Growing up amidst music, Taylor had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Chance Records in the 50s as part of a doo-wop group called Five Echoes. Taylor was also part of the gospel group, The Highway QC's also, replacing r&b artist Sam Cooke that had left to become the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers in 1951. Then, after Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957, Taylor was hired to take Cooke's place as lead singer.
A few years later, after Cooke had established his independent SAR Records, Taylor signed on and recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" in 1962. However, SAR Records quickly became defunct after Cooke's tradic early death in 1964.
In 1966, Taylor moved to Stax Records in Memphis, where he was dubbed "The Philosopher of Soul". While there he recorded with the label's house band, Booker T. & the MGs. His hits included "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter) and most notably "Who's Making Love?", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top 40 and No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1968. During his tenure at Stax, he became an R&B star, with over a dozen chart successes, such as "Cheaper to Keep Her" (Mack Rice) and producer Don Davis's "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)".
After Stax folded in the mid 1970s, Taylor switched to Columbia Records, where he made his best-known hit, "Disco Lady", in 1976. "Disco Lady" was the first certified platinum single. Columbia pigeonholed Taylor as a disco artist, however, and neglected his wide-ranging talent. Not surprisingly, his record sales slipped.
After a brief stint at Beverly Glen Records, Taylor signed with Malaco Records after the label's founder Tommy Couch and producing partner Wolf Stephenson heard him sing at blues singer Z.Z. Hill's funeral in the spring of 1984. Backed by members of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as well as in-house veterans like former Stax keyboardist Carson Whitsett, Malaco gave Taylor the type of recording freedom that Stax had given him in the late 1960s and early 1970s, enabling him to record ten albums for the Malaco label in his sixteen year stint. Taylor's record sales were good but not enough for the singer to receive the measure of stardom he once had.
In 1996, Taylor's eighth album for Malaco, Good Love!, made it to Number One on Billboard's Blues chart (#15 R&B), the biggest record in Malaco's history.
Malaco recorded a live video of Taylor at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 1997.
Johnnie Taylor's 1999 album, "Gotta Get the Groove Back", also reached the # 1 Position on the Billboard Blues Charts. This album which featured veteran songwriter, Lamar Thmas (Woman don't be Afraid) was also a Grammy Nominated album during the same year that Johnnie passed.
Taylor was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. He died in Dallas at the age of 66.
In what would turn out to be a sad foreshadowing, Taylor's final song was "Soul Heaven", in which he dreamed of being at a concert featuring deceased Soul music icons Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and MGs drummer Al Jackson, among others. In one verse, Taylor sang, "I didn't want to wake up/I was havin' such a good time".
Cheaper to Keep Her
Johnnie Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd better stay tied up
'Cause it's cheaper to keep her
This is from T services
It's cheaper to keep her
It's cheaper to keep her
Girl make you mad
And you get an attitude
And pack your bags
Five little children
That you're leaving behind
Son, you're gonna pay some
Alimony or do some time
That's why
It's cheaper to keep her
Help me say it, y'all
It's cheaper to keep her
(It's cheaper to keep her)
See, when you get through
Staring that judge in the face
You're gonna wanna cuss
The whole human race
That's why
It's cheaper to keep her
(It's cheaper to keep her)
(It's cheaper to keep her)
(It's cheaper, it's cheaper)
(It's cheaper, it's cheaper)
(It's cheaper to keep her)
You didn't pay but two dollars
To bring the little girl home
Now you're about to pay
Two thousand to leave her alone
You see another woman out there
And you wanna make a change
She ain't gonna want you cause
You won't have a damn thing
That's why it's cheaper to keep her
Everybody sing along with me
It's cheaper to keep her
(It's cheaper to keep her)
By the time you get through
Looking that judge in the face
You're gonna wanna cuss
The whole human race
That's why
It's cheaper to keep her
(It's cheaper to keep her)
Its cheaper to keep her
(It's cheaper to keep her)
(It's cheaper, it's cheaper)
(It's cheaper, it's cheaper)
(It's cheaper to keep her)
I know you think
The grass is greener
Way over on the other side
When that Judge give
You that dirty look
You may as well put your
Money in momma's pocketbook
That's why it's cheaper to keep her
(It's cheaper to keep her)
Cost too much to leave her alone, yeah
I know it's cheaper to keep her, yeah
(It's cheaper to keep her)
'Cause you gonna pay some
Alimony if you leave home
I tell y'all
It's cheaper to keep her
All the fellas know
What I'm talking bout
Don't you know
It's cheaper to stay at home
I gotta tell you
I'll bring you the message tonight
It's cheaper to keep her
Cheaper to keep her
Cheaper to keep her
Cheaper to keep her
She's gonna cause you too much
Log on to Top40db.
