Mason initially focused on songwriting when she entered the music industry in her teens. As a performer, though, she had a major hit single with her third release in 1965, "Yes, I'm Ready" (#5 pop, #2 R&B). She had modest success throughout the rest of the decade on the small Arctic label, run by her manager, top Philadelphia disc-jockey, Jimmy Bishop. She reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 again in 1965 with "Sad, Sad Girl", and "Oh How It Hurts" in 1967. A two-year stay with National General Records, run by a film production company, produced one album and four singles which failed to find success.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, Mason signed to Buddah Records and toughened her persona, singing about sexual love and infidelity with an uncommon frankness at the time in songs like "Bed and Board", "From His Woman to You", and "Shackin' Up" and would interrupt her singing to deliver straight-talking 'raps' about romance. She also continued to write some of her new material. Curtis Mayfield produced her on a cover version of Mayfield's own "Give Me Your Love", which restored her to the pop Top 40 and R&B Top Ten in 1973; "From His Woman to You" (the response to Shirley Brown's single "Woman to Woman") and "Shackin' Up", produced by former Stax producer Don Davis in Detroit were also solid soul sellers in the mid-1970s.
Mason also sang vocals on the tracks "Sheba Baby," "I'm In Love With You," "A Good Man Is Gone," and "She Did It" on the soundtrack for the 1975 Pam Grier film, Sheba, Baby.[2]
After leaving Buddah Records in 1975 after two top ten R&B hits, she only dented the charts periodically on small labels. They included "I Am Your Woman, She Is Your Wife", which was produced in 1978 by Weldon McDougal who had produced her first major success, "Yes I'm Ready", and later in 1984, "Another Man" on West End Records.
Mason started to concentrate on running her own publishing company in the late 1980s, but continues to perform occasionally. She released a new CD, Feeling Blue, in September 2007. Mason was still performing to sold-out audiences in 2016. Her most recent show was at the Terrance Theater in Long Beach, California. Mason was inducted into the Soul Music Hall of Fame on March 1, 2016.
Yes I'm Ready
Barbara Mason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, I'm ready
Are you ready?
Yes, I'm ready
I don't even know how to love you
Just the way you want me to
But I'm ready (ready)
Yes, I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love with you
I don't even know how to hold your hand
Just to make you understand
But I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
Yes, I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
To hold your hand
Make you understand
To hold your hand right now
I don't even know how
To kiss your lips (kiss your lips)
At a moment like this
But I'm going to learn how to do
All the things you want me to
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love right now
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(To kiss me?) Yes, I'm ready
(To love me?)
To kiss you, love you, to hug you
Baby, I'm ready
Barbara Mason’s song “Yes, I’m Ready” is a classic soul love ballad that has endured through time. The song is about being ready and willing to love someone even if the singer does not yet know how to love that person the way they want to be loved. The song starts with a call and response structure between the singer and a lover, with the lover asking if the singer is ready, and the singer responding with a confident “yes.”
The song then delves into the singer’s uncertainty about how to love their partner properly. The lyrics express a willingness to learn: “I don’t even know how to love you, just the way you want me to, but I’m ready (ready) to learn (to learn).” This shows a vulnerability and a desire to make the relationship work. The singer then goes on to express their desire to hold their partner’s hand, kiss their lips, and fall in love with them.
The song is a testament to the power of love and a willingness to put in effort for a relationship to work. The lyrics reflect a sense of hopefulness and optimism that love can overcome any obstacle, even if it requires a willingness to learn and grow.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you ready?
Checking if the other person is ready to proceed with a romantic relationship.
Yes, I'm ready
Affirming readiness for a romantic relationship.
I don't even know how to love you
Just the way you want me to
But I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
Yes, I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love with you
Admitting lack of knowledge in how to love, but being willing to learn and fall in love with the other person.
I don't even know how to hold your hand
Just to make you understand
But I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
Yes, I'm ready (ready)
To learn (to learn)
To hold your hand
Make you understand
To hold your hand right now
Acknowledging difficulty in communicating and expressing affection, but being willing to learn how to hold hands and express oneself better.
I don't even know how
To kiss your lips (kiss your lips)
At a moment like this
But I'm going to learn how to do
All the things you want me to
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
To fall in love
To fall in love
To fall in love right now
Expressing inexperience in physical intimacy, but being willing to learn and satisfy the other person's desires.
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(To kiss me?) Yes, I'm ready
(To love me?)
To kiss you, love you, to hug you
Baby, I'm ready
Reiterating readiness for physical and emotional intimacy with the other person, in a confident and affectionate manner.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Barbara Mason
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind