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)".
I'll Never Do You Wrong
Joe Tex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I ever leave you all alone
If I ever tell you a lie
And if I ever make you cry
Baby, I hope a fire
Light on my pie
I hope a bee sting me over my eye
And I love my eye, baby
So you know I'll never do you wrong
If I ever make you blue
If I ever say I don't love you
If I ever make you sad
And if I say something that'll make you mad
Baby, I hope I slip
And break my hip
I hope a fever blister come on my lip
You know I love my hip
And I love my lip, baby
So you know I'll never do you wrong
If I ever break your heart
If I ever tear your dreams apart
If I ever say we're through
And if I ever walk away from you
Baby, I hope a?
Come on my elbow
I hope a rock fall on my big toe
You know I love my toe
And my elbow, baby
So you know I'll never do you wrong
In Joe Tex's song, "I'll Never Do You Wrong," the singer reassures his love and devotion to his partner by expressing a series of humorous, exaggerated scenarios of what he hopes will happen to him if he ever mistreats her. Tex sings that if he ever does something wrong, such as leaving her alone, lying to her, making her cry, making her angry, or even breaking her heart, he hopes to suffer physical pain and injury to show how sincere he is about his love for her. For example, he hopes a fire will light on his pie, a bee will sting him over his eye, he'll slip and break his hip or receive a fever blister on his lip, and a rock will fall on his big toe or something will come on his elbow. He emphasizes that he loves various body parts such as his pie, eye, hip, lip, toe, and elbow, but he loves her more, and he knows he'll never do her wrong.
The song presents a playful and lighthearted approach to expressing affection, as well as a way to establish trust and mutual understanding in a relationship. The lyrics showcase Tex's unique style of blending humor, soulful vocals, and catchy melodies in his music. By using whimsical examples of physical punishment and discomfort, he emphasizes the importance of treating his beloved with respect and kindness. He acknowledges that relationships can be complicated, but he promises to always prioritize her happiness and wellbeing.
Line by Line Meaning
If I ever do you wrong
In the event that I unknowingly or knowingly upset or hurt you
If I ever leave you all alone
If I create a situation where you are abandoned and isolated
If I ever tell you a lie
If I ever deceive you with a falsehood
And if I ever make you cry
If my actions cause you to become emotional and cry
Baby, I hope a fire
I hope that divine punishment is bestowed on me
Light on my pie
I hope that lightning strikes me while I eat my pie
I hope a bee sting me over my eye
I hope that a bee stings me in the vicinity of my eye
You know I love my pie
I am fond of eating pie and find it enjoyable
And I love my eye, baby
I cherish my sense of sight
So you know I'll never do you wrong
Since I have expressed my love of these things, you can trust that I will not intentionally hurt or upset you
If I ever make you blue
If I make you sad or unhappy
If I ever say I don't love you
If I confess or imply that I do not love you
If I ever make you sad
If I cause you to feel sorrow or grief
And if I say something that'll make you mad
If my words or actions cause you to become agitated or angry
Baby, I hope I slip
I wish for a physical error or mishap to occur as retribution
And break my hip
I hope to be injured in some form, specifically in relation to my hip
I hope a fever blister come on my lip
I hope to experience a viral infection in the form of a fever blister on my lip
You know I love my hip
I care for my hip and other body parts
And I love my lip, baby
I value having healthy and attractive lips
So you know I'll never do you wrong
My admiration for these things indicates that I am sincere and would not purposefully hurt or wrong you
If I ever break your heart
If I cause you emotional distress or harm due to a broken relationship
If I ever tear your dreams apart
If I ruin or destroy your aspirations, hopes, or goals for the future
If I ever say we're through
If I declare or insinuate that our relationship is over
And if I ever walk away from you
If I depart from you, either physically or in a personal manner
Baby, I hope a?
I seek divine vengeance for my wrongful actions
Come on my elbow
I wish for physical harm or pain to come to my elbow
I hope a rock fall on my big toe
I hope to have my big toe injured by a falling rock
You know I love my toe
I have a fondness for my toes and value them
And my elbow, baby
My arm's elbow is an important body part to me
So you know I'll never do you wrong
I value and appreciate my physical well-being, so it can be inferred that I value and want to maintain a healthy relationship with you.
Contributed by Anthony H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.