If you let her go, man
It's cheaper to keep her
You might as well put up
With your little arguments
And fussing and fighting
I am gonna tell you something tonight
I'll tell you, cheaper to keep her
Ain't it, man
Ain't it cheaper to
Keep her, ha yeah
By time you get through
Looking that judge in the face
You'll be lucky if you
Even have a place
The lyrics to Johnnie Taylor's song Cheaper to Keep Her is a cautionary tale for men who are thinking of leaving their women. The chorus repeats the phrase "It's cheaper to keep her" several times, and the verses describe in detail just how expensive and complicated divorces can be. The first verse warns men who are "tied up" with their women to stay that way, because divorces can be lengthy and financially draining processes. It's better to stick with the familiar than to try and make a change and risk losing everything in the process.
The second verse describes the children that the man would be leaving behind if he were to divorce his woman. The song paints a picture of a man who is leaving his children behind in order to pursue a new relationship with another woman. It's a warning that not only is the man going to be paying alimony, but he is also going to miss out on valuable time with his children.
The bridge emphasizes the point that leaving a woman is costly, not just financially but also emotionally. The judge in the courtroom is not going to be sympathetic to a man who leaves his wife, and he will be viewed as a "bad guy" in the eyes of the law.
Overall, the song is a warning for men to think twice before leaving their women. Johnnie Taylor's catchy refrain of "It's cheaper to keep her" is a reminder that the costs of divorce far outweigh any benefits that might come from leaving a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
If you're tied up
If you're in a committed relationship
You'd better stay tied up
You should stay in that committed relationship
'Cause it's cheaper to keep her
Because it's financially less expensive to remain in the committed relationship
It's cheaper to keep her
Stating that it's less expensive to stay in the committed relationship
When your little
When your girlfriend, who you refer to as 'little',
Girl make you mad
Makes you angry
And you get an attitude
And you become upset
And pack your bags
And decide to leave
Five little children
You have five children
That you're leaving behind
If you leave that committed relationship, you'll abandon your children
Son, you're gonna pay some
You'll have to pay a price
Alimony or do some time
Either you will pay a financial settlement or be incarcerated
That's why
This is the reason why
See, when you get through
When you're finished
Staring that judge in the face
Facing a judge in a legal dispute
You're gonna wanna cuss
You'll be angry and want to curse
The whole human race
Humanity in general
You didn't pay but two dollars
You didn't spend much to get engaged in that committed relationship
To bring the little girl home
To start the committed relationship
Now you're about to pay
You're going to pay a large price
Two thousand to leave her alone
It will cost you a large amount to end the committed relationship
You see another woman out there
If you find another woman
And you wanna make a change
And you want to start a new relationship
She ain't gonna want you cause
She won't be interested in you
You won't have a damn thing
You'll have nothing to offer her
I know you think
I'm aware that you believe
The grass is greener
Other relationships seem better
Way over on the other side
In other relationships
When that Judge give
When the judge awards
You that dirty look
Looks disapprovingly at you
You may as well put your
You should put your money
Money in momma's pocketbook
Give your money to your wife
Cost too much to leave her alone, yeah
It is too expensive to end the committed relationship
I know it's cheaper to keep her, yeah
I'm aware that it's less expensive to stay in that committed relationship
All the fellas know
Many men understand
What I'm talking bout
What I'm saying is true
Don't you know
Haven't you heard?
It's cheaper to stay at home
It's less expensive to stay in that committed relationship
She's gonna cause you too much
She will be costly to be with
If you let her go, man
If you end things with her
You might as well put up
You may as well tolerate
With your little arguments
With your small disagreements
And fussing and fighting
And disputes
Ain't it, man
Isn't that true, man?
Ain't it cheaper to
Isn't it less expensive to
Keep her, ha yeah
Stay in that committed relationship?
You'll be lucky if you
You won't have much
Even have a place
Even a place to stay
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MACK RICE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertfinch6220
VERY VERY GREAT SONG RIP TO JOHNNY TAYLOR, MY MOTHER USED TO PLAY THIS SONG TO ME WHEN I WAS KNEE HIGH TO A DUCK, SOME FOOLS NEED TO WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG BEFORE ITS TO LATE.
@tonyharris8014
I might be young but I know a lot about this my big momma would play this every Sunday whiles she's cooking breakfast and dinner
@loveyouall66
I'M GLAD THAT YOUR GRANDMOTHER EXPOSED YOU TO THIS MUSIC.
@dwaynejordan8406
Tony Harris 😀😀
@isabellaphilippe4397
Love it
@frankiemorris5598
Morris Frankie Lee
@unique74muzik
You was raised right!!
@Lovingthemarriedlife
I lost my father to cancer this past Saturday! I use to sing this song to my dad and we would laugh. Damn I miss my dad!
@sheilapalmer224
This is a master piece
@jplew138
Boy, if this song ain't the God's honest truth...