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)".
Men Are Gettin' Scarce
Joe Tex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Listen to this
Men are gettin scarce girls
They're gettin' scarce as hen's teeth, yeah
Men are gettin' scarce girls
Gettin' scarce as hen's teeth, yeah
There used to be a time
Now in order for a woman to get a man
She gotta, she gotta take him
She gotta take him, she gotta take him
She gotta take him right out of another woman's arms
Men are gettin scarce girls
Oh their gettin' scarce girls
Gettin' scarce as hen's teeth,(ha ha)
And that's mighty scarce
Listen to this
I was talkin' to this woman the other day
Now she said, she was gonna quit her man
'Cause he's got a raggedy car
Can you get to that, look here, huh
Women are funny though
Every time her car is runnin' good
They say chile, that's my car
Soon as it gets to runnin' bad
She say ah I don't want that old car
That's his car
Listen she gonna say to me
She said the other day, she said
It runs hot, it burns oil
This old car is beat and rundown
The other day the battery fell dead
Right in the heart of town, embarrassin' me
Let me tell you one thing baby
You tell that man to get a tune up on that car
Get a new set of spark plugs, some brand new tires
And a new water pump and you keep that man
'Cause let me tell you one thing right now
Men are gettin scarce girls
Ah their gettin' scarce girls
They're gettin' scarce as hen's teeth
And that's mighty scarce
Hold it band, hold it, hold it a minute
Say Miss Lady, now you just gonna sit there at that table
And eat all the barbecue and ain't gonna give me none
Say what? Oh not you again
Say LeRoy, here's this woman with them skinny legs again
She got a greasy mouth this time
Come over here and get this greasy mouth woman
She reminds me of them folks up in Navisoda, Texas
Eatin' barbecue and drinkin' red soda water on the 19th of June
Look here, give me a piece of that barbecue
And kiss me with your greasy mouth
I was talkin' to this woman the other day
Now here's a woman that was gonna quit her man
'Cause he wasn't makin' enough money on his job
Talkin' 'bout how much tax Uncle Sam take out of his money
She went on to say something like this
She say they take tax and more tax and they keep on takin' that tax
Why he take so much money from my man
We ain't got enough to relax
Well let me tell you one thing baby
You let that man stay on that ole measely job
And let him keep bringin' home that little 72.50 every week
And you keep that man
'Cause Uncle Sam is gonna get his baby
Don't you worry about that
Men are gettin' scarce baby
They're gettin' scarce as hen's teeth
You got some women their man ain't got no job
The lyrics to Joe Tex's song "Men Are Gettin' Scarce" explore the current cultural trend where men are becoming hard to find. The song showcases the notion that in the past, women had the power to attract men based on their charm; however, nowadays, women have to fight for the man they want by taking him out of another woman's arms. The phrase "gettin' scarce as hen's teeth" emphasizes the rarity of men in the current dating market. The song also highlights the idea that some women tend to nitpick over superficial things such as cars and jobs, which only leads to their partners feeling undervalued and unappreciated. The song encourages women to focus on the things that matter most in life, like love and companionship, and not let things like finances and status get in the way.
One interesting fact about this song is that it was released in 1966 and was a hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The song is a part of a broader cultural trend of feminism that was taking place during the 1960s. Another exciting fact is that the lyrics of this song are still relevant today, with men becoming more "scarce" in the current dating market. It's interesting to think that despite being over 50 years old, the song's message is still as relevant and accurate as ever. Additionally, Joe Tex, who wrote and performed this song, was a highly influential figure in the soul and R&B genre of music. He won many awards during his career, including a Grammy Award for Best R&B Recording.
Another interesting fact is that "Men Are Gettin' Scarce" was remixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in their hit song "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble." The remix includes snippets from the original song and emphasizes the idea that women have the power in the dating game. It's fascinating to see how this song has influenced other artists and musicians over the years. Finally, the chords for this song are G, C, D, and Em.
Chords: G, C, D, Em.
Line by Line Meaning
Girls listen, I'm gonna cool you cooks to something
Listen up ladies, I'm going to tell you something important.
Listen to this
Pay attention to what I'm about to say.
Men are gettin scarce girls
There are not as many available men as there used to be.
They're gettin' scarce as hen's teeth, yeah
Men are becoming extremely rare.
There used to be a time
In the past,
When a woman could get a man with just her charms
A woman could attract a man with her personality or appearance.
