Dick Justice … Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists who used the name Dick Justice.
Dick Justice (born Henry Franklin Justice april 3, 1903, died September 12,1962), was an influential blues and folk musician who hailed from West Virginia, United States. He recorded ten songs for Brunswick Records in Chicago in 1929. He was heavily influenced by black musicians, particularly Luke Jordan who recorded in 1927 and 1929 for Victor Records. Justice's "Cocaine" is a verse-for-verse cover of the Jordan track of the same name recorded two years earlier. The song "Brownskin Blues" is also stylistically akin the much of Jordan's work but stands on its own as a Justice original. As Jordan hailed from around Lynchburg, Virginia it is perhaps worth speculating that the two may have been associates. Justice is also musically related to Frank Hutchison (with whom he played music and worked as a coal miner in Logan County, West Virginia) and The Williamson Brothers. His recording of the traditional ballad 'Henry Lee' is the opening track of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. He also worked closely with Reese Jarvis(1899-1967) who played violin on "Muskrat Rag "and "Poca River Blues".
There was also an alternative rock band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois named Dick Justice. They formed in late 1991, taking their name from one Richard Justice . . . the associate dean of students at the University of Illinois in charge of student discipline and mediation programs. Original members included Jim Kamp (guitar, vocals), Galen Gondolfi (drums, vocals) and Rob Arrol (bass, vocals). The band played thier first show on January 24, 1992 at a house party (with Bob Rising from Poster Children/Seam guesting on drums). dick justice made a name for themselves throughout the Midwest, through regular touring and playing with the likes of Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Elvis Hitler, Material Issue, Pansy Division, A Flock of Seagulls, Arcwelder, Busker Soundcheck, Tripmaster Monkey, Honcho Overload, The Moon Seven Times, Delta Kings, Walt Mink and one incredibly memorable night with Alcohol Funnycar. The original members released one 7-inch on Mud Records in December 1993. The Lasso Your Heart EP featured the songs "Nine Outta Ten" (also included on the CD comp. Mud Puddle Playoffs) and "Part of Your Problem." Arrol departed in May 1994. During this period he was also rhythm guitarist For Decatur, Illinois' and Medium Cool Recording Artists' Ticks. He reimerged in the fall of 1994 playing guitar and singing with a pop-punk power trio known as "mary me" with braid's Todd Bell on bass on Roy Ewing on drums. They recorded for John Yates' Allied Recordings. Gondolfi and Kamp recruited Chris Green to fill in before relocating to Chicago and asking Jeff Sorensen to assume full-time bass duties. Gondolfi eventually left the band with Paul Pagones taking over on drums. Gondolfi took a brake from drumming to travel and experience many parts of the United States. He came back into the spotlight in St. Louis' Push and currently drums with an outfit known as Airport Elementary. The Kamp, Sorensen, Pagones line-up of dick justice released two 7-inches: DICK JUSTICE ROCK on Evanston, Illinois' ten-spot record company, inc. and Superfancy Heavy Duty Everything on Chicago's Thick Records. Kamp later fronted seminal Chicago bands Team Player and Snaklab All-Tsars (w/Pagones on drums). He currently plays with his brother Paul (Busker Soundcheck) in Ruth Buzzy. On May 25, 2008, the original line-up of Rob Arrol, Galen Gondolfi and Jim Kamp reunited in Champaign, IL for a show at The High Dive. In front of a sell out crowd, dick justice (the band) was introduced by Dick Justice (the man). Others on the bill that night were Driver Has No Cash, Corndolly, The Moon Seven Times, Mother/Menthol and Honcho Overload.
Little Lulie
Dick Justice Lyrics
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The highway robber's coming to burn your playhouse down
If I had minded Daddy, Lord, I wouldn't been here today
Drinking wine and good whiskey has caused me to run away
I'll go up some dark hollow where the sun don't never shine
There I'll sit with another man's woman, and I'll know she will never be mine
I'll build me a steeple, up on the mountain so high
So I can see little Lulie once more before I die
I dreamt I saw little Lulie, setting by the sea
An empty glass beside her and a .44 at her knee
Young girls, young girls take warning, now take this warning from me
Don't never leave your father for a gambling man like me
The last time I saw little Lulie, she had a wine glass in her hand
Drinking up her troubles and courting some other man
Now if you see little Lulie, just tell her I am dead
I'm lying in a lonely graveyard with a tombstone at my head
The lyrics to Dick Justice's song "Little Lulie" tell the story of a man who is reflecting on his regrets and the consequences of his actions. He begins by asking why "Little Lulie" is sleeping so soundly and warns her that a "highway robber" is coming to burn her "playhouse" down. This could be interpreted both literally and metaphorically, suggesting danger and destruction approaching.
Next, the singer confesses that his own choices have led him down a path that has resulted in him having to run away. He speaks of sitting with another man's woman and a desire to see Lulie once more before he dies. However, he also has a morbid dream of Lulie with an empty glass and a .44 at her knee, hinting at violence and danger.
The singer then issues a warning to young girls not to leave their fathers for "gambling men" like him. He describes seeing Lulie with a wine glass in her hand, drinking and courting someone else. Finally, he requests that if anyone sees Lulie, to tell her that he has died and is buried in a "lonely graveyard" with a tombstone at his head.
The song overall can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of making poor choices and the consequences that can come from them. It also reflects on remorse and missed opportunities for redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up, wake up, little Lulie, what makes you sleep so sound?
Why are you sleeping so peacefully, Little Lulie, even though danger is looming?
The highway robber's coming to burn your playhouse down
You won't be safe for long, as the criminal is coming to wreck everything.
If I had minded Daddy, Lord, I wouldn't been here today
If I had listened to my father's advice, I wouldn't be living in regret and pain.
Drinking wine and good whiskey has caused me to run away
My addiction to wine and whiskey led me to run away from my problems.
I'll go up some dark hollow where the sun don't never shine
I will retreat to a place so desolate that the sun never illuminates it.
There I'll sit with another man's woman, and I'll know she will never be mine
There, I will be in the company of a woman who doesn't belong to me, and I'll understand that she can never be mine.
I'll build me a steeple, up on the mountain so high
I will construct a high structure atop a mountain so that I can locate Little Lulie before I die.
So I can see little Lulie once more before I die
This is the reason why I'll build a tall structure: to catch a glimpse of Little Lulie before I pass away.
I dreamt I saw little Lulie, setting by the sea
In my dream, I saw Little Lulie sitting beside the sea.
An empty glass beside her and a .44 at her knee
She sat with an empty glass next to her and a gun close to her knees.
Young girls, young girls take warning, now take this warning from me
I'm warning young girls not to make the same mistake I made and leave their families for a reckless gambler.
Don't never leave your father for a gambling man like me
My irresponsible behavior is not worth leaving your family and causing them pain.
The last time I saw little Lulie, she had a wine glass in her hand
The last time I saw Little Lulie, she was holding a wine glass and troubled by some other guy.
Drinking up her troubles and courting some other man
She drank alcohol to try to forget her problems and sought comfort in a man who wasn't devoted to her.
Now if you see little Lulie, just tell her I am dead
If you see Little Lulie, tell her I am no more.
I'm lying in a lonely graveyard with a tombstone at my head
I'm buried in a solitary cemetery with a tombstone marking my resting place.
Contributed by Allison I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.