Since her graduation from Bostonโs renowned Berklee College of Music, Longley has assembled quite an impressive resume. While best known for her stop-you-in-your-tracks voice, Longley has quickly built a reputation as an accomplished songwriter, crafting intimately personal portraits through her music. Longley's ever-expanding fan base is not the only group to acknowledge her talent. In 2010 alone, Longley took home top prizes at some of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country; the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition, the International Acoustic Music Awards and the Chris Austn Songwriting Contest.
While she has previously opened shows for established artists such as Mindy Smith, Nanci Griffith, Paula Cole, Livingston Taylor, Amos Lee, Shawn Colvin, Colin Hay and America, it is becoming clear that Longley has come into her own as a performer. The Washington Post declared that she is โdestined to a bigger audience,โ Dig Boston called her โa rising acoustic sensationโ and even John Mayer is a fan, calling her music โgorgeous, just gorgeous.โ Executives at Sirius XM caught wind of her cover of Van Morrisonโs hit โMoondanceโ and added it into regular rotation, along with her award-winning original song, โWhen Youโve Got Trouble.โ
People Get Ready
Liz Longley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
People get ready there's a train to Jordan
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board them
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who's hard on mankind just to save his own
Have pity on the fool whose chances are thinner
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's throne
I'm getting ready
I'm getting ready, ready, ready
I'm getting ready
Oh, you just get on board
The song "People Get Ready" by Liz Longley is a cover of the original song written by Curtis Mayfield in 1965. The song is a call to action for people to prepare themselves for the journey towards a better world. The opening lines, "People get ready, there's a train a comin'" suggest that an opportunity is coming towards us and we need to be ready for it. The train is a metaphor for the chance to create a better world for ourselves, which we must not miss.
The line, "You don't need no baggage, you just get on board" means that we don't need to carry any negative thoughts or burden from our past mistakes, just leave them behind and get on board with our faith. The next line, "All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'" emphasizes on the importance of faith to hear and recognize the opportunity that is coming our way. It's important to believe that something good is about to happen, and it will happen if we have faith.
The train is going to "Jordan," which represents a better place, a promised land. The train is picking up passengers from coast to coast, which suggests that everyone has a chance to get on board, the opportunity is for everyone. The line, "There's room for all among the loved and the lost" suggests that this journey is for everyone, regardless of their background.
The song also suggests that there isn't any room for the "hopeless sinner," meaning those who refuse to believe and act upon the call for change. The song emphasizes on the importance of considering others around us, have pity and empathy towards them, and work towards creating a better world for everyone.
Overall, the song is a reminder that we need to believe in the possibility of creating a better world and be prepared for it. We need to leave behind our negativity and have faith that everything is going to be alright.
Line by Line Meaning
People get ready, there's a train a comin'
Be prepared, the train is arriving
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
You don't need material possessions, just come aboard
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
You need to believe to hear the train approaching
Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
You don't need a ticket, just express gratitude
People get ready there's a train to Jordan
Be prepared for the journey to heaven
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
Gathering people from all over
Faith is the key, open the doors and board them
Belief is essential, let people in
There's room for all among the loved and the lost
All are welcome regardless of their past
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Those who do not believe cannot be saved
Who's hard on mankind just to save his own
Those who inflict harm to benefit themselves
Have pity on the fool whose chances are thinner
Show compassion for those who have limited opportunities
For there's no hiding place against the Kingdom's throne
There's no escaping divine judgment
I'm getting ready
I'm preparing myself
I'm getting ready, ready, ready
I'm putting in extra effort to be ready
Oh, you just get on board
Just come aboard and be saved
Contributed by Zachary J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hoosier60
Beautiful...loved how you crafted it to fit you. Great job on a classic song!๐๐ถ
Stu Art
I remember Lennon doing this on home recordings so thought I would look up a proper version to hear (though I realise this is a cover ) It struck me how it sounds a lot like "Anyway" by Paul McCartney on Chaos and Creation.
DSPANFilm
Wow. Thank you. ๐๐