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.
Jonah
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a prophet who was called
To a city that was steeped in awful sin
All the people in that place
Were devoid of saving grace
And the prophet seemed afraid to enter in
Over there, over there
Oh, he'll tell me all about it over there
On the hallelujah strand
I'll take Jonah by the hand
And he'll tell me all about it over there
Then this prophet forth was sent
That old Nineveh might repent
But instead of that to Tarshish he set sail
Oh! the winds began to blow
Overboard did Jonah go
And he found a mercy seat inside the whale
Over there, over there
In that land bright and fair
Oh, he'll tell me all about it over there
On the hallelujah strand
I'll take Jonah by the hand
And he'll tell me all about it over there
In the cold and briny deep
Tears of grief did Jonah weep
And the big fish threw him out upon the shore
Then he gladly went his way
Preached to Nineveh night and day
And he did not care to backslide any more
Over there, over there
In that land bright and fair
Oh, he'll tell me all about it over there
On the hallelujah strand
I'll take Jonah by the hand
And he'll tell me all about it over there
Oh, some people don't believe
That a whale could him receive
But that does not make my song at all untrue
There are whales on every side
With their big mouths open wide—
Just take care, my friend, or one will swallow you
Over there, over there
In that land bright and fair
Oh, he'll tell me all about it over there
On the hallelujah strand
I'll take Jonah by the hand
And he'll tell me all about it over there
Many souls are tossed about
By the whales of fear and doubt
But the Savior wants to take them by the hand
If they will His voice obey
He will save them right away
And will guide them safely to the promised land
Over there, over there
In that land bright and fair
Oh, he'll tell me all about it over there
On the hallelujah strand
I'll take Jonah by the hand
And he'll tell me all about it over there
The song "Jonah" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe is a retelling of the story of the prophet Jonah from the Bible. In the first verse, the lyrics describe Jonah's initial reluctance to go to the city of Nineveh, which was known for its sinful ways. Jonah instead sets sail for Tarshish, but a storm sends him overboard and he is swallowed by a whale. The second verse recounts Jonah's time inside the whale, where he repents and seeks God's forgiveness. Eventually, the whale spits Jonah out onto the shore, and he goes on to preach to Nineveh and lead its people to repentance.
The song's chorus sings of a heavenly land where Jonah will be reunited with the singer and tell them all about his experiences. The final verse makes the analogy that just as Jonah was saved from the whale, so can people who face their fears and doubts be saved by following the voice of the Savior.
Overall, "Jonah" is a song that emphasizes the power of repentance and the importance of obeying God's commandments, even if they seem difficult or uncomfortable. It also presents Jonah as an example of someone who was redeemed from his mistakes and went on to do great things for God.
Line by Line Meaning
In the Bible we are told
The story I will tell is one that comes from the Bible
Of a prophet who was called
It is about a prophet who was chosen
To a city that was steeped in awful sin
He was sent to a city filled with sin and immorality
All the people in that place
The inhabitants of that city
Were devoid of saving grace
Were not following the way of God
And the prophet seemed afraid to enter in
The prophet was hesitant to go there
Over there, over there
In the afterlife, in heaven
In that land bright and fair
In a beautiful paradise
Oh, he'll tell me all about it over there
The prophet will tell me about his experience in heaven
On the hallelujah strand
In a place where we will praise God
I'll take Jonah by the hand
I will take the prophet's hand
And he'll tell me all about it over there
He will tell me more about it
Then this prophet forth was sent
The prophet was sent again
That old Nineveh might repent
So that the city of Nineveh might ask for forgiveness
But instead of that to Tarshish he set sail
However, he chose to go to Tarshish instead
Oh! the winds began to blow
The wind started to get stronger
Overboard did Jonah go
Jonah was thrown overboard
And he found a mercy seat inside the whale
He was saved by being swallowed by a whale
In the cold and briny deep
In the cold and salty ocean
Tears of grief did Jonah weep
Jonah cried tears of sorrow
And the big fish threw him out upon the shore
The whale eventually threw Jonah onto the shore
Then he gladly went his way
Jonah was happy to continue his mission
Preached to Nineveh night and day
He preached to the people of Nineveh constantly
And he did not care to backslide any more
He was determined to stay on the right path and not turn back
Oh, some people don't believe
Some people do not accept the story as truth
That a whale could him receive
They do not believe that Jonah could have survived being swallowed by a whale
But that does not make my song at all untrue
However, this does not change the validity of my story in any way
There are whales on every side
There are dangers all around us
With their big mouths open wide—
Ready to consume or destroy us
Just take care, my friend, or one will swallow you
Be careful, or you may fall victim to the dangers that surround us
Many souls are tossed about
Many people are lost and confused
By the whales of fear and doubt
By the things that scare us or make us uncertain
But the Savior wants to take them by the hand
Jesus wants to help these people
If they will His voice obey
If they follow the teachings of Jesus
He will save them right away
He will save them without delay
And will guide them safely to the promised land
He will lead them to a better place
Contributed by Bailey S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.