Now in order for a woman to get a man
Currently, a woman needs to take specific steps to get a man.
She gotta, she gotta take him
She needs to pursue him.
She gotta take him, she gotta take him
She needs to actively pursue him.
She gotta take him right out of another woman's arms
She needs to steal him away from another woman who has his attention.
Men are gettin scarce girls
There are not as many available men as there used to be.
Oh their gettin' scarce girls
There are extremely few men available now.
Gettin' scarce as hen's teeth,(ha ha)
Men are becoming unbelievably scarce and hard to find.
And that's mighty scarce
This is a big problem.
I was talkin' to this woman the other day
I recently had a conversation with a woman.
Now she said, she was gonna quit her man
She claimed that she was going to leave her partner.
'Cause he's got a raggedy car
Because he has a car in bad condition.
Can you get to that, look here, huh
Can you believe that?
Women are funny though
Women can be peculiar in their behavior.
Every time her car is runnin' good
When her car is working well,
They say chile, that's my car
She claims it as her car.
Soon as it gets to runnin' bad
As soon as it starts to have problems,
She say ah I don't want that old car
She refuses to claim ownership or interest in it.
That's his car
She'll attribute it to her partner instead.
Listen she gonna say to me
Then she told me
She said the other day, she said
She told me this story
It runs hot, it burns oil
The car overheats, burns oil, and has other issues.
This old car is beat and rundown
The car is old and in poor condition.
The other day the battery fell dead
The other day the battery died.
Right in the heart of town, embarrassin' me
It broke down in the center of the city, which was embarrassing.
Let me tell you one thing baby
Let me give you some advice.
You tell that man to get a tune up on that car
Encourage your partner to get their car serviced.
Get a new set of spark plugs, some brand new tires
Upgrade the car by getting new spark plugs and tires.
And a new water pump and you keep that man
As part of the upgrade, replace the water pump and keep your partner.
'Cause let me tell you one thing right now
Because I'm trying to make a point here.
Men are gettin scarce girls
There are not as many available men as there used to be.
Ah their gettin' scarce girls
There are extremely few men available now.
They're gettin' scarce as hen's teeth
Men are becoming unbelievably scarce and hard to find.
And that's mighty scarce
This is a big problem.
Hold it band, hold it, hold it a minute
Wait a minute, everyone.
Say Miss Lady, now you just gonna sit there at that table
Hey there, ma'am, why are you just sitting there?
And eat all the barbecue and ain't gonna give me none
You're eating all the barbecue and not sharing any with me.
Say what? Oh not you again
Whoa, it's you again.
Say LeRoy, here's this woman with them skinny legs again
Hey LeRoy, it's that woman with the thin legs again.
She got a greasy mouth this time
She's really messy and dirty this time.
Come over here and get this greasy mouth woman
Come take this dirty woman away from me.
She reminds me of them folks up in Navisoda, Texas
She reminds me of some people from a particular place.
Eatin' barbecue and drinkin' red soda water on the 19th of June
Eating barbecue and drinking soda on June 19th.
Look here, give me a piece of that barbecue
Can I have some of that barbecue?
And kiss me with your greasy mouth
Kiss me even though you have barbecue sauce on your mouth.
I was talkin' to this woman the other day
I recently had a conversation with a woman.
Now here's a woman that was gonna quit her man
This woman was planning on leaving her partner.
'Cause he wasn't makin' enough money on his job
Because he wasn't earning enough at his job.
Talkin' 'bout how much tax Uncle Sam take out of his money
Talking about how much tax he has to pay.
She went on to say something like this
She continued to speak, something like this:
She say they take tax and more tax and they keep on takin' that tax
They take away a lot in taxes.
Why he take so much money from my man
Why is he taking that much from my partner?
We ain't got enough to relax
We don't have enough to be comfortable.
Well let me tell you one thing baby
Let me give you some advice.
You let that man stay on that ole measely job
Let your partner keep his current job, even if it's not great.
And let him keep bringin' home that little 72.50 every week
Let him keep earning that small amount every week.
And you keep that man
Keep your partner, regardless of his income.
'Cause Uncle Sam is gonna get his baby
The government will get their share regardless.
Don't you worry about that
Don't worry too much about it.
Men are gettin' scarce baby
There are not as many available men as there used to be.
They're gettin' scarce as hen's teeth
Men are becoming unbelievably scarce and hard to find.
You got some women their man ain't got no job
Some women have partners who don't have jobs.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TEX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind