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.
Timber
Josh White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get it cross the river 'fore the boss comes 'round
Drag it down that dusty road
Come on, Jerry, let's dump this load
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
My old Jerry was an Arkansas mule
Been everywhere and he ain't no fool
Weighed nine hundred and twenty-two
Done everything a poor mule could do
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Jerry's old shoulder was six foot tall
Pulled more timber than a freight can haul
Work got heavy, old Jerry got sore
Pulled so much he wouldn't pull no more
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Boss hit Jerry and made him jump
Jerry reared up and kicked the boss in the rump
Now my old Jerry was a good old mule
If it had-a been me I'd-a killed that fool
The boss he tried to shoot my Jerry in the head
Jerry ducked the bullet and stomped him dead
Stomped that boss till I wanted to scream
Should have killed him 'cause he's so damn mean
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
The song Timber by Josh White describes the hard work of loggers who are trying to move timber across a river before their boss comes. The singer and his companion, Jerry the Arkansas mule, have been pulling timber down a dusty road all day and have to hurry to get it across the river before their boss arrives. The song features the repeated chorus of "hollerin' timber" which refers to the traditional logging call to warn others that a tree is about to fall.
Throughout the song, the singer praises Jerry and his hard work. Despite being a mule, Jerry has pulled more timber than a freight train and has been all over the land. The singer describes Jerry as a loyal friend, and even compares him to a hero when he kicks the boss in the rump after being beaten. When the boss tries to shoot Jerry, the mule dodges the bullet and stomps the boss to death. The song ends with the repeated chorus of "Lord, this timber's gotta roll" signaling the urgency of the situation and the need to keep working hard.
Overall, the song Timber by Josh White highlights the hard work and dedication required to work as a logger. The lyrics illustrate the difficulty of the work and the importance of having dependable companions, like Jerry, to help complete the job.
Line by Line Meaning
Got to pull this timber 'fore the sun goes down
We need to finish our work before daylight disappears
Get it cross the river 'fore the boss comes 'round
We must transport the timber across the river before our supervisor arrives
Drag it down that dusty road
We must transport the timber along the dusty path
Come on, Jerry, let's dump this load
Let's carry this timber to its destination, Jerry
Hollerin' timber
Announcing the start of the process of moving timber
Lord, this timber's gotta roll
This timber must be transported
My old Jerry was an Arkansas mule
My trusty partner, Jerry, is a mule from Arkansas
Been everywhere and he ain't no fool
Jerry is experienced and wise
Weighed nine hundred and twenty-two
Jerry was a large and strong animal
Done everything a poor mule could do
Jerry has worked hard, as any mule would
Jerry's old shoulder was six foot tall
Jerry was a large and powerful animal
Pulled more timber than a freight can haul
Jerry was capable of carrying an incredible amount of timber
Work got heavy, old Jerry got sore
Jerry became tired and hurt from carrying so much timber
Pulled so much he wouldn't pull no more
Jerry reached his limit and could not carry any more timber
Boss hit Jerry and made him jump
Our supervisor struck Jerry and caused him to react
Jerry reared up and kicked the boss in the rump
Jerry retaliated against our supervisor with a powerful kick
Now my old Jerry was a good old mule
Jerry was a loyal and dependable animal
If it had-a been me I'd-a killed that fool
I would have sought revenge against our cruel supervisor
The boss he tried to shoot my Jerry in the head
Our supervisor attempted to kill Jerry
Jerry ducked the bullet and stomped him dead
Jerry avoided the bullet and killed our supervisor with a powerful stomp
Stomped that boss till I wanted to scream
Jerry attacked our supervisor relentlessly
Should have killed him 'cause he's so damn mean
Our supervisor was so cruel and abusive that he deserved to die
Contributed by Katherine N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jim edenbaum
I can see why Phish snagged this one - it has that groove...
Forrest George
Got to pull this timber 'fore the sun goes down
Get it cross the river 'fore the boss comes 'round
Drag it down that dusty road
Come on, Jerry, let’s dump this load
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
My old Jerry was an Arkansas mule
Been everywhere and he ain’t no fool
Weighed nine hundred and twenty-two
Done everything a poor mule could do
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Jerry’s old shoulder was six foot tall
Pulled more timber than a freight can haul
Work got heavy, old Jerry got sore
Pulled so much he wouldn’t pull no more
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Boss hit Jerry and made him jump
Jerry reared up and kicked the boss in the rump
Now my old Jerry was a good old mule
If it had-a been me I’d-a killed that fool
The boss he tried to shoot my Jerry in the head
Jerry ducked the bullet and stomped him dead
Stomped that boss till I wanted to scream
Should have killed him 'cause he’s so damn mean
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Hollerin' timber
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Lord, this timber’s gotta roll
Lawrence Sommer Playin' Lists
Thank You.
ohkeephan
Phish brought me here.
Matthew Hill
Me too.... Strange I LOVE PHISH,and I have been a jazz musician my entire life.... First time hearing and it's FUCKIN' GREAT
Robert Smith, Jr.
Me too!
Matthew Helander
Second that motion
Matthew Helander
It's offically mule / deer
Matthew Helander
@Willy Wonka I second that motion