Joe Tex (Joseph Arrington, Jr., August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982) was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴Joe Tex (Joseph Arrington, Jr., August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982) was an American rhythm & blues singer. Tex's last name was Arrington. He later changed it to Hazziez after conversion to Islam but his stage name was Joe Tex, for Texas, the state he was born & later died in.
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)".

Keep the One You've Got
Joe Tex Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey fellas, look over there

See that woman over there
With the long pretty hair
Don't she look good? (yeah)
Don't she look good? (yeah)
And see that woman that just drove by then
With her hair blowing in the wind

Didn't she look good? (yeah)
Didn't she look good? (yeah)
See that woman going to church, huh
All dressed up in her mini-skirt, woo!
She looks good (yeah)
Don't she look good? (yeah)
And see that woman eating her lunch
She's got skin you'd love to touch
Don't she look good? (yeah)
Don't she look good? (yeah)

Listen

You better keep the woman you got
I know the other one looks good to you
But she might not be as good as she looks
Ain't it the truth, Lord? (yeah)
It's the truth girls, listen
Let me show you something, huh
See that man dressed in his Nehru
He's got pockets of money to give you
Don't he look good? Ha ha! (yeah)
Don't he look good? (yeah)
And see that man across the street
With those alligator shoes on his feet
Oh, the man is lookin' good (yeah)
He looks good (yeah)
And see that man over to your right
He throws big parties every night
The man is good (yeah)
Don't he look good? (yeah)
And check that man over to your left, huh
All the women say he's kinda
Stuck on his self
Oh, the man know he's lookin' good (yeah)
He's lookin' good, he he he he! (yeah)

But you better keep the same man you got
I know the other one looks good to you
But he might not be as good as he looks

Ain't it the truth, y'all? (yeah)
It's the truth

Overall Meaning

In Joe Tex's song "Keep the One You've Got," the lyrics depict an observation of various attractive individuals, both men and women, passing by and catching the attention of the singer. The song begins with the singer pointing out different women and admiring their physical appearances. The women range from a woman with long pretty hair to a woman in a mini-skirt heading to church. Similarly, the singer also notices well-dressed men with money to give, expensive shoes, and a man who throws big parties.

However, the central message of the song lies in the chorus, where the singer advises the listener to "keep the woman you got" or "keep the same man you got." Despite the allure of these other attractive individuals, the singer emphasizes that it's important to appreciate and remain faithful to the person you are with. The song suggests that while someone else may appear enticing, they might not possess the same qualities or be as good as they seem at first glance.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey fellas, look over there
Hey guys, look at that

See that woman over there With the long pretty hair
Notice the woman with beautiful, long hair

Don't she look good? (yeah) Don't she look good? (yeah)
Doesn't she appear attractive?

And see that woman that just drove by then With her hair blowing in the wind
Observe the woman who just passed by, her hair flowing in the wind

Didn't she look good? (yeah) Didn't she look good? (yeah)
Didn't she appear appealing?

See that woman going to church, huh All dressed up in her mini-skirt, woo!
Take a look at the woman headed to church, dressed up in a mini-skirt

She looks good (yeah) Don't she look good? (yeah)
She looks attractive, right?

And see that woman eating her lunch She's got skin you'd love to touch
And observe the woman enjoying her lunch, her skin so desirable to touch

Don't she look good? (yeah) Don't she look good? (yeah)
Doesn't she appear appealing?

You better keep the woman you got I know the other one looks good to you But she might not be as good as she looks Ain't it the truth, Lord? (yeah)
It's wiser to remain faithful to your current partner Although the temptation of another may seem strong There's a chance she may not be as amazing as she appears Isn't that the reality?

It's the truth girls, listen Let me show you something, huh
It's the reality, ladies, pay attention Allow me to demonstrate something

See that man dressed in his Nehru He's got pockets of money to give you
Observe the man wearing a Nehru suit He has plenty of money to offer

Don't he look good? Ha ha! (yeah) Don't he look good? (yeah)
Doesn't he appear attractive?

And see that man across the street With those alligator shoes on his feet Oh, the man is lookin' good (yeah)
And notice the man on the opposite side of the street Wearing alligator shoes Oh, he looks impressive

He looks good (yeah) And check that man over to your right He throws big parties every night
He looks attractive And look at the man to your right He throws extravagant parties every night

The man is good (yeah) Don't he look good? (yeah)
That man is impressive, right?

And see that man over to your left, huh All the women say he's kinda Stuck on his self
And observe the man to your left All the women say he's quite self-absorbed

Oh, the man know he's lookin' good (yeah) He's lookin' good, he he he he! (yeah)
Oh, he knows he's attractive He's feeling confident and boasting about it

But you better keep the same man you got I know the other one looks good to you But he might not be as good as he looks Ain't it the truth, y'all? (yeah)
However, it's better to stay committed to your current partner Though the appeal of another may be strong There's a possibility that he may not be as great as he appears Isn't that the reality, everyone?

It's the truth
That's the reality

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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