A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 70s," he was an accomplished songwriter, guitarist and singer. He was the patriarch and member of singing group The Staple Singers, which included his son Pervis and daughters Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha.
Roebuck Staples was born on a cotton plantation near Winona, Mississippi, the youngest of 14 children. When growing up he heard, and began to play with, local blues guitarists such as Charlie Patton, who lived on the nearby Dockery Plantation, Robert Johnson, and Son House. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade, and sang with a gospel group before marrying and moving to Chicago in 1935.
There he sang with the Trumpet Jubilees while working in the stockyards, in construction work, and later in a steel mill. In 1948 Roebuck and his wife Oceola Staples formed The Staple Singers to sing as a gospel group in local churches, with their children. The Staple Singers first recorded in the early 1950s for United and then the larger Vee-Jay Records, with songs including "This May Be the Last Time" (later covered by The Rolling Stones) and "Uncloudy Day".
In the 1960s the Staple Singers moved to Riverside Records and later Stax Records, and began recording protest, inspirational and contemporary music, reflecting the civil rights and anti-war movements of the time. They gained a large new audience with the 1972 US # 1 hit "I'll Take You There", followed by "Respect Yourself", "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)", and other hits. Pops Staples also recorded a blues album, Jammed Together, with fellow guitarists Albert King and Steve Cropper.
In 1976, Staples also appeared in the movie documenting The Band's final concert, The Last Waltz (Released in 1978). Pops Staples shared vocals with his daughters and with Levon Helm and Rick Danko on "The Weight." After Mavis left for a solo career in the 1980s, Pops Staples began a solo career, appearing at international "blues" festivals (though steadfastly refusing to sing the blues), and tried his hand at acting. His 1992 album Peace to the Neighborhood won a Grammy nomination, and in 1995 he won a Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy for Father, Father.
In 1986, Roebuck played the role of Mr. Tucker, a voodoo witch doctor, in the Talking Heads film True Stories, during which he performed "Papa Legba". He appears as himself in the 1997 Barry Levinson film Wag the Dog, singing "Good Old Shoe" with Willie Nelson.
In 1998 he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1999 the Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He died after suffering a concussion in a fall at his home, just a few days short of his 86th birthday. After his death, his daughters Yvonne and Mavis gave one of his guitars to country and gospel musician Marty Stuart.
Musicians as diverse as Cannonball Adderley, with his live album Why Am I Treated So Bad! (1967), Ry Cooder, Sandy Bull, and Bonnie Raitt have expressed their respect for Staples.
Water
Pops Staples Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My baby took my love and left me on a desert
I feel the taste of salt and I gotta have air to breathe
That girl she stole my heart and left me in misery
Somebody, somebody will give me water
Why don't you give me water, well
Somebody help me off this desert, won't you give me water
Now I've heard a many tales about a lonely grounded man
And about him all along you know I'm, I'm living a life that's not the same
Somebody, somebody will give me water
Why don't you just give me water, and I want you, tell them Albert
Just a thought of her you know it drives me all up inside
And I'm numb with pain because I only have tears to taste
The man is all messed up, won't you give me water, water
And I don't know how I can make it, I just can't make a gopher
Somebody, somebody will give me water
Why don't you just give me water and I want you
Water, water, I need some water, hey, water
Need some water, give me water Albert, hey, hey
The lyrics to Pops Staples's song "Water" offers a sad, soulful narrative about a man left deserted and lonely by a woman who took his love and left him with nothing but heartache. He is dying for water, and the opening line sets a somber tone for the entire song. The man pleads for someone, anyone to give him water as he lies there in the blistering heat. However, what he really wants is the woman who left him.
As the song progresses, the singer reveals that he is struggling with the thought of the woman who caused him so much pain. He is consumed by his love for her and the realization that she may never come back. The chorus repeats the plea for water, but the listener can sense that the man's thirst is not just physical. It is a metaphor for his emotional need for the woman who left him.
The song speaks to the universal human experience of heartbreak and emotional pain. It is a story of love and loss, but also a tale of hopelessness and desperation. The ambiguity surrounding the man's fate and whether or not he will get the water he so desperately needs leaves the listener with a poignant sense of uncertainty as to what will ultimately happen to him.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a dying man won't you give me water
As a broken-hearted man, I feel like I'm dying of thirst and I need someone to quench it with their love.
