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)".
Papa Was Too
Joe Tex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alright baby you can call me that
My papa was
'Cause I never dug working
From morning 'till night
And my money didn't seem to ever come out right
No no
Papa was a tramp
So why can't I
Do like papa do, oh yeah
Like papa do, huh
Like papa do now, huh
'Cause I'm his son, huh
Why can't I be like my daddy
Low down and nasty
Alright if you want to call me that go ahead
I guess papa was too
Just 'cause he don't take
Nobody's mess
I get mad in a minute
And jump in your chest
Low down alright
Papa was too, but he was a lover too
So why can't I do like my papa do
Alright, like papa do now
Like papa do, 'cause I'm his son
I wanna be like daddy, be like my daddy
Poll
Alright, call me poll too
'Cause papa was, oh yes, he was
Just covered that holes
In both of my shoes
And I cover them holes
With the daily news, papa was poll
He was a lover too
So why can't I do like my papa do, alright
Like papa do now, like my papa do
'Cause I'm his son, can't you understand
I wanna be like my daddy
Be like my daddy
For I'm his son now
And don't you mess with me now
I'm just common on a
Hang around and do nothin'
But news paper in my shoes
I done cover them holes
But baby, I'm a lover
In Joe Tex's song "Papa Was Too," the singer describes his affinity for a certain lifestyle that he inherited from his father, who he refers to as a tramp. He explains that he never enjoyed the idea of working from morning until night and no matter how hard he tried, he could never seem to make enough money. The singer then sings that his father was a tramp, but also a lover, and he questions why he can't be like his father, low down and nasty.
The song's narrator seems to be struggling with the societal expectations of productivity and wealth accumulation, and instead embraces the idea of a life spent doing what he enjoys, even if it means being labeled a tramp. He embraces the aspect of his father being a lover as well, which can be inferred to be sexual in nature, and seems to be drawn to the idea of living a hedonistic lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
Tramp!
A term of endearment that can be used to address someone fondly
Alright baby you can call me that
The singer is comfortable with being called 'Tramp' as it reminds him of his father
My papa was
The singer is referring to his father
'Cause I never dug working
The singer did not enjoy working
From morning 'till night
The singer found working long hours to be unpleasant
And my money didn't seem to ever come out right
The singer struggled with managing his money
No no
The singer is stating that something is not true
Papa was a tramp
The singer's father was someone who did not work
But he was a lover too
The singer's father had a good heart and was affectionate
So why can't I
The singer is questioning why he cannot be himself and follow in his father's footsteps
Do like papa do, oh yeah
The singer wants to live life like his father did
Like papa do, huh
The singer wants to be like his father
Like papa do now, huh
The singer wants to emulate his father currently
'Cause I'm his son, huh
The singer is acknowledging that he is his father's son
Why can't I be like my daddy
The singer wants to be like his father
Low down and nasty
The singer is referring to his father's rough and aggressive nature
Alright if you want to call me that go ahead
The singer is okay with being called 'Tramp' or any derogatory term
I guess papa was too
The singer's father was also referred to in a derogatory way
Just 'cause he don't take
The singer's father did not tolerate disrespect
Nobody's mess
The singer's father did not allow others to take advantage of him
I get mad in a minute
The singer is prone to anger
And jump in your chest
The singer is not afraid to confront someone
Low down alright
The singer is referring to his father's rough personality
Papa was too, but he was a lover too
The singer's father was also rough but loving
So why can't I do like my papa do
The singer wants to emulate his father's rough and loving behavior
Alright, like papa do now
The singer wants to live like his father currently does
Like papa do, 'cause I'm his son
The singer wants to emulate his father's behavior because they are related
I wanna be like daddy, be like my daddy
The singer wants to be like his father
Poll
The singer is referring to himself as 'Poll'
Alright, call me poll too
The singer is okay with being called 'Poll'
'Cause papa was, oh yes, he was
The singer is referring to his father again
Just covered that holes
The singer's shoes have holes in them
In both of my shoes
Both of the singer's shoes have holes in them
And I cover them holes
The singer has covered the holes in his shoes
With the daily news, papa was poll
The singer has used newspaper to cover the holes in his shoes just like his father did
Can't you understand
The singer is asking if his listeners can understand his desire to be like his father
For I'm his son now
The singer is stating that he is his father's son
And don't you mess with me now
The singer is warning others not to anger him
I'm just common on a
The singer is admitting to being lazy
Hang around and do nothin'
The singer does not have any productive hobbies or interests
But news paper in my shoes
The singer has covered the holes in his shoes with newspaper
I done cover them holes
The singer has covered the holes in his shoes
But baby, I'm a lover
The singer may be lazy but he is still warm-hearted and loving
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TEX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind