He gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the styles of country, gospel and rhythm and blues.
Born in Rogers, Texas, in 1935 and raised in Baytown, TX, Tex's career started after he was signed to King Records in 1955 following four wins at the Apollo Theater. Between that year and 1964, however, Tex struggled to find hits and by the time he finally recorded his first hit, "Hold What You've Got", in 1964, he had recorded thirty prior singles that were deemed failures on the charts. Tex went on to have three million-selling hits, "Hold What You've Got" (1965), "Skinny Legs and All" (1967) and "I Gotcha" (1972).
Joe Tex with the raspy voice & charm of a southern preacher and the linguistic skills of a true street hustler made a string of funky chart topping hits and occasional raps with moral themes. His peak as a hitmaker occured in the mid & late 60's, but extended into the 70's disco era.
His breakthrough 1965 song "Hold What You've Got" topped both the Pop and R&B charts. In 1966 he released "I Believe I'm Gonna Make It", which was the first major pop record associated with the Vietnam War. His style was usually more light hearted fare, like "S.Y.S.L.J.F.M. (The Letter Song)" and his biggest hit "Skinny Legs And All".
His last major record was 1972's funky jam "I Gotcha", a #1 song. It was after this release that he converted to Islam. After the death of Elijah Mohamed in 1975, Joe Tex received the blessing and approval of the Nation of Islam to begin recording and performing again. His career resurgence came as the disco years were in full swing. His late career comeback song was "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)".
A Woman's Hands
Joe Tex Lyrics
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Haven't we baby?
Heh, I remember when times were bad
You stood right by me
Didn't you darling?
Oh, and I love you for that
But I don't want your little heart to
Want for a thing
Like they say
Then I wanna spend that one life
Taking care of you
Because baby, I'm a true believer
In an old saying that I heard a lady say one time
As I was travelin' through the world somewhere
I don't remember where it was
Log on to hide ad.
But I remember this old lady sittin'
On her front porch lookin' at her hands
That the years had wrinkled and twisted
And as she looked at her hands
She looked back up at me and she said
She said, "Son, a woman's hands, huh
Just weren't made to work hard
All the time. can't you see that?"
I know a lot of men are gonna be made at me for sayin' that
But I got to say it again
I said, A woman's hands
Just weren't made to work hard
All the time
Here's what they were made for
They were made to rub a mans head
Make her man some bread
Fix him a good cup of coffee
And put his children to bed
And that's what
A woman's hands were made for
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You think that's something?
Listen to this
A woman's love
Wasn't made to worry
All the time
And the quicker the men realize that
The better off the world's gonna be
Listen to me
I said, a woman's mind
Wasn't made to worry
All the time
Listen, it was made to pick up
Cuddle little things to do to survive her man
And try to keep him smiling
As long as she can
That's what a woman's mind
Was made for
Ah that's what a woman's mind was made for
In Joe Tex's song "A Woman's Hands," the artist reflects on the importance of women and their roles in relationships. He acknowledges that he and his partner have come a long way together and that she has stood by him through difficult times. He expresses his love for her and his desire to take care of her, so that she never wants for anything.
The inspiration for the song came from an old lady's insightful statement that Joe Tex heard while he was traveling. The old lady was looking at her wrinkled and twisted hands and said, “Son, a woman's hands weren't made to work hard all the time. Can't you see that they were made to rub a man's head, make him some bread, fix him a good cup of coffee, put his kids to bed? That's what a woman's hand was made for…” Joe Tex took this statement and developed it into a full song, adding more insight to the roles of women beyond their hands.
This song highlights the societal expectations of women in relationships and the roles they are expected to fulfill, which are often undervalued and taken for granted. Joe Tex's interpretation of the old lady's statement is an appreciation for women's hands in the context of their traditional roles in relationships, and a recognition of the emotional labor and mental load that women carry in their minds.
Line by Line Meaning
You and have come a long way together
Me and my partner have been together for a long time
Haven't we baby?
Isn't that true, my dear?
Heh, I remember when times were bad
I remember when we had financial problems
You stood right by me
You supported me throughout that time
Didn't you darling?
Isn't that true, my dear?
Oh, and I love you for that
I appreciate and love you for supporting me
But I don't want your little heart to Want for a thing
I don't want you to lack anything
Because if I've only got one life to live
Since I only have one life to live
Like they say
As the saying goes
Then I wanna spend that one life Taking care of you
I want to take care of you for the rest of my life
Because baby, I'm a true believer In an old saying that I heard a lady say one time
I believe in an old saying I heard from a woman once
I don't remember where it was
I don't remember where I heard the saying
But I remember this old lady sittin' On her front porch lookin' at her hands That the years had wrinkled and twisted
I remember an old lady sitting on her porch, admiring her wrinkled hands
And as she looked at her hands She looked back up at me and she said
She looked up at me and told me
She said, 'Son, a woman's hands, huh Just weren't made to work hard All the time. can't you see that?'
Women's hands weren't made to work too hard all the time
I know a lot of men are gonna be made at me for sayin' that But I got to say it again
I know some men will disagree, but I still have to say it
I said, A woman's hands Just weren't made to work hard All the time
Women's hands weren't made for constant hard work
Here's what they were made for They were made to rub a mans head Make her man some bread Fix him a good cup of coffee And put his children to bed And that's what A woman's hands were made for
Women's hands were made for massages, cooking, making coffee, taking care of children, and serving their man
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah You think that's something? Listen to this
Do you think that's all? Listen to this
A woman's love Wasn't made to worry All the time
Women's love wasn't made to worry constantly
And the quicker the men realize that The better off the world's gonna be Listen to me
Men need to realize this to make the world a better place
I said, a woman's mind Wasn't made to worry All the time Listen, it was made to pick up Cuddle little things to do to survive her man And try to keep him smiling As long as she can That's what a woman's mind Was made for
Women's minds weren't made for worrying all the time, but for finding ways to keep their man happy and surviving together
Ah that's what a woman's mind was made for
That's what women's minds were made for
Writer(s): Joe Tex
Contributed by Madelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.