While working at a pawn shop in Austin, Joe Lewis first picked up the guitar. Shortly thereafter, Joe Lewis immersed himself in the local Red River blues/garage scene, recording and performing with Austin luminaries such as the Weary Boys and Walter Daniels. Upon the release of the 2005 Brian Salvi produced Black Joe Lewis and The Cold Breeze EP and the 2007 album Black Joe Lewis, both released on Italian label Shake Yo Ass Records, the band gained critical national acclaim and toured as openers for Spoon and Okkervil River in 2007.
The band signed to Lost Highway Records in 2008. Following the signing and performances at 2008's Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears released a four song EP on January 27, 2009.
Their debut album Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! was released on March 17, 2009. It was produced by Spoon's drummer Jim Eno.
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears have performed at music festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Bumbershoot, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival, Musikfest, Latitude Festival, and Splendour in the Grass. The band has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Show with David Letterman, Austin City Limits, and Later... with Jools Holland.
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were featured in Echotone, a 2010 documentary about the Austin, Texas music scene.
On Aug 25, 2013, Joe Lewis stated on NPR that he was trying to shed the 'Honeybears' portion of the band's name, and had never intended for it to continue for so long
Get Yo Shit
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're ready right now.
God damn
Man I came home the other night
And all my shit was out in the front yard
I said there couldn't be one thing going wrong
That crazy ass girl of mine
Went up in the house and she's sittin lookin all crazy
I said 'What's wrong baby'?
She said 'You don't love me'.
I said 'You know I love you'
She said 'No you don't. You stay out all night with yo friends, drinkin and carryin on and you don't even think to call and let me know where you at'.
I said 'Well hold on a minute baby. Let me tell you one more time and maybe you'll believe me'.
I told her something like this:
I said I love you baby
Until the day that I die
I Spell it L O V E
Cmon girl why you do this
You know I love, I love you, I love you
You know I tell you
Cmon baby let me back in the house
You know I love you.
She said 'You don't even by me presents'.
Yeah I did. I bought you a box of chicken but I ate it on the way home.
She said 'you don't even know my name'.
'Yeah it's Melissa'.
She said 'No dumbass, it's Roxanne. Spell it out for me'.
Damn baby. Hold on. So I had to tell her something like this.
I spell it R O X A N baby
Her name is Roxanne and she's rockin my world
WOOOW You know I love her
I love her, I love her, I love her
And so I tell her
She said 'Alright, alright, cmon baby you can come back inside. You know I love you. Can't say no to you. Wish I could'.
I thought we was going to make some love but I heard a knock at the door.
'G-God damn. Who is it man'?
'I apologize for knocking so hard. This is APD looking for Black Joe Lewis'
I said 'Hold on. He's in the back. Let me go get him for you'.
So I went to the back of the house, man she's sittin there and says 'Where you going'?
I said 'I gots to go'
I started running
I started running from that white man
Gonna take me away
For the whole century
And cuz I tell her she'll say I know
You're playing around
So just go get yo shit
Get out boy
The song "Get Yo Shit" by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears tells a story of a man who comes home to find all his belongings in the front yard. He tries to reason with his girlfriend who accuses him of not loving her and of spending time with his friends without letting her know where he is. He spells out "LOVE" and "ROXANNE" to prove his love to her, but then he hears a knock on the door from the police, and he realizes he has to run away from them.
The song is about the struggles of relationships, misunderstandings, and miscommunication. It highlights the importance of communication and expressing love in a relationship, and how lack of trust and communication can lead to misunderstandings that can ruin a relationship.
The lyrics are quite straightforward and easy to understand, and the music is a fusion of blues, funk, and soul music. The band's use of horns and guitars add to the energetic and upbeat rhythm of the song, giving it a funky and danceable groove.
Line by Line Meaning
Wha
The singer is expressing surprise or confusion.
We're ready right now.
There is a sense of urgency or preparedness.
God damn
The singer is using an exclamation to express frustration or annoyance.
