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.
Take Me to the River
Syl Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love ya like I do.
After all the changes,
You put me through.
You stole my money,
And my cigarettes.
And I haven't seen,
[Chorus:]
I wanna know,
Won't you tell me,
I'd love to stay,
Hey, hey, hey.
[End Chorus]
Take me to the river,
Wash me down.
Won't you cleanse my soul?
Put my feet on the ground.
I don't know why,
She treated me so bad.
After of all the things,
That we could have had.
Love is an ocean,
That I can't forget.
My sweet sixteen,
I will never regret.
[Repeat chorus]
I wanna know,
Won't you tell me,
I'd love to stay,
Hey, hey, hey.
Take me to the river...
[Bridge]
Hold me,
Hug me,
Squeeze me,
Tease me!
Till I can't,
Till I can't take no more!
Can't take no more.
I don't know why,
I love you like I do.
After all the things,
That you put me through.
Those Sixteen candles,
Are burned on my wall.
Tell me who's the biggest,
Fool of them all?
[Repeat chorus]
Take me to the river,
Wash me down.
Dip me in the water,
Put my feet on the ground...
The lyrics to "Take Me to the River" by Syl Johnson express a mixture of confusion, desperation, and longing for love. The song is about a man who is aware of the mistreatment he is receiving from the woman he loves, yet he cannot resist the feeling that he has for her. The opening lines express his love for her despite the changes and difficulties she has put him through. He mentions the theft of his money and cigarettes, indicating that the woman has taken advantage of him yet he is still attracted to her.
In the chorus, he implores the woman to tell him what he needs to do to stay with her. The man is desperate for her love and is willing to do anything to be with her, though he is struggling to figure out what he needs to do to make her happy. The repetition of "I wanna know" suggests that the man wants to understand the woman's desires so that he can fulfill them and keep her by his side.
The second verse further emphasises the man's love for the woman despite the mistreatment. He acknowledges the love they once shared and the "sweet sixteen" memories that he still cherishes. The bridge is desperate, suggesting that the man is willing to do anything, including subjecting himself to torture or pain, to prove his love to her. The song ends with the plea to be taken to the river to wash away his pain and cleanse his soul.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why,
I'm unsure why
I love ya like I do.
I have deep feelings for you
After all the changes,
Despite all the changes
You put me through.
You have made things difficult for me
You stole my money,
You took my money without permission
And my cigarettes.
You took my cigarettes without permission
And I haven't seen,
I still can't see
How to? yet.
How to get them back
I wanna know,
I want to understand
Won't you tell me,
Can you please tell me
I'd love to stay,
I would like to be with you
Hey, hey, hey.
Expression of excitement or enthusiasm
Take me to the river,
Bring me to a place of spiritual or emotional cleansing
Wash me down.
Cleanse me physically, spiritually, or emotionally
Won't you cleanse my soul?
Can you purify my spirit
Put my feet on the ground.
Help me feel grounded and secure
I don't know why,
I'm uncertain why
She treated me so bad.
She treated me horribly
After of all the things,
Despite all the opportunities
That we could have had.
That we could have experienced together
Love is an ocean,
Love is vast and deep
That I can't forget.
Which I can never forget
My sweet sixteen,
Her sixteenth birthday
I will never regret.
I will always treasure
Take me to the river...
Bring me to a place of spiritual or emotional cleansing
Hold me,
Embrace me
Hug me,
Squeeze me affectionately
Squeeze me,
Hold me tight
Tease me!
Playful or flirtatious behavior
Till I can't,
Until I am unable to
Till I can't take no more!
Until I cannot handle any more
Can't take no more.
I am unable to endure any longer
Those sixteen candles,
The sixteen candles of her birthday cake
Are burned on my wall.
They are preserved in my memory
Tell me who's the biggest,
Reveal to me the most foolish
Fool of them all?
Which one of us is the biggest fool?
Dip me in the water,
Fully immerse me in the water
Put my feet on the ground...
Make me feel secure and grounded again
Contributed by Ruby Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Lillis
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and visiting with Mr Johnson today, what an immense character. His walls are decorated with Platinum and Gold records. Enjoyed my visit immensely.
Hannes Stuber
must have been only weeks before he died.
SimpLee Beth
Oh wow! What a blessing! ❤
Jonathan effemey
RIP Syl. A man with a soul who could sing soul.
Sholto Ramsay
RIP Syl. One of the great artists, Everybody knew your music but few knew your name!
addie and lees fun play addie and lee
Bought this 45 record at Record Bar as soon as I heard it on the radio. Blew me away. Phenomenal singer! Best song Al Greene ever wrote!
Donna St. Joseph
My absolute favorite version of this song!
Diana M
🎤🎤🎤🎤🎶🎶🎶👑👑👑👑👑👑🙏la mejor època. Por siglos !!!
David Walsh
This bloke is brilliant and so is the song
jim dartouzos
Wow man...Love the original...by Al Green & Mabon 'Teenie' Hodges...but man, this version by Syl Johnson is freakin Amazing.