My baby took my love and left me on a desert
My lover has abandoned me and left me in a barren, dry, and lonely place just as a desert.
I feel the taste of salt and I gotta have air to breathe
The salt of my tears is all I can taste, and I am suffocating in despair and need someone to help me breathe again.
That girl she stole my heart and left me in misery
My heart has been stolen by a woman who has left me in a state of great unhappiness and suffering.
Somebody, somebody will give me water
I am hoping that someone, anyone will come and rescue me from my pain and agony.
Why don't you give me water, well
I am questioning why the person I am pleading to hasn't yet shown me any empathy or care.
I'm just a simple man and I'm not used to losing love
I am a simple individual and I am not accustomed to enduring heartbreak and losing my love.
Somebody help me off this desert, won't you give me water
I am begging for someone to help me escape this dry and barren place where I feel lost and abandoned, and to quench my thirst for love.
Now I've heard a many tales about a lonely grounded man
I have heard countless stories about men who are left alone and abandoned by their lovers, and it seems that I am one of them.
And about him all along you know I'm, I'm living a life that's not the same
I am experiencing a life that is totally different from what I had before, and my current situation doesn't feel like a life at all.
Why don't you just give me water, and I want you, tell them Albert
I am specifically speaking to someone named Albert and pleading with them to provide me with love and support, as I am starving for it.
Just a thought of her you know it drives me all up inside
The mere thought of my lost love fills me with a great deal of pain and emotion, and it consumes me entirely.
And I'm numb with pain because I only have tears to taste
I am in so much pain that I am numb as I have cried so much and my tears are all that I am left with to feel.
The man is all messed up, won't you give me water, water
I am a man who is currently in a terrible state, and I desperately need someone to provide me with love and support.
And I don't know how I can make it, I just can't make a gopher
I am not sure how I can overcome this situation, and it feels as though I am stuck and unable to move forward.
Water, water, I need some water, hey, water
I am still in dire need of love and support, and I am asking anyone who will listen for some help.
Need some water, give me water Albert, hey, hey
I am urging Albert to provide me with love and support, as I am in dire need of it to overcome my pain and suffering.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AUGUST CINJUN TATE, CEDRIC LEMOYNE, JOE IPPOLITO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
drbryant23
Priceless early footage of the Staple Singers in great quality. Incredible.
My Lord's gettin' us ready for that, Great day
My Lord's gettin' us ready for that, Great day
Who shall be able to stand
My Lord's gettin' us ready for that, Great day
My Lord's gettin' us ready for that, Great day
My Lord's gettin' us ready for that, Great day
Who shall be able to stand
Lightnin will be flashin' on that, Great day
Lightnin will be flashin' on that, Great day
Lightnin will be flashin' on that, Great day
Who shall be able to stand
Thunder will be rollin' on that, Great day
Thunder will be rollin' on that, Great day
Thunder will be rollin' on that, Great day
Who shall be able to stand
Sinners will be running on that, Great day
Sinners will be running on that, Great day
Sinners will be running on that, Great day
Who shall be able to stand
Great day, Great day, Who shall be able to stand (2X)
(guitar solo)
Great day, Great day, Who shall be able to stand (2X)
Derrick Clark
Those hand claps are 🔥🔥🔥
Kendrick Richard
Ms. Mavis Staple❤💪💯
Daniel Munder
Nobody claps like the Staples!
Mr. N3K
CLAP FOR JESUS!!!!!!! I LOVE THE STAPLES SINGERS!!!!
george heyward
I like it that Pop had his own style and it worked.
frances Brown
I Love,Love Love This Song So much,I'll Always love the Staple singers,God bless Mavis Staples forever,I love you very much,keep up the good work,I'm very proud of you!!!!!!!!!!😃😃😃😃😃
Antone Wilson
I'm an athiest and I still love this. Mavis was a doll.
Caroline Johnson
The Staple Singers taught me a great appreciation for music, culture, and life (R. I. P. Pop Staples)
K. Smith
There’s so much grace and talent here. Pardon my vulgarity, but God damn Pop’s is slaying on that guitar.
Sooz
This is the music that feeds my soul.
God Bless the memory of the Staples Singers and God Bless Mavis. 🎼🖤