Man I came home the other night
The artist is telling a story, specifically about going home one night.
And all my shit was out in the front yard
The artist's possessions were scattered in the front yard.
I said there couldn't be one thing going wrong
The singer was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.
That crazy ass girl of mine
The singer uses derogatory language to refer to his girlfriend.
Let me go over here and see what's wrong with her this time
The artist is attempting to solve the problem with his girlfriend again.
Went up in the house and she's sittin lookin all crazy
The girlfriend is described as being in a negative emotional state.
I said 'What's wrong baby'?
The artist is asking his girlfriend what is bothering her.
She said 'You don't love me'.
The girlfriend feels unloved by the singer.
I said 'You know I love you'
The artist is attempting to reassure his girlfriend that he loves her.
She said 'No you don't. You stay out all night with yo friends, drinkin and carryin on and you don't even think to call and let me know where you at'.
The girlfriend accuses the singer of neglecting her and not communicating with her.
I said 'Well hold on a minute baby. Let me tell you one more time and maybe you'll believe me'.
The singer is trying to convince his girlfriend that he does love her.
I said I love you baby
The singer expresses his love to his girlfriend.
Until the day that I die
The love will last forever.
I Spell it L O V E
The artist spells out the word love.
Cmon girl why you do this
The singer is expressing frustration and confusion about the situation.
You know I love, I love you, I love you
The singer repeats his love for his girlfriend.
Cmon baby let me back in the house
The artist wants to return to the house with his girlfriend.
You know I love you.
The artist reminds his girlfriend of his love.
She said 'You don't even by me presents'.
The girlfriend is upset that the artist doesn't buy her gifts.
Yeah I did. I bought you a box of chicken but I ate it on the way home.
The singer makes a joke to diffuse the situation, but still did not buy a gift for his girlfriend.
She said 'you don't even know my name'.
The girlfriend is frustrated that the artist doesn't know her name.
'Yeah it's Melissa'.
The singer guesses the wrong name.
She said 'No dumbass, it's Roxanne. Spell it out for me'.
The girlfriend corrects the singer's mistake and asks him to spell her name.
Damn baby. Hold on. So I had to tell her something like this.
The singer is surprised and slightly embarrassed by his mistake, but attempts to recover.
I spell it R O X A N baby
The artist spells out the correct name and adds a term of affection.
Her name is Roxanne and she's rockin my world
The artist is expressing his feelings for his girlfriend.
WOOOW You know I love her
The singer is excited and enthusiastic about his love for his girlfriend.
I love her, I love her, I love her
The singer repeatedly expresses his love for his girlfriend.
She said 'Alright, alright, cmon baby you can come back inside. You know I love you. Can't say no to you. Wish I could'.
The girlfriend allows the artist to return, despite her frustration with him.
I thought we was going to make some love but I heard a knock at the door.
The artist is interrupted by a knock at the door.
'G-God damn. Who is it man'? 'I apologize for knocking so hard. This is APD looking for Black Joe Lewis'
The artist is surprised and worried about who is knocking, but it turns out to be the police looking for him.
I said 'Hold on. He's in the back. Let me go get him for you'.
The singer attempts to help the police find Black Joe Lewis.
So I went to the back of the house, man she's sittin there and says 'Where you going'? I said 'I gots to go'
The girlfriend is confused about where the artist is going, and he tells her that he has to leave.
I started running
The singer tries to escape and runs away.
I started running from that white man
The singer is running away from the police officer, who is presumably white.
Gonna take me away
The singer believes that the police are going to arrest him.
For the whole century
The artist exaggerates the length of time he believes he will be arrested for.
And cuz I tell her she'll say I know
The artist believes that his girlfriend will scold him for getting in trouble with the police.
You're playing around
The girlfriend accuses the singer of being irresponsible and not taking their relationship seriously.
So just go get yo shit
The girlfriend is telling the singer to leave and take his belongings with him.
Get out boy
The girlfriend orders the artist to leave her life.
Contributed by Jeremiah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stephen
on Big Booty Woman
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