeey! (Tina: River!) (Artie: Yeaah!)

Trivia[]

During the filming of this number, Amber fell off her wheelchair and everyone thought she was hurt, but she was actually just laughing hysterically.
This song was featured in Chapter 1 of the Glee Forever! app.