Griffiths has been one of the most successful female reggae artist in the world with songs like "Young, Gifted And Black" (1970), "Feel Like Jumping" (1978) and "Steppin' Out Of Babylon" (1979), and "Electric Boogie (1990) . She cooperated with Bob Marley on all his LP albums for Island Records and in all tours until his death.
Griffiths began her early career with Bob Andy in the duo Bob and Marcia, who delivered hit songs like "Young, Gifted And Black" (1970) and "The Pied Piper" (1971). She was already an international star and more known than Bob Marley in 1973 where she contributed to the group's first LP on Island Records – Catch A Fire – by running in songs like "No More Trouble". In 1974, she joined Bob Marley & The Wailers as one of the permanent members of the I-Threes – the vocal trio that also included Judy Mowatt and Rita Marley, who lifted and reinforced Bob Marley's messages on the stage and studio albums.
Solo she delivered heavy love songs like "The First Time I Saw Your Face" and "Sweet Bitter Love" (1974) on the album Play Me Sweet And Niceand immortal roots reggae classic "Steppin' Out Of Babylon" on the album Steppin'. In between, she released the album Naturally, where she sang Bunny Wailer classic rastafarian song "Dreamland", Bob Marley's "Lonesome Feeling" and her own hit songs, "Feel Like Jumping" , "Truly" and "Melody Life" - songs that are still played by radio stations worldwide.
With some help from Bunny Wailer 1990 she hit the Billboard chart with “Electric Boogie” ( Carousell) and created a world class dance, the Electric Slide. This super star has been recording and performing ceaselessly.
At a reggae concert in South Florida, Griffiths displayed, in combination with Reggae rapper Cutty Ranks, on their duet of “Fire Burning”, all the zeal and elements that go into dancehall music. Griffiths exhibited the same exuberance when performing her international crossove hit “Electric Boogie.”
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Griffiths recalls “I started singing professionally as a vocalist in 1964, for Byron Lee and the Dragonaires band.” Her recording years started soon after, at Coxsone Dodd - Studio One where she recorded her first hit “Feel Like Jumping."
It was while recording at Studio One that Griffiths teamed up with Bob Andy on ‘Really Together," the first of many duets that the two would record. “Luckily for me, Bob Andy was always a strong and wise person”, says Griffiths. “He was there for me in the early days and that gave me confidence”. Then the pair moved to the Harry J Label, hitting the British, as well as the International charts with “Young Gifted and Black” and “The Pied Piper,” recording two albums of the same titles.
Following that duet success, she went solo again on the High Note label with Reggae's sole established female producer - Sonia Pottinger - hitting with several songs including her own original “Stepping Out of Babylon.” and releasing two albums “Naturally” and “Stepping”. When asked to express her opinion on female reggae vocalists, Marcia said “Its been a rough, tough job standing up as a woman in this business, that’s why my album before “Land of Love” I chose to call “Indomitable”, which means not easily discouraged or defeated. My views on women in reggae are positive; most of the new or upcoming female singers in reggae started out singing my songs before doing their own originals. I feel very good about that; to know that I have influenced my people positively.”
In 1974, Griffiths united with Judy Mowatt and Rita Marley to form the I-Threes as an important part of the Bob Marley entourage. “Words are not enough to express my experience with the I-Threes and Bob Marley and the Wailers”, says Marcia. “What a blessing to be so privileged.....to have shared this experience”.
Griffiths gained solo international recognition with her monster hit “Electric Boogie.” This song was first recorded in 1982 and went to the #1 spot on the Jamaican charts. Sales continued over the years and in 1989, a Washington, DC Disc Jockey started playing it regularly and in no time, it caught on and hit the station’s regular rotation list.
A new dance, the Electric Slide, was created from the “Electric Boogie” song and as a result, sales soared and the “Electric Slide” became popular all over the U.S. The song and dance have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue shows, and the video has been aired many times on the Black Entertainment TV (BET) and other nationwide music networks.
Marcia Llyneth Griffiths was born on November 23, 1949 to Joseph and Beatrice Griffiths. The family hailed from a poor section of West Kingston, but as bad as things were, Marcia considered those days glorious, because there was always one thing in abundance - one thing that made them the wealthiest family in the world - one thing that no one could take from them... Love.
Marcia as a teenager attended Kingston Senior School, and was a zealous member of her church choir. In fact, she was always taking part in some school concert or play. She loved to hang out and sing with friends, often times sneaking out of the house after her parents had gone to bed. It was during one such nightly excursion, that the slim fifteen year old beauty managed to get herself discovered.
Philip “Boasie” James lead singer of the Blues Busters vocal duo was visiting his girlfriend, who lived next door to Marcia, and heard this lovely voice floating through the air. He could not believe his ears, and subsequently took Marcia straight away to Byron Lee and insisted that this song-bird be included on the upcoming talent show to be held at the Carib Theater in Kingston. Marcia remembers that Byron was upset with “Boasie” for coming to interrupt his well planned program schedule and insisting that this "nobody" go on his show.
Marcia remembers she performed a Carla Thomas original,“No Time To Lose” to phenomenal response from the audience. They demanded an encore, but to no avail, as she had only rehearsed one song with the band. As much as she wanted to, she could not do any more performances that day.
The attention Marcia received after this auspicious debut was overwhelming. Everyone wanted to manage her, including Byron Lee’s manager Ronnie Nasralla. That same night he took her to the studios of JBC where Marcia made her first television debut. All in one day were the ingredients of an overnight success story which no one realized was about to happen. The rest is history, for the girl who became first the queen, the matriarch of Reggae Music. Marcia L. Griffiths OD., a great contributor to Reggae Music, is most fitting for the royal, prestigious, and respectful title of Reggae Empress.
In 2004 at the dawning of the 21st century, the most influential female artist in Jamaican popular music, Marcia Griffiths OD is briskly fanning the flames of Reggae Music. Working in the studio, releasing records and touring. Marcia continues her mission of spreading the message in the music into the new millennium.
In between studio sessions, Marcia has been on the road. In the past two years she has enjoyed a successful tour of the USA with Beres Hammond and Freddie Mcgregor. Traveling to England with Beres Hammond they performed an extensive tour with the same overwhelming results. Forward on a yard, Marcia shared the stage with Boyz II Men at the massive Spring Break concert for MTV in Negril Jamaica. Returning to the US, she performed in Orlando, Florida, (Disney World) Universal Studio, at the opening of the Bob Marley Museum. Sharing the bill were the I-Threes, Ziggy Marley and Inner Circle. Moving on up to New York, Marcia displayed two memorable shows with Beres Hammond and Buju Banton at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. Going further north Marcia worked in Toronto and Montreal with John Holt and Ken Boothe. Again in the USA with Bob Andy as the Legendary duo, they performed at the Bob Marley Day Celebration in Los Angeles, before heading down south to perform at the historic Reggae meets Rocksteady showcase in Miami. Next Marcia toured with the legendary Wailers Band. Then the I-Threes were off for shows in Italy, Europe and South Africa. Returning to Jamaica, the I-Threes shared the stage for two shows with R&B legends Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. In November 2002, along with John Holt, Ken Boothe and Mikey Spice, Marcia produced an historical performance with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at the Wembley Arena, Birmingham and Aston Vill Leisure Centre, Middlesex. Since then Marcia has performed in New York, Toronto, Atlanta, Miami and Jamaica.
The driving force of the Reggae Empress is fueled by her inner desire to serve the people of the world with sweet reggae music. She said “ Music alone shall live, and it’s not only for the money, but the satisfaction I get from doing the work that I love, that is what really keeps me going everyday”.
Here I Am Baby
Marcia Griffiths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way that you make me feel.
A burning deep down inside,
A love that I cannot hide.
Our love is you and me baby,
That make the world go round.
And if you've been doin' lovin' with me,
Layin' all my troubles down,
Here I am, baby,
Come and take me.
Here I am, baby,
Come and take me,
Take me by the hand, oh
Show me,
Here I am, baby.
It always ends up this way,
Me begging you every day.
