Born Rosetta Nubin on the 20th March 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, she began performing at age four, billed as "Little Rosetta Nubin, the singing and guitar playing miracle", accompanying her mother, Church of God in Christ (COGIC) evangelist Katie Bell Nubin, who played mandolin and preached at tent revivals throughout the Southern U.S.A. Exposed to both blues and jazz both in the South and after her family moved to Chicago in the late 1920s, she played blues and jazz in private, while performing gospel music in public settings. Her unique style reflected those secular influences: she bent notes the way that jazz artists did and picked guitar like Memphis Minnie.
Rosetta also crossed over to secular music in other ways. After marrying COGIC preacher Thomas Thorpe (from which "Tharpe" is a misspelling) in 1934 and moving to New York City, she recorded four sides with Decca Records backed by "Lucky" Millinder's jazz orchestra. Her records caused an immediate furore: many churchgoers were shocked by the mixture of sacred and secular music, but secular audiences loved them. Appearances in John Hammond's 1938 extravaganza "From Spirituals to Swing", at the Cotton Club and Café Society and with Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman, made her even more popular. Songs like "This Train" and "Rock Me", which combined gospel themes with bouncy up-tempo arrangements, became smash hits among audiences with little previous exposure to gospel music.
Tharpe continued recording during World War II, one of only two gospel artists able to record V-discs for troops overseas. Her song "Strange Things Happening Every Day", recorded in 1944 with Sammy Price, Decca's house boogie woogie pianist, showcased her virtuosity as a guitarist and her witty lyrics and delivery. It was also the first gospel song to make Billboard's "race records" Top Ten -- something that she accomplished several more times in her career.
After the war Decca paired her with Marie Knight, a sanctified shouter with a strong contralto and a more subdued style than Tharpe. Their hit "Up above My Head" showed both of them to great advantage: Knight provided the response to Tharpe in traditional call and response format, then took the role that would have been assigned to a bass in a male quartet after Tharpe's solo. They toured the gospel circuit for a number of years, during which Tharpe was so popular that she attracted 25,000 paying customers to her wedding to her manager Russell Morrison (her third marriage), followed by a vocal performance, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in 1951.
Their popularity took a sudden downturn, however, when they recorded several blues songs in the early 1950s. Knight attempted afterwards to cross over to popular music, while Tharpe remained in the church, but rebuffed by many of her former fans. Retreating to Europe, Tharpe gradually returned to the gospel circuit, although at nowhere near her former celebrity. Her performances were curtailed even further by a stroke in 1970 after which she lost the use of her legs. She died on the 9th October 1973 after another stroke, on the eve of a scheduled recording session.
Down By The River
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Lyrics
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i feel so bad in the middle of the day
I feel so bad in the evening
that's why i'm going to the river, to wash my sins away
I'm gonna lay down my heavy load, down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I
ain't a gonna study war no more
Well, I'm gonna put on my long white robe,
(Where?) down by the riverside (Oh)
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna put on my long white robe,
(Where?) down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
Well, I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
(Where?) down by the riverside
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
(A-ha) down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
The opening lines of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's song "Down by the River" convey a sense of despair and guilt that build throughout the song. She describes feeling bad at different times of day and seeking redemption by going to the river to wash away her sins. The repetition of the line "I'm gonna lay down my heavy load" emphasizes the burden she is carrying and her desire to be free of it. The imagery of the long white robe suggests a baptism or religious purification.
The song is a powerful anti-war message, as Sister Rosetta Tharpe sings that she will no longer study war. This message is further emphasized by the repetition of the line "I ain't gonna study war no more," which becomes a refrain throughout the song. The lines "I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield" also suggest a renunciation of violence and a desire for peace.
Overall, "Down by the River" is a song about seeking forgiveness, peace, and redemption. It uses Christian imagery to convey these themes and offers a powerful message against war.
Line by Line Meaning
i feel so bad in the morning
I feel remorse and regret early in the day
i feel so bad in the middle of the day
I feel guilty and sorrowful during the day
I feel so bad in the evening
I feel burdened and troubled in the evening
that's why i'm going to the river, to wash my sins away
I am seeking redemption by going to the river to cleanse my sins
I'm gonna lay down my heavy load, down by the riverside,
I will relinquish my burdens when I reach the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more
I will turn away from conflict and strife
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I have resolved to abandon the pursuit of war
Well, I'm gonna put on my long white robe,
I will be adorned in a symbol of purity
(Where?) down by the riverside (Oh)
I will be at the riverside when I don my white robe
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
I will no longer conduct myself in a manner of aggression and defense
(A-ha) down by the riverside
I will be by the riverside when I lay down my weapons
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I have turned my back on the study of warfare
Lyrics © HAL LEONARD LLC
Written by: ZANE VAN HUKES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind