Hey Joe
Thee Sixpence Lyrics
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Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand
Alright. I'm goin down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah! I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh! And that ain't too cool
You shot her down
Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot you old lady down
You shot her down to the ground. Yeah
Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' 'round
Messin' 'round town
Uh, yes I did, I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun and I shot her
Alright
(Ah! Hey Joe)
Shoot her one more time again, baby
(Oo)
Yeah
(Hey Joe)
Ah, dig it
(Hey)
Ah! Ah
(Joe where you gonna go?)
Oh, alright
Hey Joe, said now
(Hey)
Uh, where you gonna run to now, where you gonna run to?
Yeah
(Where you gonna go?)
Hey Joe, I said
(Hey)
Where you goin' to run
To now, where you, where you gonna go?
(Joe)
Well, dig it
I'm goin' way down south, way down south
(Hey)
Way down south to Mexico way! Alright!
(Joe)
I'm goin' way down south
(Hey, Joe)
Way down where I can be free!
(Where you gonna...)
Ain't no one gonna find me babe
(...go?)
Ain't no hangman gonna
(Hey, Joe)
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
(Joe where you gonna...)
You better belive it right now
(...go?)
I gotta go now
Hey, hey, hey Joe
(Hey Joe)
You better run on down
(Where you gonna...)
Goodbye everybody. Ow
(...go?)
Hey, hey Joe, what'd I say
(Hey...Joe)
Run on down.
(Where you gonna go)
The song "Hey Joe" by Thee Sixpence is a powerful tune that tells the story of a man who has caught his wife cheating on him with another man. The song opens with the chorus, where a man asks Joe why he's carrying a gun. Joe responds by saying that he's going to shoot his wife for cheating on him. He believes that his actions are justified because he's been betrayed by the person he loved and trusted.
Through the lyrics, the listener can sense a growing desperation in Joe. When questioned later in the song about whether he actually did kill his wife, Joe admits that he did. He then goes on to say that he caught her "messin' 'round town" with another man and that he gave her the gun and shot her. The lyrics of the song offer a glimpse into the mind of a man who has been pushed to the edge and who takes a violent course of action to deal with his pain and betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand
Hey Joe, what are you planning to do with that gun, man?
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand
Hey Joe, I asked you a question, where are you heading with that firearm?
Alright. I'm goin down to shoot my old lady
Well, I'm going to kill my girlfriend, my wife or my partner.
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
I caught her cheating on me with another man, you know.
Yeah! I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
Yes, I'm going to shoot that woman, who betrayed me.
Huh! And that ain't too cool
And that's not acceptable or right, you know.
Uh, hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down
Hey Joe, I heard that you killed your woman, man.
You shot her down to the ground. Yeah
You shot her, and she fell to the ground.
Yes, I did, I shot her
Yes, I killed her, I shot her with that gun.
Messin' 'round town
She was fooling around or cheating on me with someone else in town.
And I gave her the gun and I shot her
So, I handed the gun over to her, and then I killed her myself.
Uh, where you gonna run to now, where you gonna run to?
So, where are you going to escape now, Joe? Tell me, where are you heading?
Well, dig it
I'm goin' way down south, way down south
Way down south to Mexico way! Alright!
I'm goin' way down south
Way down where I can be free!
Ain't no one gonna find me babe
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better belive it right now
I gotta go now
Well, listen up, I'm going way down south to Mexico, where no one knows me or can hunt me down. I'll be free there. No one can catch me or hang me there. I'm serious about it. I gotta go now, man.
Hey, hey, hey Joe
(Hey Joe)
You better run on down
(Where you gonna...)
Goodbye everybody. Ow
(...go?)
Hey, hey Joe, what'd I say
(Hey...Joe)
Run on down.
Hey Joe, you gotta run and hide now. Say goodbye to everybody. Hey, hey, hey Joe, listen to me, run away and disappear.
Contributed by Gianna F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
George Penwell
Don´t compare this version and judge it by the standard set by Jimi Hendrix´s version. Everyone was doing this song at this speed back then. I like this version just fine, and the drums and bass were done pretty damned good considering that at this early stage of the game they were probably rushed into the studio and rushed out. Studio time had to have been expensive as fuck back then.