In the 1950s, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.
He then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, Come On Sock It to Me in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer. His song Different Strokes, also from 1967, featured recently on the Ultimate Breaks and Beats breakbeat compilation.
Like other black songwriters of the period, several of his records at this time explored themes of African-American identity and social problems in songs including Is It Because I'm Black, which reached Number 11 in the R&B charts in 1969.
In 1971, Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records, for whom he recorded three albums and a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these yielded music of power and enduring value, including the hits We Did It, Back for a Taste of Your Love and Take Me to the River, his biggest success, reaching Number 7 on the R&B charts in 1975. However, at Hi Johnson was always to some extent in Al Green's shadow commercially, if not artistically.
After the Hi years ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the latter of which (Ms. Fine Brown Frame, 1982) was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records and produced Johnson's last hit record, the title cut.
Around the mid-eighies, Johnson started a fast-food fish restaurant business, and became semi-retired from performing, only making occasional appearances at blues club gigs.
In 1992, Johnson found out that his classic song "Different Strokes" have been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Hammer, and the Ghetto Boys. Stimulated by this fact, he decided to make a come back in the music business. In 1994, he released the album Back in the Game on Delmark Records. The album featured the the Hi rhythm section and his youngest daughter Syleena Johnson.
Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson, are his brothers.
Don't Do It
Syl Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't break my heart
Don't do it
Just because you know I love you
Don't do it
Don't make me cry
Don't do it
Just because I came home late last night
Baby, you've got to believe me
Look at my face I ain't lying
Just because I was late coming home last night
That don't give you reasons to up and start a fight
That ain't right
Don't do it
Don't say goodbye
Don't do it
Just because somebody told a lie
Don't do it
Don't make me cry
Don't do it
You'll find out the truth by and by
Now you wanna make things worse than what they are
But baby I've got to work
To keep money in the cookie jar
Don't you know that everything I do is for you
Tell me that you feel the same way about me too
Hey baby, come on girl
Don't do it
Don't break my heart
Don't do it baby
Don't make me cry
Don't do it
Don't say goodbye
Don't do it
Don't make me cry.
In Syl Johnson's song "Don't Do It", the singer is pleading with his lover not to break his heart or make him cry. He explains that just because he came home late from work the night before, doesn't give her a reason to start a fight. He was simply working overtime to provide for her and their future together. He begs her to trust him and not believe any lies she may have heard about him.
The lyrics seem to touch on themes of trust, communication, and the importance of not jumping to conclusions. The singer is trying to convey to his partner that just because he has been working hard to provide for them both, it doesn't mean that he is unfaithful or deceitful. He is asking her to trust him and not to let their love be destroyed by miscommunication and hurtful actions.
The repetition of the phrase "Don't do it" throughout the song reinforces the urgency and importance of the message. The pleading tone of the lyrics is emphasized by Johnson's soulful vocals, which add emotion and depth to the words.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't do it
Please don't do the thing that you are considering doing.
Don't break my heart
Please don't hurt me emotionally by doing the thing that you are considering doing.
Just because you know I love you
Please don't take advantage of my love for you and use it as a reason to do the thing that you are considering doing.
Don't make me cry
Please don't do the thing that will cause me to become emotional and cry.
Just because I came home late last night
Please don't use my late arrival as a justification for doing the thing that you are considering doing.
I was just doing my job working overtime
I was simply working hard to provide for us both and earn money.
Baby, you've got to believe me
Please trust that I am telling you the truth and I did not do anything wrong.
Look at my face I ain't lying
I am being sincere and honest with you.
That don't give you reasons to up and start a fight
My actions do not warrant a fight or argument between us.
That ain't right
It's not fair or just to be upset or angry with me without cause.
Don't say goodbye
Please do not end our relationship because of a false accusation or rumor.
Just because somebody told a lie
Please do not believe false information and use it as a reason to end our relationship.
You'll find out the truth by and by
Eventually, the truth will be revealed and you will see that I did not do anything to hurt you.
Now you wanna make things worse than what they are
You are overreacting and causing unnecessary drama and conflict.
But baby I've got to work
I need to continue working hard to provide for us both.
To keep money in the cookie jar
To save money for our future and ensure financial stability.
Don't you know that everything I do is for you
I do everything I can to provide for you and make you happy.
Tell me that you feel the same way about me too
I want to know that you appreciate and love me just as much as I do you.
Writer(s): Darryl Carter, Mabon Lewis Hodges
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.