Here's the correct lyric, straight from the writer John Fogerty: "Sometimes I write words to songs because they sound cool to sing. Sometimes the listener doesn't understand what I'm singing because I'm dedicated to singing the vowel, having fun with the word sounds coming out of my mouth. `Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans,' is a good example. I think Tina Turner sang `tane' instead of `pain,' as in a contracted form of octane. But I knew what she meant," Fogerty said."
Well I never.
Guess my general lifelong apathy towards rock lyrics has held me in good stead. For the 30 seconds or so pondering such, during the many years since this song was variously recorded, I had guessed at completely other words regarding this song.