Rufus Thomas (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was a rhythm and blues an… Read Full Bio ↴Rufus Thomas (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was a rhythm and blues and soul singer from Memphis, Tennessee, United States, who recorded on Sun Records in the 1950s and on Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the father of soul singer Carla Thomas (best known for the classic song "B-A-B-Y") and keyboard player Marvell Thomas. A third daughter, Vaneese, a former French teacher, for years had a recording studio in upstate New York where she sang for television commercials.

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

Somebody Stole My Dog
Rufus Thomas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Somebody stole my dog
Last night they did
In my house they came a creepin
Somebody stole my dog
I wonder coulda stole my dog
I wonder why?
I told you over and over and over again that that dog is my best friend
Somebody stole my dog

Woah

Please do you know who coulda stole my dog?
I will do anything if you just

Overall Meaning

explain to me
Why somebody stole my dog

The lyrics to Rufus Thomas's song "Somebody Stole My Dog" tell a story of a man who wakes up one morning to find that his beloved dog has been stolen from his home. The first two lines set the scene, establishing that the theft happened the night before. The third line reveals that the thief entered his home without permission, making it clear that this was not a simple case of the dog running away. From there, the man expresses his disbelief and confusion about who could have taken his dog - they were clearly someone who knew the house and the dog well enough to get in undetected.

The chorus repeats the title phrase, with the man voicing his desperation and pleading for help to find his missing pet. The final two lines, "I told you over and over and over again that that dog is my best friend / Somebody stole my dog," highlight the emotional attachment the man feels towards his dog, emphasizing the devastating impact this crime has on him.

Overall, "Somebody Stole My Dog" is a simple but effective song that taps into the universal experience of loving, and losing, a pet. It also underscores the powerlessness of being a victim of theft, especially in cases where sentimentality is involved.

Line by Line Meaning

Somebody stole my dog
Someone has taken away my beloved pet from me

Last night they did
It happened last night

In my house they came a creepin
The thief entered my home surreptitiously

Somebody stole my dog
Someone stole my precious dog

I wonder coulda stole my dog
I am puzzled as to who could have taken away my dog

I wonder why?
I am unsure of the motive behind the theft

I told you over and over and over again that that dog is my best friend
I have repeatedly stressed to everyone that my dog is very important to me

Somebody stole my dog
Someone has stolen a valuable part of my life

Woah
Expressing emotions of disbelief and sadness

Please do you know who coulda stole my dog?
Is there anyone who has information regarding my missing dog?

I will do anything if you just
I am willing to go to any extent if only you can help me find my dog