His first album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song: "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window". A hastily thrown together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organized by Leon Russell. His 1974 recording of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker's best selling song was the US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.
In 1993, Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male. He was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown in 2007, and received an OBE the following year for services to music. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Cocker
Studio albums
With a Little Help from My Friends (1969)
Joe Cocker! (1969)
Joe Cocker (1972/EU: 1973)
I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
Jamaica Say You Will (1975)
Stingray (1976)
Luxury You Can Afford (1978)
Sheffield Steel (1982)
Civilized Man (1984)
Cocker (1986)
Unchain My Heart (1987)
One Night of Sin (1989)
Night Calls (1991/US: 1992)
Have a Little Faith (1994)
Organic (1996)
Across from Midnight (1997)
No Ordinary World (1999/US: 2000)
Respect Yourself (2002)
Heart & Soul (2004/US: 2005)
Hymn for My Soul (2007/US: 2008)
Hard Knocks (2010/US: 2012)
Fire It Up (2012)
Dixie Lullaby
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About that sweet magnolia thyme
The black eyed Susan made some catfish stew
And papa brought some homemade wine
Now, all the southern children like to rock 'n' roll
The TV mamas tell you why
They got it on the boat from Africa
And blind Willie Time, he had a dime shoe shine
Stand down on Beale Street
And Willie would stop and say "Hello"
To all the shoes he'd meet
"Why are you so happy?" said the clean white buck
"You got no reason to be happy Mr. Time"
But Willie just smiled and he dropped his rag
And sang a Dixie lullaby
Now you heard the story of my southern home
With a honeysuckle wine
Anytime you think that you might come yourself
You ought to keep this thought in mind
All you easy riders better watch your step
If you're walkin' down below the line
That Louisiana man is gonna get you, yet
With his Dixie lullaby
He's got a Dixie lullaby
Ohh, it's a Dixie lullaby, bye
The lyrics of Joe Cocker's song Dixie Lullaby portray a nostalgic image of a southern home with sweet magnolia thyme, black-eyed Susan's catfish stew, and homemade wine. However, amidst these idyllic images, the song also recounts stories of poverty, racism, and injustice.
The first verse highlights the influence of African American music on southern rock and roll. The lyrics suggest that the roots of rock and roll lie in the music brought over by African slaves, referred to as the Dixie lullaby. The second verse introduces Blind Willie Time, a shoeshine man, whose contentment baffles people around him. The third and last verse warns the listener of the dangers of crossing the line in Louisiana and encountering the Dixie lullaby, which could imply both an alluring and treacherous aspect of the South.
The message conveyed through the song is that while the south has a beautiful and captivating nature, it also has an ugly and oppressive side that needs to be reckoned with. Cocker's use of imagery and storytelling creates a vivid picture of the South, thus giving the song an evocative and emotionally resonant quality.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather round me people, got a song to sing
Come and listen to me singing
About that sweet magnolia thyme
I am singing about the sweet magnolia fragrance
The black eyed Susan made some catfish stew
Black eyed Susan cooked catfish stew
And papa brought some homemade wine
Father brought his own wine
Now, all the southern children like to rock 'n' roll
Southern children love rock and roll music
The TV mamas tell you why
Television mothers explain the origin of rock and roll
They got it on the boat from Africa
The rock and roll music came from Africa through a boat
It's that Dixie lullaby
This is called Dixie lullaby
And blind Willie Time, he had a dime shoe shine
A blind man Willie Time would shine shoes for a dime
Stand down on Beale Street
He would stand on Beale Street to offer his services
And Willie would stop and say "Hello"
Willie would greet people
To all the shoes he'd meet
He greeted every pair of shoes he encountered
"Why are you so happy?" said the clean white buck
A clean white man asked Willie why he is so happy
"You got no reason to be happy Mr. Time"
The white man thought that Willie has no reason to be happy
But Willie just smiled and he dropped his rag
Willie smiled and dropped his rag
And sang a Dixie lullaby
Then he sang Dixie lullaby
Now you heard the story of my southern home
You have heard the story of my southern home
With a honeysuckle wine
There was honeysuckle wine in my home
Anytime you think that you might come yourself
If you ever plan to visit my home someday
You ought to keep this thought in mind
You should remember this
All you easy riders better watch your step
Careful easy riders
If you're walkin' down below the line
If you are travelling below a certain line
That Louisiana man is gonna get you, yet
The Louisiana man will get you
With his Dixie lullaby
Using his Dixie lullaby
He's got a Dixie lullaby
He has a Dixie lullaby
Ohh, it's a Dixie lullaby, bye
It is a Dixie lullaby, goodbye
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRIS STAINTON, LEON RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind