He had met and was encouraged by Bill Lowery, an Atlanta music publisher and radio personality. He began his recording career in Atlanta with National Recording Corporation, where he served as staff guitarist along with other NRC artists Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed. South's earliest recordings have been re-released by NRC on CD.
South's compositions have been recorded by many artists. They include Billy Joe Royal's hits "Down in the Boondocks" and "Hush" (later a hit for Deep Purple and Kula Shaker), the Osmonds' hit "Yo-Yo," and Elvis Presley's Las Vegas-era version of "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", also recorded by Bryan Ferry and Coldcut. South's most commercially successful composition is Lynn Anderson's 1971 country/pop monster hit "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", which was a hit in 16 countries worldwide. Lynn Anderson won a Grammy Award for her vocals and South won a Grammy Award for writing the song. South would go on to write more hits for Anderson such as, "How Can I Unlove You" (Billboard #1) and "Fool Me" (Billboard #3).
South was also a prominent sideman, recording the memorable guitar part on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", Tommy Roe's "Sheila" as well as appearing on Bob Dylan's album Blonde on Blonde. He also played the electric guitar part that was added to Simon & Garfunkel's first hit, "The Sound of Silence".
The suicide of his brother, Tommy, drove South into a deep depression.[citation needed] Tommy had been his backing band's drummer and accompanied South not only in live performances, but also on recording sessions when South produced hits for other artists, including Billy Joe Royal, Sandy Posey, and Friend & Lover.
South was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979.
In 1988 Dutch DJ, Jan Donkers, interviewed South for VPRO-radio. The radio show that aired the interview also played four new songs by South, but a new record was not released.
In 1994 South played several concerts in England.
On 13 September 2003 South was inducted into Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and played together with Buddy Buie, J.R. Cobb and Chips Moman at the induction ceremony.
Tell the Truth
Joe South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell the truth
Well, you know you can make me do
What you want me to
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Well, you know what you done for me
Because a-lovin′ you
It was so easy to start it
But so hard to stop
And I, if I could
Well, I surely would
Put up four walls around
If I though it would do any good
Come on and tell the truth
Tell the truth
Well, you know you can make me do
What you want me to
Because lovin' you
It was so easy to start it
But so hard to stop
And I, if I could
You know, I very surely would
Put up four walls around you, hey now
If I though it would do any good
Come on and tell the truth
Tell the truth
Well, you know you can make me do
What you want me to
Whoa, whoa, come on tell the truth, there will ya?
And I know, I know, baby
Ev′ry day and ev'ry night
Tell the truth
And whoa
All the time
And I know, and I know
You ought to
You ought to
Stop lyin'
Stop lyin′
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa-oh
Ah, tell the truth
About that boy you were with last night, baby
I go to know
Oh, yes
Well, alright
Well, alright now
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Well, alright
Well, alright
Ev′ry day of your life
Tell the truth
Yeah
The lyrics of Joe South's "Tell The Truth" revolve around the cycle of falling in love, and the difficulty of letting go when a relationship turns sour. The song highlights the conflicting emotions associated with loving someone who no longer reciprocates those feelings.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is still in love with someone who has already moved on, and is demanding honesty from their partner. Despite their heartache, the singer still feels the weight of their past emotions and desires to rebuild the love with their previous partner. They struggle with the idea of building a wall around themselves, and would do so only if they thought it would bring their love to fruition.
In essence, "Tell The Truth" takes an honest look at the aftermath of a failed relationship, where one partner is still struggling to come to terms with the end of a love affair, while the other has moved on. The song is a reminder of the emotional complexities that come with love and the need for open communication in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell the truth
Be honest and reveal the truth
Tell the truth
Reiterate the importance of honesty
Well, you know you can make me do
What you want me to
You have control and can manipulate me to your advantage
Well, you know what you done for me
You made me fall in love with you
You have influenced my emotions and made me develop feelings for you
Because a-lovin′ you
It was so easy to start it
But so hard to stop
And I, if I could
Well, I surely would
Put up four walls around
If I though it would do any good
Loving you was effortless at first, but now it's difficult to let go. If possible, I would barricade my heart to prevent further heartache
Come on and tell the truth
Encouragement for honesty
Whoa, whoa, come on tell the truth, there will ya?
Urging to speak the truth
And I know, I know, baby
Ev′ry day and ev'ry night
Tell the truth
And whoa
All the time
And I know, and I know
You ought to
You ought to
I'm aware that you don't always tell the truth. Come clean and be truthful all the time. You have a responsibility to be honest
Stop lyin'
Stop lyin′
Quit deceiving
Ah, tell the truth
About that boy you were with last night, baby
I go to know
Oh, yes
Expose the reality regarding the individual you were hanging out with the previous night. Don't attempt to cover it up. I deserve to know
Well, alright
Well, alright now
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Well, alright
Well, alright
Ev′ry day of your life
Tell the truth
Yeah
Okay, okay, go ahead and speak the truth. It's acceptable if you reveal the truth, always. Without exception
Writer(s): Harry D. Gregson Williams
Contributed by Amelia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.