After relocating to Britain to follow a musical career, his first album, "Confusions About a Goldfish" (1970), was unsuccessful. The next year he had two hit singles – "He's Gonna Step On You Again" (UK #4; U.S. #70) and "Tokoloshe Man" (UK #4). His second album "Kongos" made the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart, but subsequent singles, "Great White Lady" (1972), "Ride the Lightning" (1973) and "Higher than God's Hat" (1975), failed to chart.
Kongos continued to work in the music industry as a record producer, sound engineer, TV jingle and theme music composer and songwriter, as well as handling the programming of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer on Def Leppard's 1983 album Pyromania.
"He's Gonna Step On You Again" is cited in the Guinness Book of Records as being the first song to use a sample.
His two biggest hits "He's Gonna Step On You Again" & "Tokoloshe Man", were later succesfully covered by the Happy Mondays.
GOLD
John Kongos Lyrics
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Homestead in our heart
Leavin' everything we could not afford
The day we made our start
Laughter behind us, said "We're gonna find us gold"
Gold
Always just ahead
I couldn't understand how the rain cloud knew
Just where we made our bed
There were some hard times, times I wasn't too sure
Why and just what we were headin' for
If it weren't for you so true
I wouldn't know what to do
If it weren't for you so true
How could I know what to do?
Well, it just don't feel like ten years
It seems like a week or two
Lucky for me, I just happened to find
A good old mule like you
Laughter behind us, said "We're gonna find us gold"
Gold
It's all over now, but don't you fret
Everything I have is yours
It's all over now, but don't you forget
Everything I have is yours
The lyrics of John Kongos's song Gold recount the story of the singer and his companion's journey to search for gold in Blackrock. They leave everything they cannot afford and embark on a journey toward their dream of finding gold. They are filled with hope and laughter, as they believe they will find what they're looking for. However, the journey is not easy, and they experience hardships and moments of doubt along the way. Regardless of this, the singer says that he wouldn't know what to do without his companion, who remains true to him and gives him the strength to persevere.
The singer also talks about how time seems to have flown by and reveals that they eventually found what they were looking for. However, the ending seems bittersweet as he says, "It's all over now, but don't you forget, everything I have is yours." It could be interpreted that the journey was ultimately more important than the end goal or that the singer's search for gold led him to another treasure, his companion.
Overall, the lyrics depict the gritty reality of chasing a dream and how, amid hardships, having a trustworthy companion can make all the difference.
Line by Line Meaning
We made our way toward Blackrock
We set off to a place called Blackrock
Homestead in our heart
We had a strong desire to settle down and create a home
Leavin' everything we could not afford
We had to leave behind anything that was too expensive for us to keep
The day we made our start
That was the day we started our journey
Laughter behind us, said "We're gonna find us gold"
Even though people laughed at us, we were determined to find gold
Gold
Our ultimate goal was to find gold
Dust cloud seemed to know the way
It felt like the dust was showing us the right path
Always just ahead
The dust always stayed just a bit ahead of us
I couldn't understand how the rain cloud knew
I was surprised at how the rain cloud seemed to know where we were heading
Just where we made our bed
The rain always seemed to fall where we were resting for the night
There were some hard times, times I wasn't too sure
We went through some difficult times where I lost my confidence in our goal
Why and just what we were headin' for
I questioned the purpose and direction of our journey
If it weren't for you so true
If it wasn't for you being so loyal and supportive
I wouldn't know what to do
I wouldn't have known how to keep going
How could I know what to do?
I relied heavily on your guidance and support
Well, it just don't feel like ten years
It doesn't feel like we've been on this journey for ten years
It seems like a week or two
Feels like it's only been a short while
Lucky for me, I just happened to find
I consider myself lucky to have found
A good old mule like you
A reliable friend like you
It's all over now, but don't you fret
Our journey is now over, but don't worry
Everything I have is yours
Everything I have belongs to you
It's all over now, but don't you forget
Even though our journey is over, don't forget
Everything I have is yours
That everything I have is still yours
Writer(s): Christos Demetriou, John Theodore Kongos
Contributed by Jonathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sevenantony7376
Such talent
@peerf50
Thank you so much! That was my youth and I started playing guitar :-)
@ronfreeman5857
One of the best songs ever...
@robertmorgan5173
A free spirit living and creating within the confines of a vile regime. Awesome.
@321reh
This Guy is So Fucking Talented!!! Why Didn't This Album"Kongos" Do Better Than it Did????
@joebloggs4754
has a big T rex sound to his stuff...