The group was founded as The Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks, and Arthur Brooks, who moved to Chicago, Illinois and added Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield to their lineup to become Jerry Butler & the Impressions. By 1962, Butler and the Brookses had departed, and after switching to ABC-Paramount Records, Mayfield, Gooden, and new Impression Fred Cash collectively became a top-selling soul act. Mayfield left the group for a solo career in 1970; Leroy Hutson, Ralph Johnson, Reggie Torian, and Nate Evans were among the replacements who joined Gooden and Cash before the group's demise in 1983.
Inductees into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Impressions are best known for their 1960s string of hits, many of which were heavily influenced by gospel music and served as inspirational anthems for the Civil Rights Movement.
Personnel:
Jerry Butler (1958 - 1960)
Curtis Mayfield (1958 - 1970)
Sam Gooden (1958 - 1983)
Arthur Brooks (1958 - 1962)
Richard Brooks (1958 - 1962)
Fred Cash (1960 - 1983)
Leroy Hutson (1970 - 1973)
Ralph Johnson (1973 - 1976)
Nate Evans (1976 - 1979)
Reggie Torian (1973 - 1983)
Discography
Albums
1963: The Impressions
1964: Keep on Pushing
1964: The Never Ending Impressions
1965: One by One
1965: People Get Ready
1966: Ridin' High
1967: The Fabulous Impressions
1968: We're a Winner
1968: This Is My Country
1969: The Young Mods' Forgotten Story
1969: The Versatile Impressions
1969: Amen
1970: Check out Your Mind!
1972: Times Have Changed
1973: Preacher Man
1974: Finally Got Myself Together
1974: Three the Hard Way
1975: First Impressions
1975: Sooner or Later
1976: It's About Time
1976: Originals
1976: Loving Power
1979: Come to My Party
1981: Fan the Fire
They Don't Know
The Impressions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I feel so insecure
Brother if you feel this way
You're not by yourself
We have lost another leader
Lord how much must we endure
If you feel this way
You're not by yourself
Funny they think
We have no-one to lead us
That then we've lost the fight
And in the night no-one can breed us
But they don't know
Every brother is leader
And they don't know every sister is a breeder
And our love you see
Is gonna help the world be free
We're gonna move at a steady pace
Keep every brother on the case
They don't know
To have buses to help themselves
We cannot let our people be
Until we're all out of poverty
And never think, we have no-one to lead us
Don't think we've lost the fight
And in the night no-one can breed us
For they don't know
Every brother is leader,
And they don't know every sister is a breeder
They don't know, they don't know
They don't know, they don't know
They don't know, they don't know
They don't know, they don't know
We've got love you see
And make note of the information
Don't matter about the operation
We shall control the situation
They don't know
To have buses to help themselves
We cannot let our people be
Until we're all out of poverty
And never think, we have no-one to lead us
Don't think we've lost the fight
And in the night no-one can breed us
But they don't know
Every brother is leader,
And they don't know every sister is a breeder
And our love you see
Is gonna help the world be free
We're gonna move at a steady pace
Keep every brother on the case
They don't know
They don't know
They don't know
They don't know, oh child
They don't know
They don't know, have mercy now
They don't know, they don't know
The Impressions' song "They Don't Know" is a powerful commentary on the struggles of the black community in the United States during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The opening lines of the song speak to the loss and insecurity felt by many in the wake of the assassinations of prominent civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. The singer acknowledges that these feelings of vulnerability are shared by many in the community, and urges listeners to take comfort in the fact that they are not alone.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the real message is one of empowerment and unity. Despite the challenges and obstacles faced by the black community, the singer insists that "every brother is leader" and "every sister is a breeder" - in other words, that every individual can and must take responsibility for their own role in the fight for justice and equality. Moreover, the singer suggests that love is the key to creating real change in the world, and that by working together as a community, progress is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Another friend has gone
We have lost another leader
And I feel so insecure
Lord how much must we endure if you feel this way
Brother if you feel this way
If you feel this way, you're not by yourself
We have lost another leader
Another friend has gone
Lord how much must we endure
We feel so insecure
If you feel this way
Brother, you're not by yourself
Funny they think
It is ironic what they think
We have no-one to lead us
They think we have lost our leaders
That then we've lost the fight
They also think we have lost the battle
And in the night no-one can breed us
They believe that we cannot sustain ourselves in the night
But they don't know
They are unaware
Every brother is leader
Each and every one is capable of leadership
And they don't know every sister is a breeder
Females are just as important in producing offspring
And our love you see
The solution to the problems is love
Is gonna help the world be free
Love will bring freedom to the world
We're gonna move at a steady pace
We will progress at a stable speed
Keep every brother on the case
Encouraging everyone to be actively involved
To have buses to help themselves
We need to provide assistance to our people
We cannot let our people be
We must step in to help our community
Until we're all out of poverty
Until everyone is lifted out of poverty
But they don't know
They are not aware
And our love you see
Love is the solution
Is gonna help the world be free
Love will bring freedom to the world
We're gonna move at a steady pace
We will progress at a stable speed
Keep every brother on the case
Encourage everyone to be actively involved
They don't know
They are not aware
Contributed by Abigail L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Keith Fuqua
on People Get Ready
Amen brothers. Get ready people