Their self-titled debut album entered the US Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart at number 6 in February 2017, and reached number 1 on the iTunes Blues Chart.
The band's eventual leader, Ori Naftaly, grew up in Israel and relocated to Memphis in 2013 to compete for Israel in the International Blues Challenge competition. After advancing to the IBC Semi-Finals (the highest an Israeli artist had placed at that point in time), Naftaly made the move permanent and toured the United States with his own band. However, Naftaly became disenchanted with his own outfit and later met the Memphis native Tierinii Jackson, a vocalist who introduced him to her drumming sister, Tikyra. Other musicians joined the fledgling outfit in 2015 who took the band name Southern Avenue, in recognition of the Memphis street. They toured the United States and in Europe, appearing at several music festivals and competed themselves at the International Blues Challenge in January 2016, representing Memphis. Less than a year after their formation, they signed a recording contract with Stax Records.
Their self-titled debut album was released in February 2017 via Stax Records, a division of Concord Music Group. It was mixed and produced by Kevin Houston. Southern Avenue included ten songs, nine of which were penned by Naftaly and Tierinii Jackson, and the track-list also included a cover of Ann Peebles' "Slipped, Tripped and Fell In Love". The collection featured guest appearances from Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and trumpeter Marc Franklin of the Bo-Keys. The album was recorded at Inside Sounds in Memphis and at Zebra Ranch in Coldwater, Mississippi. One journalist described their music as "unique blend of gospel-tinged R&B vocals, roots/blues-based guitar work and soul-inspired songwriting".
In June 2017, they performed at an event for Rock and Wrap it Up. The North Mississippi Allstars invited Southern Avenue to support them on their "Prayer For Peace" tour. Southern Avenue's debut album entered the US Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart at number 6. The band toured across the US until October 2017.
Southern Avenue played at Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware on June 15, 2018 and the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon on July 6, 2019.
Keep On
Southern Avenue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Push harder with your mind and soul
You ain't gon′ win till you fight it all and lose
And when enough's enough
Oh baby, you've gotta have stamina
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
When you hit rock bottom
And ain′t got nowhere to go
Ain′t go no other options
You either run for your life or you die real slow
You ain't gon′ win till you fight it all and lose
And when enough's enough
Oh baby, you′ve gotta have stamina
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You've got strength but
It don′t matter
'Cause everyone's got a million battles
You′ve got to want the fight
As much as you want the win
You′ve gotta finally reach
And grab through the pain you felt
Keep on and on
Keep on and on
Keep on and on
Fight through the pain you feel
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
The lyrics to Southern Avenue's song Keep On are a message of perseverance and determination. The lyrics encourage the listener to not give up and to push harder with their mind and soul. The song uses rock bottom as an example of a situation where one may feel like they have no other options, but they have to either run for their life or die slow. The song is a reminder that in order to win, one has to fight through the pain and keep going even when it feels like they can't. The message is summed up in the chorus where it says, "You get what you put out, you gotta keep on."
The song also acknowledges that everyone has their own battles to fight, and even though one may have strength, it doesn't necessarily matter because the fight can be difficult. It emphasizes the importance of wanting to fight as much as wanting to win and pushing through the pain that is felt. The chorus repeats the message of the song: that one gets out what they put in and that in order to achieve their goals they need to keep on.
Overall, the lyrics of Keep On are a relatable message of perseverance and resilience. The song emphasizes the importance of pushing through difficult situations and not giving up. It encourages the listener to keep fighting and to work hard for what they want to achieve.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no healing in giving up
Giving up won't solve anything and won't make you feel better
Push harder with your mind and soul
Keep on going and using all your strength to keep fighting
You ain't gon' win till you fight it all and lose
You won't achieve anything until you keep fighting through losses and setbacks
And when enough's enough
When you feel like you've reached your limit
Oh baby, you've gotta have stamina
You need to have the endurance and strength to keep going
You get what you put out
You will receive the results of your own efforts and actions
You gotta keep on
You need to persevere and keep going
When you hit rock bottom
When you feel like you've hit the lowest point in your life
And ain't got nowhere to go
When you feel like there's no other options
Ain't go no other options
You feel like you have no other choices
You either run for your life or you die real slow
You need to fight back and try to survive, or give up slowly and die inside
You've got strength but
You might have the physical or emotional strength
It don't matter
But that alone won't always be enough to overcome struggles
'Cause everyone's got a million battles
Everyone has their own battles and struggles that they are going through
You've got to want the fight
You need to have the motivation and desire to keep fighting
As much as you want the win
You need to want the process of fighting and winning equally
You've gotta finally reach
You need to find a way to overcome the obstacles and reach your goals
And grab through the pain you felt
You need to push through the difficult times and grab success despite the pain
Keep on and on
Keep moving forward continuously
Fight through the pain you feel
Keep fighting, even when it's difficult or painful
Writer(s): Ori Naftaly, Tierinii Tamille Jackson, John Lardieri
Contributed by Ellie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Dsteya
There ain't no healing in giving up
Push harder with your mind and soul
You ain't gon' win till you fight it all and lose
And when enough's enough
Oh baby, you've gotta have stamina
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
When you hit rock bottom
And ain't got nowhere to go
Ain't go no other options
You either run for your life or you die real slow
You ain't gon' win till you fight it all and lose
And when enough's enough
Oh baby, you've gotta have stamina
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You've got strength but
It don't matter
'Cause everyone's got a million battles
You've got to want the fight
As much as you want the win
You've gotta finally reach
And grab through the pain you felt
Keep on and on
Keep on and on
Keep on and on
Fight through the pain you feel
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
You get what you put out
You get what you put out
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
You gotta keep on
Oh, oh
@carl13220
My oh my !! Soul music is alive and well ! Extraordinary band and extraordinary song !
@BlizzardOfSteel
This is musical talent on all parts. This is what should be on mainstream radio. So much class
@AncientHippie
This ancient hippie likes, thanks
@bennydudkevitch
Good Luck from Israel !
@kingtrance307
On tour with Sheryl Crow this summer! Feel the 🐝 buzz…
@stevemehan7276
Love love love this 😮
@writingthug7914
Thank you for performing at the Greeley Blues Jam. You were fantastic... Electrifying. Hope you return. 💚💜
@larryfink1382
Man I look forward to seeing y'all in Charleston WV.
@waltzguy14151
Wow. Great band. Her voice is on fire.
@coravisser3846
This is a great band with so much power in her song,this band has growned,till a brilliant band.I love them for a long time Chapeau Southern Avenue.