After college, Mahal moved to Los Angeles and formed the group Rising Sons with Ry Cooder in 1964. The group signed with Columbia Records and released one single and recorded another album which was not released by Columbia until 1992. Taj, frustrated with the mixed reaction to his music quit the group and went solo. Still with Columbia, he released a well received, self titled album in 1968, and based on its success released a second album, Natch'l Blues that same year. Two very different records - Giant Step, with his electric band, and solo De Ole Folks at Home - were released in 1969 together as a double album. This firmly established Taj as an American blues original. The double album The Real Thing, captured him live at this time, with a horn section.
He has received two Grammy awards in the category "Best Contemporary Blues Album", the first in 1997 for Señor Blues, and again in 2000 for Shoutin' in Key. He has performed on various film soundtracks including Sounder and Blues Brothers 2000, in which he also appeared.
Good Morning Miss Brown
Taj Mahal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mamma how do you do?
I said good morning Miss Brown
Mamma how do you do?
She say I'm feelin' fine and lookin' good
Maaan, what about you?
I say I got the misery and the back ache baby
You know I got the misery and the back ache baby
And my feets hurt me when I walk
And you know too much conversation
Hurt my tongue to talk
I lay down last night
I tried to take my natural rest
Oh baby you know I lay down last night
I tried to take my natural rest
You know my heart start to wanderin'
Just like the wild geese in the west
The blues jumped up a rabbit
Rabbit run a quarter mile
Yes the blues jump up a rabbit
Rabbit run for a quarter quarter quarter quarter mile
You know that poor little furry bunny
Scared just like a baby child (and if you ain't scaaared, man you ain't right)
Good morning Miss Brown
Mamma how do you do?
Good morning Miss Brown
Baby how do you do?
Well she say you know I'm doin' fine Daddy tell me
Maaan, how about you?
In Taj Mahal's song "Good Morning Miss Brown," the singer greets Miss Brown and asks her how she is doing. She responds by saying she is feeling good and looking fine. The singer, however, complains about his physical pains such as the misery, backache, and sore feet. He also mentions that he finds talking too much hurts his tongue.
Later in the song, the singer talks about his struggles with sleep, how his heart is not at peace, and goes on to describe an event of a scared bunny running away from the blues. The singer also goes on to ask Miss Brown once again about her well-being, to which she responds positively and then asks him how he is doing.
Overall, the song captures the essence of the blues genre with its focus on the struggles of daily life, personal pain, and the search for peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Good morning Miss Brown
Greeting Miss Brown in the morning
Mamma how do you do?
Asking Miss Brown how she is doing
I said good morning Miss Brown
Repeated greeting to Miss Brown
Mamma how do you do?
Asking Miss Brown again how she is doing
She say I'm feelin' fine and lookin' good
Miss Brown says she is doing well both physically and in appearance
Maaan, what about you?
Asking the singer how he is doing in response
I say I got the misery and the back ache baby
The singer tells Miss Brown he is in pain
And my feets hurt me when I walk
The artist's feet hurt when he walks
You know I got the misery and the back ache baby
Reinforcing his statement of pain
And you know too much conversation
The artist suggests that talking too much is also causing him pain
Hurt my tongue to talk
Talking too much causes the singer's tongue to hurt
I lay down last night
The artist talks about his attempted rest
I tried to take my natural rest
The singer attempted to sleep
Oh baby you know I lay down last night
Repeating his statement of attempted rest
You know my heart start to wanderin'
The singer's heart became restless during his attempted sleep
Just like the wild geese in the west
Comparing his restless heart to the migratory patterns of wild geese
The blues jumped up a rabbit
Reference to a common idiom to describe the sudden onset of feeling down
Rabbit run a quarter mile
The singer emphasizes the speed with which the blues affect him
Yes the blues jump up a rabbit
The singer repeats the metaphor of the blues as a rabbit
You know that poor little furry bunny
Sympathizing with the rabbit metaphor
Scared just like a baby child (and if you ain't scaaared, man you ain't right)
Further reinforcing the metaphor of the scared rabbit, while also jokingly suggesting that everyone should be scared of the blues
Baby how do you do?
Repeating the greeting to Miss Brown
Well she say you know I'm doin' fine Daddy tell me
Miss Brown repeats that she is doing well and asks the singer how he is doing again
Maaan, how about you?
Repeating the question of how the artist is doing
Contributed by Dominic I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jonneet2126
I'm a 70 year old geezer. Always liked blues music. I love the first Taj Mahal album and always have. Born in Seattle n 1953, I always wanted to see him live in concert. It wasn't till we moved to Hawaii Island in 2011 that I got my chance. He did a show, along with Kim Simmons of Savoy Brown at the Honokaa People's Theater in that town, and I finally got to see him play. It was a fine night for me.
@blueschild61
It's like an Ice Cream Truck for your soul.
@jenniferbeetz7335
yes!
@brd8764
Lbs,
@DanielAppleton-lr9eq
@@brd8764 GREAT " Ice Cream ", just add some good Johnny Walker.....
@MrMorrisonAF
Hay ride for your soul
@prestondust6676
I'm chasing Taj down faster than the ice cream man...
@paul-ok7uw
Just discovered Taj Mahal, blown away.
@IvaMachete
You have a lot of catching up to do!
@mflee6590
Hear queen bee from this session, amazing