Born in Baltimore, Turner was first taught piano by his mother when he was five. He moved to New York around 1925 and enjoyed much popularity among musicians in Harlem, working with June Clark (1927-1928), Benny Carter (1929), and Louis Armstrong (1930). He accompanied the singer Adelaide Hall in a piano duo with Alex Hill and then with Francis Carter; he and Carter toured Europe with Hall in 1931. Turner performed as a soloist throughout Europe until 1939, and then in the USA. After working as a member of an army band led by Sy Oliver (1944-1945) and with Rex Stewart (1946) he returned to Europe and played in Hungary (1948) and Switzerland (1949-1962). He then settled in Paris, where from 1962 he held a residency at La Calvados; he also performed in Great Britain, Switzerland, and the USA. Turner was influenced mainly by James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, and Erroll Garner.
Honey Hush
Joe Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a Georgia cotton field
Honey, hush
Now baby, come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
I say come in this house baby, stop all that yackety yack
Come fix my supper, don't want no talkin' back
Well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
I got news for you baby, you ain't nothin' but an alley cat
Turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
Turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
When I leave this time, I ain't comin' back no more
Honey hush
I say come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
Come in here woman, stop all that yackety yack
Don't make me nervous, 'cause I'm holdin' a baseball bat
Singin' hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing, hi-yo silver away
Joe Turner's Honey Hush is a blues song that tells the story of a classic domestic argument between a couple. It begins with the line "Ah, let 'em roll like a big wheel in a Georgia cotton field," which speaks metaphorically about letting things go and just letting them roll, much like a wheel in a field. The use of southern imagery like "Georgia cotton field" is common in blues music as it is a reminder of the genre's African American roots in the deep south. The chorus "Honey, hush" is repeated throughout the song, most likely as an instruction to the woman to be quiet and not talk back. The woman is instructed to come into the house and stop all her "yackety yack" (chattering) and instead make the man supper without answering back. The man threatens with violence by holding a baseball bat and remarking to her, "don't make me nervous because I'm holding a baseball bat."
The song's central theme is about the man's dominance over his woman, representing the societal views of that time. The lyrics imply that women shouldn't talk back to their men, and men are supposed to be the dominant figures in relationships. The song's title Honey Hush is an ironic take on the power dynamic that is at work here. Despite these elements, the song is remembered as a significant contributor to the development of rock and roll as an early example of a popular style blending blues and R&B sounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, let 'em roll like a big wheel
Let them roll like a big wheel in a Georgia cotton field
Honey, hush
Be quiet
Now baby, come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
Come inside this house and stop talking incessantly
I say come in this house baby, stop all that yackety yack
I'm asking you to come in this house and stop talking excessively
Come fix my supper, don't want no talkin' back
Prepare my dinner without arguing about it
Well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
You keep talking a lot about various things
I got news for you baby, you ain't nothin' but an alley cat
I have bad news for you, you are nothing but a stray cat
Turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
Stop crying, because it does not affect me anymore
When I leave this time, I ain't comin' back no more
If I leave now, I won't come back again
Singin' hi-yo, hi-yo silver
Singing a nonsense phrase to express happiness or victory
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Singing a nonsense phrase to express happiness or victory
Sing, hi-yo silver away
Singing a nonsense phrase to express happiness or victory, with the added word 'away'
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LOU WILLIE TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hamed Emine
Ah, let 'em roll like a big wheel
In a Georgia cotton field
Honey, hush
Now baby, come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
I say come in this house baby, stop all that yackety yack
Come fix my supper, don't want no talkin' back
Well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
Well, you keep on jabberin', you talk about this and that
I got news for you baby, you ain't nothin' but an alley cat
Turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
Turn off the waterworks, baby, they don't move me no more
When I leave this time, I ain't comin' back no more
Honey hush
I say come in this house, stop all that yackety yack
Come in here woman, stop all that yackety yack
Don't make me nervous, 'cause I'm holdin' a baseball bat
Singin' hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing hi-yo, hi-yo silver
(Hi-yo, hi-yo silver)
Sing, hi-yo silver away
Dave L
This is the first record I ever bought with my own money. I was twelve or thirteen and, though I didn't know it, was waiting impatiently for Rock and Roll. The man in the record shop had to order it special. (He only carried white stuff.) When it came in he looked at me, kind of sneering, and said, "He ain't white, you know." I paid my 75 cents, grabbed the record and headed home. I played it over and over and almost drove my German Grandma nuts. I still love to hear it.
John Burger
It's fine discerning music lovers like you in Europe who kept the music - and often the musicians - alive. Thank you.
INME
"Rock and Roll 45-89 Five Decades" most popular hits from each year, each month. This list is the early rock and roll era hits and probably right upyour alley. Second list is "Rock and Roll January 55-89 Four Decades" All music that became a hit in January through 1989, the end of rock and roll. Music from 90 on pure mind control to dumb down the younger generation into following the orders of the Rulers, never realizing Absolute Perfection. If Dave is waiting for R n R, the wait is over. Sing, dance, enjoy eternal over 6000 hits in this series and all recorded music ever created in trillions of lists. Eternal listening just hit play all.
Andy C.
@John Burger I don't think he's in Europe. Europeans would not have said, "He ain't white, you know." I think only his Grandmother was German.
Amador Espinosa Pazols
Como pasa el tiempo, y yo que pensaba que era de Foghat. Cual es tu opinión respecto de este cover?. Saludos!!!!
TomCat
Great memory! Thanks for sharing
charles mccoy
A classic R&B tune by one of the greatest blues singers of all time.
Thatguy but it's actually a girl
It's rock and Roll. Not R&B.
UBI because of AI
This sh*t doesn't get old after almost 70 years. All hail the boss of the blues.
David Maslow
Well said!