A love that I cannot have,
You broke my heart into half.
Our love is you and me baby, yeah, yeah
That make's the world go round.
And if you've been doin' lovin' with me,
Layin' all my troubles down, yeah
Here I am, baby,
Come and take me,
Here I am, baby,
Come and take me,
Take me by the hand, yeah
Squeeze it
Here I am, baby.
When I'm down I can always call you,
For a helpin' hand.
I know you'll do the best you can.
But it don't take much from me,
Just for my cup of Joe.
Oh there's love inside me,
I believe there's one to be an explosion,
It's tough for me, oh baby,
I can do worry,
Tell me all your troubles.
You won't ever have to worry now,
Just one more thing, ask everybody,
Everybody you see, oh no, no
You'll find yourselves lost and alone on a dark end of the street,
Here I am, baby,
Come and take me.
Here I am, baby,
Come and take me,
Take me by the hand.
Show me, take me, won't ya
Show me
Here I am, baby
Take me
Teach me
Won't you take me by the hand
Teach me
The lyrics to Marcia Griffiths's song Here I Am Baby depict a passionate and deep love that the singer cannot hide. The first verse expresses the intensity of the love and the effect it has on her. She finds it hard to believe that what she feels is real, yet the burning love is deep inside her and cannot be hidden. The chorus speaks to her need for this love, her begging her partner to take her hand and show her how to experience love. It suggests that the love between the two of them is what makes the world go round, and it is a love that can lay all troubles down.
The second verse portrays the pain that love can cause when it is not reciprocated. She feels heartbroken that the love she desires cannot be fulfilled, and this is a regular occurrence. Her partner does not feel the same love she does, and it has broken her heart into half. Nevertheless, the chorus still conveys the idea that the love is so strong that she needs her partner to show her how to experience it.
Overall, the lyrics show how important love is in a relationship and how it makes everything worthwhile. It is clear that both the positives and negatives of love are represented in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe that it's real,
I'm in disbelief over the reality of my feelings towards you.
The way that you make me feel.
You're able to invoke feelings in me that I never knew existed.
A burning deep down inside,
There's a strong passion within me that's hard to control.
A love that I cannot hide.
My love for you is so intense that I can't keep it hidden.
Our love is you and me baby,
The love we share is something special between just us two.
That make the world go round.
Our love is the driving force behind everything that we do.
And if you've been doin' lovin' with me,
If we've been intimate together,
Layin' all my troubles down,
You're able to ease my anxieties and worries and make me feel at peace.
Here I am, baby,
I'm openly declaring myself to you,
Come and take me.
I'm ready and willing for you to take me as yours.
It always ends up this way,
Our relationship seems to always end in the same manner.
Me begging you every day.
I'm constantly pleading with you for your love and attention.
A love that I cannot have,
I long for a love with you that I don't seem to be able to attain.
You broke my heart into half.
You've hurt me deeply and caused my heart to ache.
When I'm down I can always call you,
Whenever I'm feeling low, I know I can count on you to be there for me.
For a helpin' hand.
I'm in need of some sort of assistance and support.
I know you'll do the best you can.
I have faith in your ability to provide the help that I need.
But it don't take much from me,
I don't require much from you,
Just for my cup of Joe.
Just a simple cup of coffee would suffice.
Oh there's love inside me,
I have a lot of love within me to give,
I believe there's one to be an explosion,
I feel like this love is about to burst out of me.
It's tough for me, oh baby,
It's difficult for me to contain these emotions, my dear.
I can do worry,
I tend to let my worries consume me,
Tell me all your troubles.
Please share with me your worries and problems.
You won't ever have to worry now,
Don't worry about anything because I'm here for you.
Just one more thing, ask everybody,
I have one more request, please ask anyone and everyone,
Everybody you see, oh no, no
Literally everyone that you come across,
You'll find yourselves lost and alone on a dark end of the street,
If you don't have me and our love, you'll be left stranded in a dark and lonely place.
Squeeze it
Express your love for me physically by hugging me tightly.
Teach me
Show me and guide me through our love.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Al Green, Mabon Hodges
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind