As an adolescent Foster worked as a funeral and wedding singer, and aspired to become an opera singer. After her studies she began to record demos of her own songs, resulting in the early recordings There Are Eyes Above (2000), an album of ukulele accompanied songs strongly influenced by Tin Pan Alley, and an album of children's songs, Little Life (2001).
For several years she worked as a singing teacher in Chicago, recording and performing with a variety of musical acts on the side including Born Heller, a project with free jazz-bassist Jason Ajemian, and The Children's Hour, a pop band formed with songwriter Andrew Bar. In 2004, joined by her occasional backing band The Supposed (Brian Goodman on guitar and Rusty Peterson on drums), she released an album of psychedelic rock called All the Leaves Are Gone which has drawn comparison to Patti Smith and Jefferson Airplane.
The songs on her first solo studio album Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You (2005, Locust Music) evoke American folk and blues forms of the early 20th century. A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, released in 2006, features unorthodox interpretations of 19th century German Lieder. This Coming Gladness, was released in 2008 and featured the contributions of Victor Herrero on electric guitar and percussion by Alex Neilson. In early 2009 she released an album of 27 Emily Dickinson song settings entitled Graphic as a Star with UK label Fire Records. Thereafter began her work in rural Spain with her husband Victor Herrero collecting and arranging collections of folk songs resulting in the recordings Anda Jaleo (a resetting of Garcia Lorca´s piano/voice transcriptions of Spanish songs) and Perlas (a selection of Spanish songs made by Foster herself) respectively.
In 2012 she returned to Colorado to record a new solo album Blood Rushing which took inspiration from local themes from her childhood such as the western geography, native rhythms, and imagined mythology. The album was recorded in a Boulder yoga studio by the Andrija Tokic and featured the ensemble of Victor Herrero on classical and electric guitars, Paz Lenchantin on bass, Heather Trost on violin, and Ben Trimble on pueblo skin drums.
Foster released a new full-length album, I'm A Dreamer on November 12th, 2013.
Crackerjack Fool
Josephine Foster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird
Ma ma ma ma, caw caw caw caw
La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!
Papa's gonna build you a knob that turns
Na na na na, caw caw caw caw
La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!
Your door is unfurled, your door is unfurled!
Hush pretty Sadie, ain't you learned?
Y'ought not repeat the naughty words
Papa says no, na na na no
La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!
My daddy was a Jack-of-all-trades
And the whole wide world's in awe of his ways
My daddy was a Jack-of-all-trades
And the whole wide world's in awe of his ways
Shush little baby, you be cool!
Or you're gonna grow into a crackerjack fool!
Caw caw caw caw coo coo coo coo
Caw caw caw caw coo coo coo coo
Coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo
Coo coo coo coo coo coo!
The lyrics of Josephine Foster's song "Crackerjack Fool" have long stumped listeners with their strange and cryptic nature. The song blends the traditional lullaby "Hush Little Baby" with a sense of foreboding and ominousness. The opening lines of the song, "Hush little baby don't say a word/Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird" are familiar and comforting, but the lines quickly descend into a sense of unease with the repetition of "caw caw caw caw" and the phrase "La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!"
The song then moves into a series of strange and disconnected images, including the idea of a knob that turns and a warning not to repeat naughty words. The repeated phrase "Your door is unfurled, your door is unfurled!" seems to suggest a sense of vulnerability or danger. The song then shifts into a description of the singer's father as a "Jack-of-all-trades" who the world is in awe of, before returning to the disturbing refrain of "Caw caw caw caw coo coo coo coo."
Line by Line Meaning
Hush little baby don't say a word
Quiet your words and don't make a sound.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird
Your mother will bring you a charming bird.
Ma ma ma ma, caw caw caw caw
Making babbling and crowing noises like a bird.
La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!
Sing a tune while securely locking your door.
Shush, mi bambina, ain't you heard?
Quiet down, my little girl, haven't you listened?
Papa's gonna build you a knob that turns
Your father will create a rotating part on your door.
Na na na na, caw caw caw caw
Singing nonsensical sounds while imitating a bird.
La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!
Sing a pleasant tune while safely securing your door.
Your door is unfurled, your door is unfurled!
Your door can swing open or is unfastened.
Hush pretty Sadie, ain't you learned?
Be silent, beautiful Sadie, haven't you gained knowledge?
Y'ought not repeat the naughty words
You should not say vulgar language again.
Papa says no, na na na no
Your dad denies it, no-No-NO.
La la la lock your door, it's unfurled!
Sing a melody while securing your unlocked door.
My daddy was a Jack-of-all-trades
My dad could do any job perfectly.
And the whole wide world's in awe of his ways
Everyone is speechless in amazement of his skills.
My daddy was a Jack-of-all-trades
My dad was an expert in everything.
And the whole wide world's in awe of his ways
And everyone is mesmerized by what he can do.
Shush little baby, you be cool!
Be quiet, tiny infant, and keep your calm.
Or you're gonna grow into a crackerjack fool!
Or you might become a foolish person.
Caw caw caw caw coo coo coo coo
Imitating the sounds of birds, cawing and cooing.
Caw caw caw caw coo coo coo coo
Making bird noises and sounds repeatedly.
Coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo
Continuing to produce bird sounds with a calm operatic voice.
Coo coo coo coo coo coo!
Bird noises sung in a soft and serene tone.
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.