Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to t… Read Full Bio ↴Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert Nesta Marley), Peter Tosh (Hubert Winston McIntosh), and Bunny Wailer (Neville Livingston).

During 1970 and 1971, Wailer, Marley and Tosh worked with renowned reggae producers Leslie Kong and Lee "Scratch" Perry.

They released four albums before signing to Island Records in 1972. Two more albums were created before Tosh and Wailer left the band in 1974, citing grievances over label treatment and ideological differences. Marley carried on with a new line-up, including the I-Threes that put out seven more more albums. Marley died in 1981.

The Wailers were a groundbreaking ska and reggae group, noted for songs such as "Simmer Down", "Trenchtown Rock", "Nice Time", "War", "Stir It Up" and "Get Up, Stand Up".

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley_and_the_Wailers

Studio albums
The Wailing Wailers (1965)
The Best of the Wailers (1970; released 1971)
Soul Rebels (1970)
Soul Revolution Part II (1971)
Catch a Fire (1973)
Burnin' (1973)
Natty Dread (1974)
Rastaman Vibration (1976)
Exodus (1977)
Kaya (1978)
Survival (1979)
Uprising (1980)
Confrontation (1983)

Treat Me Good
Bob Marley & The Wailers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You want me to leave, you want me to stay
You ask me to come back, then you turn and walk away
You wanna be lovers, then you wanna be friends
I'm losin' my patience, you're nearin' the end

One of these days you're gonna reach out and find
The one that you count on has left you behind
Don't wanna be no mother, you know I'm no saint

Oh my, my baby, before it's too late

Treat me right, treat me right, open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light

Do you think I'm a fool, well you'd better think twice
I've had enough, baby, it's time you realize
That you can't have it both ways, that's no way to live
You've done all the takin', it's your turn to give

One of these days you're gonna reach out and find
The one that you count on has left you behind
Don't wanna be no mother, you know I'm no saint
Oh my, my baby, before it's too late

Treat me right, treat me right
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light, oh, treat me right

You want me to leave, you want me to stay
You ask me to come back, you turn and walk away
You wanna be lovers, then you wanna be friends
I'm losin' my patience, you're nearin' the end

Treat me right, treat me right
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light, oh, treat me right

Treat me right, treat me right
Treat me right, treat me right

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bob Marley & The Wailers's song Treat Me Good deal with the complex emotions of a person who is caught in a contradictory situation with their partner. The singer expresses their frustration with the partner's constantly changing desires and moods. The partner wants the singer to leave, then stay, and then comes back only to walk away again. The partner wants to be lovers and then friends, causing the singer to lose their patience. The singer reminds the partner that they cannot have it both ways and that they have done all the taking, and it's their turn to give.

The chorus of the song, "Treat me right, treat me right, open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light," is an appeal to the partner to treat the singer with respect and to recognize their worth. The singer warns the partner that if they continue to take the singer for granted, they will eventually be left behind. The closing lines, "Treat me right, treat me right," repeated multiple times, emphasize the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.

Line by Line Meaning

You want me to leave, you want me to stay
You're giving me mixed signals about what you want from me.

You ask me to come back, then you turn and walk away
You're playing with my emotions by saying one thing and doing another.

You wanna be lovers, then you wanna be friends
You're sending me mixed messages about where our relationship stands.

I'm losin' my patience, you're nearin' the end
I'm tired of your indecisiveness and am getting close to walking away for good.

One of these days you're gonna reach out and find
Eventually, you're going to realize that you've pushed me away too far.

The one that you count on has left you behind
You're going to regret taking me for granted and losing me.

Don't wanna be no mother, you know I'm no saint
I don't want to constantly have to take care of you or be responsible for your problems.

Oh my, my baby, before it's too late
I'm warning you to change your ways before it's too late and you lose me for good.

Treat me right, treat me right, open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light
If you want to keep me around, you need to start treating me better and realizing the value of our relationship.

Do you think I'm a fool, well you'd better think twice
I'm not stupid, and you shouldn't underestimate my intelligence.

I've had enough, baby, it's time you realize
I'm at my breaking point, and you need to understand that things need to change for us to continue.

That you can't have it both ways, that's no way to live
You can't expect to have me around while treating me badly and not committing to our relationship.

You've done all the takin', it's your turn to give
You've been selfish in this relationship and it's time for you to start giving back.

Treat me right, treat me right
The key to keeping me around is treating me with respect and consideration.

Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light, oh, treat me right
If you start treating me right, you may finally understand the value of our relationship and what you were missing.

Treat me right, treat me right
I'm emphasizing the importance of treating me right for our relationship to work.

Treat me right, treat me right
I'm repeating myself to emphasize this point and ensure that you understand what I need from you.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOUGLAS HARDEN LUBAHN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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