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)".
The Dark End Of The Street
Joe Tex Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's where we always meet
Hiding in shadows where we don't belong
Living in darkness, to hide alone
You and me
At the dark end of the street
You and me
I know time is gonna take it's toll
We've gotta pay for this love we stole
It's a sin and we know it's wrong
But our love keeps comin' on strong
So steal away
To the dark end of the street
Mmm mm mm
They gonna find us
They gonna find us
They gonna find us someday
(just keep it up)
You and me
At the dark end of the street
Mmm mm mm
And when daylight hours roll around
And by chance we're both downtown
If we should meet, just walk on by
And promise me darlin' that you won't cry
('cause listen)
Tonight we'll meet
(and that's a promise, baby)
At the dark end of the street
You and me
The lyrics of "The Dark End of the Street" by Joe Tex describe a clandestine love affair between two people who feel they do not belong together. They meet at the "dark end of the street", away from prying eyes and judgmental society. The singer acknowledges that what they are doing is wrong, but the intensity of their love is too strong to resist. Nevertheless, they know that they will eventually be caught and punished for their transgression.
The desperation and yearning in the lyrics are amplified by the restrained music and Tex's soulful delivery. The slow, soulful melody underscores the secret, forbidden nature of the relationship and emphasizes the need for secrecy and caution. The singer's voice conveys a sense of urgency and vulnerability, making it clear that this relationship is both dangerous and necessary.
The song was written by Dan Penn and Chips Moman and first recorded by James Carr in 1967. Since then, it has been covered by numerous artists including Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, and Ry Cooder. It has become a soul music classic and a testament to the enduring power of forbidden love.
Line by Line Meaning
At the dark end of the street
We always meet at a hidden, secluded area of the street where we don't belong.
That's where we always meet
The only place we can meet is at the dark end of the street due to the nature of our relationship.
Hiding in shadows where we don't belong
We are forced to hide and keep our love a secret because society doesn't accept it.
Living in darkness, to hide alone
We lead lonely lives and keep our love hidden in darkness and secrecy.
You and me
It's just the two of us against the world, fighting for our love.
I know time is gonna take its toll
We are aware that our relationship will eventually cause consequences, but we can't help how we feel.
We've gotta pay for this love we stole
We know that society sees our love as wrong and we will have to face punishment for it.
It's a sin and we know it's wrong
We both acknowledge that our love and the secrecy behind it goes against the norms set by society.
But our love keeps comin' on strong
Despite knowing that we may face consequences, our love for each other continues to grow stronger.
So steal away
Let's run and escape society's watchful eyes to be together.
To the dark end of the street
Let's go to our secret spot where we can be ourselves and love each other freely.
They gonna find us
We know it's just a matter of time before society uncovers our secret relationship.
They gonna find us
No matter how hard we try, society will eventually catch up to us and our secret love affair.
They gonna find us someday
Our fear of society's consequences is heightened as we anticipate being caught and punished someday in the future.
You and me
We are in this together and will face the consequences together, while continuing to fight for our love.
And when daylight hours roll around
When the day comes and we have to face the world, we know we have to be strong and face the consequences together.
And by chance we're both downtown
If we happen to cross paths in public, we know we have to ignore each other to protect our secret relationship.
If we should meet, just walk on by
If we happen to see each other, let's not be tempted to break our vow of secrecy and just walk away.
And promise me darlin' that you won't cry
To keep our love alive, we need to stay strong and not give in to the pain and sadness that our situation may cause.
('cause listen)
Pay attention to what I'm about to say next.
Tonight we'll meet
We will continue to meet in secret and keep our love alive, no matter how difficult it may be.
(and that's a promise, baby)
I swear to you that our love will continue, no matter what others may think or say.
At the dark end of the street
We will continue to meet at our secret spot, where we can be ourselves and love each other freely.
You and me
It's just the two of us against the world, fighting for our love.
Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kristal Price
Love these song ❤️ takes me back to my childhood when my family. Together. And they adults be playing cards and the kids are playing with are cousins. I miss these days
Mike Vallen
Once again Joe Tex makes it clear that he was a fine talent .
Bernard Theillaucher
Très belle chanson. Feeling... Merci
Kristal Price
classic
Roisterer
Now that's good.
Marshall Smith™
I guess but still think James Carr and Percy Sledge put the two best standards into the musical ether with their recordings of this song.
ben lowman
I really love the Aretha Franklin version, myself
Janet Mollette
MarshallwW
alioune fal
Nice version.... but James Carr killed this song
Dick Waterman
James Carr "owns" this song . . . he did the original version . . seek it out . . .