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.
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jesus, keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee
Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
And when my feeble life is o'er
And time for me will be no more
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore
Just a closer (Just a closer walk, just a closer walk with Thee)
Walk with Thee (Just a closer walk, just a closer walk with Thee)
Grant it, Jesus (Just a closer walk, just a closer walk with Thee)
Is my plea (Just a closer walk, just a closer walk)
Daily walking (Just a closer walk, just a closer walk with Thee)
Close to Thee (Just a closer walk with Thee)
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be
In Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s gospel classic, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee”, she sings about her desire to maintain a close relationship with Jesus no matter what difficulties arise in her life. Tharpe recognizes her own weakness and frailty, and thus seeks to draw strength from the Lord to keep her on the right path. She submits her plea to Jesus, asking for guidance and protection from all wrong. Despite facing challenges and obstacles along the way, Tharpe is content knowing that as long as she walks closely with Jesus, she will be satisfied.
Through her lyrics, Tharpe illustrates the importance of maintaining a strong connection with God through prayer and daily devotion. The song reminds listeners that through faith and the grace of Jesus Christ, one can find peace and contentment in even the most trying of circumstances. Tharpe’s desire to draw closer to God is a theme that resonates throughout her music, and has made her one of the most influential figures in gospel music history.
Line by Line Meaning
I am weak but Thou art strong
Despite my weaknesses, I believe that You, Lord, are infinitely strong and therefore have the power to guide me.
Jesus, keep me from all wrong
I ask You, Jesus, to prevent me from doing wrong and guide me towards making the right choices.
I'll be satisfied as long
All I need to be truly happy is to remain close to You, Lord.
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee
In my journey through life, I only desire to stay as close to Your presence as possible, dear Lord.
Just a closer walk with Thee
All I want is to get closer to You, Lord, through my life journey.
Grant it, Jesus is my plea
Please, Jesus, hear and answer my prayer to take me closer to You.
Daily walking close to Thee
Every day I stride forward in my walk with You, Lord, and I hope to keep getting closer and closer to You.
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be
May Your will be done in my life, Lord, and lead me closer to You in my life journey.
And when my feeble life is o'er
Once my life has ended and I become powerless, guide me safely into Your presence.
And time for me will be no more
When my time on earth ends, there will be no more chances for me to continue my journey, but I will see Your glorious kingdom.
Guide me gently, safely o'er
Please, Lord, hold my hand and guide me through my final journey to safely cross into Your kingdom.
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore
Lead me to Your kingdom, Lord, to Your beautiful and eternal shore.
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JUAN JOSE GONZALEZ
Just a Closer walk with Thee
Grant it Jesus, if you please.
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak , but thou are strong
Jesus, keep me from all wrong.
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, dear Lord, close to Thee.
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord,
None but Thee.
When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore
Crooning4Leftovers
I am weak but Thou art strong
Jesus keep me from all wrong
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee
Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be
When my feeble life is o'er
Time for me will be no more
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore
Just a closer walk with Thee
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be
SpaceNative
I'm irrevocably and completely infatuated with Sister Rosetta.
Far Rider
She could have converted me simply by her guitar 🎸 and joy.
Sister you are to everyone 🌻
Lord Elrond
How Rosetta's love for Jesus comes down the years to us! I love walking close to Jesus myself, ever since He delivered me from schizophrenia and drugs in 1979. His love fills my heart and that's why Rosetta's song means so much.
Paul Money
Her love of God gets through all right, even to cynical old atheists like me! Glad you got better all those years ago Graham.
Alessandro Minore
God bless you bro
MIMI AME
Amen. Praise God!!!!
Rolando Aponte
Sister Rosetta was a unique innovator force. R&R pioneers like Chuck Berry were heavily influenced by Rosetta, not only by her guitar playing style but also by her entertaining capabilities. The famous Berry duck-walk was originated on Rosetta's performance antics. Just take a look at Rosettas' "Down by the Riverside" video and you will agree.
Who Am I?
This must be what it feels like to find golden treasure buried under the ocean. This is better than gold.
velouric
HAHA, YES!
teleroel
The youtube algorithm will bring more of these gems!