Syl Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on 1 Ju… Read Full Bio ↴Syl Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on 1 July 1936; died 6 February 2022 ) was an American blues and soul singer and music producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), "Is It Because I'm Black" (1969) and "Take Me to the River" (1975). "Different Strokes" has been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Hammer, and the Ghetto Boys. Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson, are his brothers.

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.

You Don't Know Me
Syl Johnson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You give your hand to me
And you said hello
I can't hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me

No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
Longs to hold you tight
Oh, I'm just a friend
That's all I've ever been
But you don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
Though my heartaches with love for you
Afraid and shy I've let my chance go by
A chance that you might love me too

No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
Longs to hold you tight
Oh, I'm just a friend
That's all I've ever been
But you don't know me
I never knew the art of making love
Though my heartaches with love for you
Afraid and shy I've let my chance go by
A chance that you might love me too

No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
And just wanna to hold you tight
Oh, anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me
Oh, anyone can tell

You think you me well
But you don't know me.

Overall Meaning

In Syl Johnson's "You Don't Know Me," the singer croons about being hopelessly in love with someone who doesn't see him as anything more than a friend. He begins by describing the moment when they met, with the other person extending their hand for a greeting. Johnson's heart is so full of emotion that he can barely bring himself to speak. He notes that, despite their pleasantries, the other person doesn't really know him at all: they may think they do, but there's so much more depth to him that they haven't yet discovered.

The song then dives into a classic unrequited love story, with Johnson admitting that he dreams of the other person every night and longs to hold them and kiss them. However, he is too shy and fearful to express his true feelings; instead, he remains a mere friend, unable to act on his desires. He notes that he's never really known how to make love or how to put his feelings into words, and he worries that he's already missed his chance to be with the one he loves. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, driving home the idea that the other person may think they know Johnson, but they can't truly see the depth of his emotions.

Overall, "You Don't Know Me" is a poignant and emotional ballad about longing for someone who may not feel the same way. It speaks to the universal themes of unrequited love and the pain of hidden desire, making it a track that has resonated with listeners for decades.

Line by Line Meaning

You give your hand to me
You offer your hand as a greeting

And you said hello
You greeted me with a hello

I can't hardly speak
I'm so overcome with emotion that I can barely speak

My heart is beating so
My heart is racing with excitement

And anyone can tell
It's obvious to anyone

You think you know me well
You believe you understand me fully

But you don't know me
But you don't truly know who I am

No, you don't know the one
You're not aware of the person

Who dreams of you at night
Who dreams about being with you at night

And longs to kiss your lips
And desires to kiss your lips

Longs to hold you tight
And wishes to hold you close