1) Josh White (born Jo… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists named Josh White.
1) Josh White (born Joshua Daniel White in Greenville, South Carolina, 11 February 1914 or 1915; died Manhasset, New York, 5 September 1969) was an American folk, blues, and gospel singer and guitarist.
White was amongst the first blues performers to attract a large white and middle-class African American following, transcending the typical barriers at the time associating blues with a rural and working-class African American audience, and performed in prestigious night clubs and theatres during the 1930s and 1940s. His best known song at the time was probably "Jelly, Jelly", He recorded in a wide variety of contexts, from recordings in which he was accompanied only by his own guitar playing to others in which he was backed by jazz groups and gospel vocal groups. He was prominently associated with the civil rights movement in the 1940s.
Some of his involvement in political causes in the 1940s resulted in him being blacklisted.Controversially, to escape the blacklist, he testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee regarding Communist influence in the entertainment industry and African-American community. He defended his testimony as a friendly witness to HUAC by claiming that the scope of his testimony was limited, that he did not state anything that was not already known, and that he was sincerely opposed to Communism. However, his testimony affected his posthumous reputation, which has only begun to recover in recent years.
From the mid-1950s until his death, he primarily performed at folk music venues and festivals. He was seen as an influence by Ray Charles, who similarly broke considerable barriers that had hampered blues musicians in the past.
On 26 June 1998, the United States Postal Service issued a 32-cent postage stamp honoring Josh White.
Josh White performed the version of "House of the Rising Sun" that influenced the famous version by The Animals. He also played a version of "In My Time of Dying" (also known as "Jesus Gunna Make Up My Dyin' Bed", which was covered by Led Zeppelin as In My Time of Dying.
Josh White's son, Josh White Jr., is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, educator, and social activist.
2) Josh White (born May 25, 1973) is a Christian musician who has been writing and releasing worship music for the Church for nearly a decade, under various different identities - Telecast, The Followers, & Pilgrim. His solo releases are stripped-down, raw-sounding folk worship music.
ONE Meatball
Josh White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He found an eating place in town,
He read the menu through and through,
To see what fifteen cents could do.
One meatball, one meatball,
He could afford but one meatball.
The simple dinner he had planned.
The guests were startled, one and all,
To hear that waiter loudly call, "What,
"One meatball, one meatball?
Hey, this here gent wants one meatball."
The little man felt ill at ease,
Said, "Some bread, sir, if you please."
The waiter hollered down the hall,
"You gets no bread with one meatball.
"One meatball, one meatball,
Well, you gets no bread with one meatball."
The little man felt very bad,
One meatball was all he had,
And in his dreams he hears that call,
"You gets no bread with one meatball.
"One meatball, one meatball,
Well, you gets no bread with one meatball."
The song One Meatball by Josh White tells the story of a poor little man who walks into a restaurant looking for a cheap meal. The man reads the menu and realizes that he can only afford one meatball with his fifteen cents. He tells the waiter about his simple dinner plans and the waiter loudly repeats the order to the other guests, surprising them. The little man feels uncomfortable and requests for some bread to go with his meal, but the waiter denies him, saying that he can't get any bread with one meatball. As the little man eats his only meal, he dreams about the waiter's words, "you gets no bread with one meatball."
This song is a commentary on poverty and hunger, the little man's struggle representing the struggles of anyone who faces economic hardship. The constant repetition of "one meatball" reinforces the man's poverty and the harsh reality of not being able to afford a decent meal. The lack of bread, which serves as a staple in many meals, emphasizes the man's poverty even further.
Line by Line Meaning
A little man walked up and down,
A small man wandered aimlessly back and forth.
He found an eating place in town,
He stumbled upon a restaurant in the city.
He read the menu through and through,
He meticulously examined the entire list of food items available.
To see what fifteen cents could do.
To determine what he could purchase with his meager budget.
One meatball, one meatball,
He only had enough money for a single meatball.
He could afford but one meatball.
He could not afford anything more than a single meatball.
He told the waiter near at hand,
He informed the nearby waiter.
The simple dinner he had planned.
His plan was to have a modest dinner.
The guests were startled, one and all,
The other diners present were taken aback.
To hear that waiter loudly call, "What,
They were surprised to hear the waiter bellow "What
"One meatball, one meatball?
"Did you say just one meatball?
Hey, this here gent wants one meatball."
"This gentleman only wants a single meatball."
The little man felt ill at ease,
The small man became uneasy.
Said, "Some bread, sir, if you please."
He requested for some bread politely.
The waiter hollered down the hall,
The waiter screamed to someone in the distance.
"You gets no bread with one meatball.
"You do not receive any bread when ordering a solitary meatball.
One meatball, one meatball,
Once again reminding the little man he can only afford a single meatball.
Well, you gets no bread with one meatball."
"You cannot have bread with just one meatball."
The little man felt very bad,
The small man became extremely upset.
One meatball was all he had,
He did not have any other money to buy additional food.
And in his dreams he hears that call,
Even in his sleep, he hears the waiter's voice.
"You gets no bread with one meatball.
"You do not receive any bread when ordering a solitary meatball.
One meatball, one meatball,
Once again reminding the little man he can only afford a single meatball.
Well, you gets no bread with one meatball."
"You cannot have bread with just one meatball."
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HY ZARET, LOUIS C. SINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jacquiminns
This used to make my sister cry her eyes out ... she was only about 5 but it’s such a vivid memory. Josh White was my Dads favourite singer...
Paul Norman
My parents used to sing this song when I was little. They were the generation of the Great Depression, and this song, in a rather light-hearted way, expresses the despair of those times when people could not afford a decent meal.
Adam Blevins
Josh White, America's best kept secret. Easily the best male blues voice of all time.
K9Angelheart
My dad used to sing this every time my mom made spaghetti and meatballs! Never heard the original recording before!
W.L. Graves
love the song .. had it on a different album of his 75 years ago ,
thank you for posting this by blues icon josh white !
Rodrigo Tembiú
pasmem: conheci essa música através de Dorival Caymmi... ouvi ele falar sobre essa composição numa entrevista com jô soares e vim procurar pra saber. que peça linda! valeu, dorival caymmi!!
William Cox
An all time favorite, this version by America's great bard: Josh White.
Bliss Tew
Sing this for years, when I'm making spaghetti and meatballs for my family.
nux vomica
This song really exists? My father used to sing it all the time.
ArkLife
A classic