Brownie McGhee was born in Kingsport, Tennessee and suffered from polio as a child, which incapacitated his leg. He spent much of his youth immersed in music, singing with local harmony group (the Golden Voices Gospel Quartet) and teaching himself the guitar. His real success did not come until his 1942 relocation to New York City, where he was teamed up with Sonny Terry. The pairing was an overnight success, recording and touring extensively until the early 1970s.
Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry, was a blues musician. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 24, 1911, and died on March 11, 1986 in Mineola, New York. He was most widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.
The pair recorded numerous tracks together. The duo became well-known, even among white audiences, as they joined the growing folk movement of the 1950s and '60s. This included collaborations with Woody Guthrie and Moses Asch, producing Folkways Records (now Smithsonian/Folkways) classic recordings.
Despite their fame as "pure" folk artists, in the 1940s, Sonny and Brownie fronted a jump blues combo with honking saxophone that was variously called Brownie McGhee and his Jook House Rockers or Sonny Terry and his Buckshot Five.
People Get Ready
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee Lyrics
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There's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage you just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesel comin'
Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord
People get ready
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
Faith is key
Open the doors and board them
There's hope for all among the love the most
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own soul
Have pity on those whose choices grow thinner
There ain't no hiding place from the Kingdom's throne
People get ready
There's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage you just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesel comin'
Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord
There's a train there's a train there's a train comin' people
There's a train there's a train there's a train comin' people
There's a train there's a train there's a train comin' people
Just get on board
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own soul
Have pity on those whose choices grow thinner
There ain't no hiding place from the Kingdom's throne
The lyrics to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee's "People Get Ready" convey a sense of urgency and hopefulness towards a spiritual journey. The train symbolizes a journey towards salvation, and the lyrics invite people to prepare themselves for the journey. The lack of baggage and ticket implies that one should leave their worldly possessions and worries behind and trust in faith as the sole requirement to board the train.
The song also enforces the idea that the train is accessible to all, regardless of past deeds, as long as they have faith. The mention of the train going to Jordan and picking up passengers from coast to coast implies that the spiritual journey is not limited to a certain region or group of people. The lyrics also suggest that one must be empathetic towards others, and those who hurt others to save themselves won't have a place in the spiritual journey.
Overall, "People Get Ready" is a call to action to prepare oneself spiritually for a journey towards salvation, where faith is the key and empathy towards others is crucial.
Line by Line Meaning
People get ready
Get yourself prepared
There's a train a comin'
An opportunity is approaching
You don't need no baggage you just get on board
You don't need material possessions to take advantage of the opportunity
All you need is faith
All you need is trust and belief
To hear the diesel comin'
To recognize the opportunity
Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord
You don't need to pay for the opportunity, just be grateful
Train to Jordan
Metaphor for the journey to heaven
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
The opportunity is available for everyone
Faith is key
Belief is necessary
Open the doors and board them
Accept the opportunity and embrace it
There's hope for all among the love the most
Everyone has the potential to benefit from the opportunity and it can bring love in life
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Lack of compassion for those who cause harm to others without regard for moral consequences
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own soul
Those who only care for themselves and harm others will not succeed
Have pity on those whose choices grow thinner
Sympathize with those who have limited options due to their own poor decisions or external circumstances
There ain't no hiding place from the Kingdom's throne
Everyone will be held accountable for their actions in the end
There's a train there's a train there's a train comin' people
Emphasizing the arrival of the opportunity
Just get on board
Don't hesitate, take advantage of the opportunity
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dejansavic8562
People get ready
There's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesel's hummin'
You don't need no ticket
You just thank the lord
So people get ready
For the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers
Coast to coast
Faith is the key
Open the doors and board them
There's hope for all
Among those loved the most
There ain't no room
For the hopeless sinner
Whom would hurt all mankind
Just to save his own
Have pity on those whose
Chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place
Against the kingdom's throne
You know there's no hiding place
There's no hiding place
So people get ready
There's a train a comin'
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesel's hummin'
You don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord
People get ready
@jds2056
my dad played this album when I was a kid, he passed away from cancer 2 years ago and this album just reminds me of the good memories instead of memories of the sickness. It is a beautiful album.
@willemp6432
Hallelujah Brother. 😎
@MrBlack-ze6hw
My favorite album from these two Blues Masters! I purchased this album when i was a teenager and for 43 years i have been a white boy lost in the Blues!
@stonehand49
Mr. Black ...Me too!! 69 and still get the chills here.
@kevinwingo1685
Mr. Black was 17 this is when I fell in love with Blues
@larryblakeslee7144
Yes. this album ruined me .Still ruined today.
@walterstonechild6185
First Nation's Red boys as well lost in the blues. bought the same album as you. still have it
@Bernierua
Same bro. Teenage boy at high school in the 80s.
@davehartley2671
After what seemed like hours trolling through records the other day I came across a record of Sonny and Brownie and bought it without knowing who they were or what they sounded like. Absolutely amazing. Their version of I Got A Woman is phenomenal.
@Gay1Guy
This would have to be the best accompaniment harmonica studio recording done by Sonny Terry. He is very disciplined here and simply plays two licks which fit in perfectly with the song. The first one is a train shuffle which is actually a riff. The second one is when he drags out the train horn. With both of these licks he never deviates...the perfect accompaniment recording.