I'll Take You There
Carla Thomas Lyrics

Oh . . . mmm
Carla Thomas starts off with a groan mixed with delight, signaling something awesome is coming!

I know a place
Carla Thomas is sharing a secret with her listeners. She knows a hidden, special place.

Ain't nobody cryin'
In this secret place, nobody is crying or upset.

Ain't nobody worried
Nobody has problems or stress.

Ain't no smilin' faces
Surprisingly, no one has a smile on their face. This secret place is for serious business.

Mmm, no no
Carla Thomas is emphatic about the lack of happiness in this secret place.

Lyin' to the races
People there are very competitive, to the point of lying to each other in order to get ahead.

Help me, come on, come on
Carla Thomas calls out for help, urging the listener to come with her to this secret place.

Somebody, help me now
She's getting desperate, imploring anyone who can hear her to come with her to this secret place.

(I'll take you there)
This phrase repeats throughout the song, emphasizing that Carla Thomas knows how to get to the secret place and can bring her listeners with her.

Oh!
Another delighted exclamation from Carla Thomas, emphasizing the excitement of the secret place.

Oh! Oh! Mercy!
She's so excited that she can barely contain herself! She's inviting the listener to come with her, promising that they'll experience something amazing.

Oh, let me take you there
Carla Thomas is insistent with her invitation, begging listeners to let her bring them to the secret place.

Play your, play your piano now
The focus in this part of the song shifts to musical instruction, with Carla Thomas encouraging someone - perhaps a band member - to play their instrument.

All right
This phrase is used to signal agreement or encouragement.

Ah . . . do it . . . do it
Carla Thomas is getting fired up, urging her band member to keep playing and keep the energy up.

Come on now
She's still keeping up the encouragement, urging someone (perhaps the listener) to join in and follow her to the secret place.

Daddy daddy daddy
While possibly innocuous, this phrase could be interpreted as Carla Thomas reaching out for help once more - calling out to a paternal figure in desperation.

Ooh, Lord
An exclamation of surprise or alarm in this context. The stakes are getting higher!

Baby, easy now
Carla Thomas switches back to musical encouragement, telling her band to take it easy and keep the energy up.

Now, come on, little lady
She calls out to the listener directly, urging them to come with her again.

Dum-dum-dum-dum
Carla Thomas is injecting a brief instrumental interlude here.

Sock it, sock it
Returning to the musical direction, Carla Thomas tells her band to sock it and crank up the energy.

Ah, oh, oh!
This phrase repeats several times, emphasizing the excitement and energy of the song.

I'm callin' callin' callin' mercy
Carla Thomas is still urgently calling for help or attention.

Let me lead the way
As the chorus repeats again, Carla Thomas reiterates that she knows how to get to the secret place and can lead her listeners there with her.

You oughta, you gotta gotta come let me, let me
She's getting increasingly insistent, calling out to her listeners to come with her!

Take you, take you, take you over there
Carla Thomas is promising that she can lead the listener to this amazing, secret place.

(I'll take you there)
The chorus repeats once again, reinforcing the earlier message that Carla Thomas can lead her listeners to this special secret place.

All right
The song ends with a final indication of agreement and encouragement.