The above biography taken from: Wikipedia - Rufus Thomas
The Crown Prince of Dance; an early rock & roll DJ, Memphis soul icon and creator of the Funky Chicken.
Artist Biography (below) by Richie Unterberger
Few of rock & roll's founding figures are as likable as Rufus Thomas. From the 1940s onward, he has personified Memphis music; his small but witty cameo role in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, a film which satirizes and enshrines the city's role in popular culture, was entirely appropriate. As a recording artist, he wasn't a major innovator, but he could always be depended upon for some good, silly, and/or outrageous fun with his soul dance tunes. He was one of the few rock or soul stars to reach his commercial and artistic peak in middle age, and was a crucial mentor to many important Memphis blues, rock, and soul musicians.
Thomas was already a professional entertainer in the mid-'30s, when he was a comedian with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. He recorded music as early as 1941, but really made his mark on the Memphis music scene as a deejay on WDIA, one of the few black-owned stations of the era. He also ran talent shows on Memphis' famous Beale Street that helped showcase the emerging skills of such influential figures as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, and Roscoe Gordon.
Thomas had his first success as a recording artist in 1953 with "Bear Cat," a funny answer record to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog." It made number three on the R&B charts, giving Sun Records its first national hit, though some of the sweetness went out of the triumph after Sun owner Sam Phillips lost a lawsuit for plagiarizing the original Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller tune. Thomas, strangely, would make only one other record for Sun, and recorded only sporadically throughout the rest of the 1950s.
Thomas and his daughter Carla would become the first stars for the Stax label, for whom they recorded a duet in 1959, "'Cause I Love You" (when the company was still known as Satellite). In the '60s, Carla would become one of Stax's biggest stars. On his own, Rufus wasn't as successful as his daughter, but issued a steady stream of decent dance/novelty singles.
These were not deep or emotional statements, or meant to be. Vaguely prefiguring elements of funk, the accent was on the stripped-down groove and Rufus' good-time vocals, which didn't take himself or anything seriously. The biggest by far was "Walking the Dog," which made the Top Ten in 1963, and was covered by the Rolling Stones on their first album.
Thomas hit his commercial peak in the early '70s, when "Do the Funky Chicken," "(Do The) Push and Pull," and "The Breakdown" all made the R&B Top Five. As the song titles themselves make clear, funk was now driving his sound rather than blues or soul. Thomas drew upon his vaudeville background to put them over on-stage with fancy footwork that displayed remarkable agility for a man well into his 50s. The collapse of the Stax label in the mid-'70s meant the end of his career, basically, as it did for many other artists with the company. In 2001, Rufus Thomas was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Later that year, on December 15, he died at St. Francis hospital in Memphis, TN.
The above biography taken from: All Music Biography - Rufus Thomas by Richie Unterberger
6-3-8
Rufus Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hand in hand [Incomprehensible]
The woman I love was at the head of my bed stand
The landlord wanted his rent
I went out on the corner
To see what I could do
I guess I get to play the races
6-3-8 is the number today
6-3-8 is the number you better play
I don't believe in Gypsy's
Readin' out the palm of my hand
Don't believe in lady luck
She just wouldn't understand
I believe in Joe
Down by the Candy store
You would too, good people
If you know just what I know
6-3-8 is the number today
6-3-8 is the number you better play
Yeah, you know
Rusty is pretty fast
I just wanna prove you could
I do hope, you heard what I said
'Cause there ain't no okay do
There ain't no way for you to catch him
That is plain to see
But if you want to get your Rusty
You better listen to me
6-3-8 is the number to play
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
Come on, come on now
Come on, come on now
Come on now
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
6-3-8 is the number you better play
Come on, all y'all
Come on, don't walk me y'all
I said, come on y'all
I said, come on y'all
6-3-8 is the number you better play
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
I ain't lyin'
I ain't lyin'
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
6-3-8 is the number you better play
6-3-8 is the number you better play
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
6-3-8 is the number you better play
The song "6-3-8" by Rufus Thomas tells the story of a man who wakes up with his beloved woman by his side but is reminded of his problems by the landlord demanding rent. He goes out on the corner to try and find a solution and decides to try his luck with gambling, encouraging the listeners to play the number 6-3-8. The singer expresses his skepticism towards gypsies reading palms and the idea of luck, stating that he believes in Joe down by the candy store. Towards the end of the song, the singer urges the listeners to play the number 6-3-8, claiming it will be the lucky number of the day.
The song can be interpreted as a reflection of the struggles faced by individuals in low-income communities and their reliance on luck and gambling to make ends meet. The reference to Joe, who could possibly be a bookie or lottery ticket seller, highlights the importance of small business owners in these communities. The repetition of the number 6-3-8 throughout the song can also be seen as a chant or mantra, reflecting the desperation and hopefulness of the singer and his audience.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up early this morning
I woke up early today
Hand in hand [Incomprehensible]
I woke up with my partner beside me
The woman I love was at the head of my bed stand
My beloved partner was beside me in bed
The landlord wanted his rent
My landlord was asking for rent money
I went out on the corner
I went out to the street corner
To see what I could do
To see what I could do to earn some money
I guess I get to play the races
I might try to gamble and win some money
I'm passin' it on to you
I'm sharing this knowledge with you
6-3-8 is the number today
The winning number today is 6-3-8
6-3-8 is the number you better play
You should play the number 6-3-8 to win
I don't believe in Gypsy's
I don't believe in fortune tellers
Readin' out the palm of my hand
Telling my future by reading my palm
Don't believe in lady luck
I don't believe in relying on luck
She just wouldn't understand
She's not reliable
I believe in Joe
I believe in a person named Joe
Down by the Candy store
Joe lives near a candy store
You would too, good people
You would believe in Joe too
If you know just what I know
If you knew what I knew about Joe
Rusty is pretty fast
Rusty is a fast racer
I just wanna prove you could
I want to prove that you can win
I do hope, you heard what I said
I hope you listened carefully to what I said
'Cause there ain't no okay do
Don't make any mistakes because there's no second chance
There ain't no way for you to catch him
You can't beat Rusty
That is plain to see
It's obvious
But if you want to get your Rusty
If you want to win against Rusty
You better listen to me
You should listen to my advice
Come on, come on now
Encouraging someone to come over
6-3-8 is the number that's comin' today
The winning number is coming today
Come on, all y'all
Inviting everyone
Come on, don't walk me y'all
Don't ignore me
I said, come on y'all
I repeated my invitation
I ain't lyin'
I'm telling the truth
6-3-8 is the number you better play
You should play the number 6-3-8 to win
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RANDALL STEWART, RUFUS THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind