"Sister" Rosetta Tharpe (1915–1973) was a pioneering U.S. Gospel singer and… Read Full Bio ↴"Sister" Rosetta Tharpe (1915–1973) was a pioneering U.S. Gospel singer and songwriter who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock accompaniment. She became the first great recording star of Gospel music, first surfacing on the pop charts in 1939 with "This Train", her version of the traditional gospel standard.

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.

Jericho
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
The walls come tumblin' down, Hallelujah

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho

And the walls come tumblin' down

You may talk about the men of Gideon
You may talk about the men of Saul
But there're none like good old Joshua
At the battle of Jericho

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumblin' down, Hallelujah

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumblin' down

Up to the walls of Jericho
With sword drawn in his hand
Go blow them horns?, cried Joshua
The battle is in my hands?

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumblin' down, that mornin'

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumblin' down, Hallelujah

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumblin' down

Overall Meaning

The song "Jericho" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe is a retelling of the Biblical story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho found in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. The lyrics describe Joshua fitting the battle of Jericho, referring to Joshua leading the Israelites in the battle to conquer the city of Jericho. The repetition of "Jericho, Jericho" and "Hallelujah" throughout the song adds to the spiritual and celebratory nature of the story, emphasizing the triumph of God's people over their enemies.

The song also acknowledges the significance of Joshua's leadership in the battle, stating that there were no other men like him. The line, "Up to the walls of Jericho, with sword drawn in his hand. Go blow them horns, cried Joshua, the battle is in my hands," illustrates the iconic moment in the story when Joshua orders the Israelites to march around the walls of Jericho with trumpets and shout until the walls came tumbling down.

Overall, the lyrics of "Jericho" tell the story of a victorious battle led by Joshua and God's people, highlighting the power of faith and the greatness of Joshua's leadership.

Line by Line Meaning

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
Joshua leads the battle of Jericho

Jericho, Jericho
The city of Jericho is being fought over

And the walls come tumblin' down, Hallelujah
The walls of Jericho fall down and it is a cause for celebration

You may talk about the men of Gideon
While other warriors are spoken about

You may talk about the men of Saul
Saul's soldiers are also mentioned

But there're none like good old Joshua
Joshua is unparalleled in his bravery and leadership

At the battle of Jericho
Specifically in the battle of Jericho

Up to the walls of Jericho
Joshua leads his army to the walls of Jericho

With sword drawn in his hand
Joshua is ready to fight with his sword at the ready

Go blow them horns?, cried Joshua
Joshua commands that the horns be blown

The battle is in my hands?
Joshua is confident that he will be victorious