The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. They won Grammy Awards in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, and 2003 and have collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Don Henley, Ray Charles, Queen Latifah, Joe Sample, Quincy Jones, Marcus Miller and Gordon Goodwin.
In 1980, Claude McKnight formed an a cappella quartet, The Gentlemen's Estate Quartet, at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, a Seventh-Day Adventist College, where he was a freshman. He auditioned fellow students for the hobby group. The Gentlemen were rehearsing in a campus bathroom (later said to be in Peterson Hall), getting ready for a performance, when Mark Kibble walked by and heard them singing. He joined the harmonizing, adding a fifth part, and ended up singing with them onstage that very night.[1] Mark later invited Mervyn Warren to join the group. The group performed under the moniker "Alliance".
The group performed in local churches and on campus over the next years, with members changing due to college's inevitable comings and goings. In 1985, the lower half of the group (bass, baritone, and second tenor) left upon graduating. At that time, Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, and David Thomas joined.
The group was signed to Warner Brothers in 1987, and quickly changed its name to "Take 6" after a name search revealed that "Alliance" was already being used. Their eponymous debut album, released in 1988, won them two Grammy Awards and resulted in top ten appearances on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts. Take 6's swinging, harmony-rich gospel sound attracted a flurry of attention, and the group went on to record or appear with a number of luminaries, including Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder.
In 1991, after the release of their second album, So Much 2 Say, Mervyn Warren left the group to pursue a career as a producer. Joey Kibble, Mark's younger brother, was invited to round out the vocal lineup. The group added instrumentation to their purely a cappella sound beginning with the record He Is Christmas; Join The Band and Brothers continued their streak of success, and Take 6 amassed a total of seven Grammys and eight Dove awards, as well as topping the Downbeat Magazine's Reader's and Critic's poll for seven years' consecutively.
Take 6's 1998 release, So Cool, brought the group back to its a cappella origins.
In 2006 the group launched Take 6 Records and the 2006 release Feels Good was released on that label.
The group currently lists Nashville, Tennessee as its home.[2] All members grew up Seventh-Day Adventist.[
People Get Ready
Take 6 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
"People Get Ready" by Take 6 is a soulful gospel song with a message of hope and salvation. The song begins with the repetition of the phrase "People get ready, there's a train a comin'" which serves as a metaphor for the coming of Jesus Christ and the Day of Judgment. The train is a symbol of salvation, and the message of the song is that anyone can board the train and be saved as long as they have faith.
The lines "You don't need no baggage you just get on board / All you need is faith" are a reminder that faith is the key to salvation and that one doesn't need material possessions to be saved. The phrase "To hear the diesel comin', don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord" suggests that salvation is freely available to all, and that one doesn't need wealth or status to board the train.
The chorus repeats the main message of the song, emphasizing that the train is heading towards Jordan, and that it is picking up passengers from coast to coast. The lines "There's hope for all among the love the most" suggest that the train is inclusive and that everyone is welcome to board.
In the bridge, the song takes a darker turn with the lines "There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner / Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own soul". The song reminds the listener that there is a judgment day, and that everyone will face the consequences of their actions. The lines "Have pity on those whose choices grow thinner / There ain't no hiding place from the Kingdom's throne" suggest that there is still hope for redemption, but that it is important to choose the right path.
Overall, "People Get Ready" is a powerful gospel song with a message of hope and redemption that is still relevant today.
Line by Line Meaning
People get ready
Prepare yourself for a change
There's a train a comin'
An opportunity is approaching
You don't need no baggage you just get on board
Leave your troubles behind and seize the moment
All you need is faith
Believe in yourself and your abilities
To hear the diesel comin'
Stay alert and be ready
Don't need no ticket you just thank the Lord
Be grateful for the opportunity and take advantage of it
Train to Jordan
A journey towards salvation and renewal
Picking up passengers from coast to coast
Everyone is welcomed to join the journey
Faith is key
Believing in oneself and in the journey ahead
Open the doors and board them
Welcome others to join the journey
There's hope for all among the love the most
Everyone can succeed with love and support
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Those who are selfish and cruel should not be welcomed
Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own soul
Those who harm others to benefit themselves are not accepted
Have pity on those whose choices grow thinner
Show compassion to those who struggle to make the right decisions
There ain't no hiding place from the Kingdom's throne
Every action has consequences and there is no escape from accountability
There's a train there's a train there's a train comin' people
The opportunity is approaching and everyone should be ready
Just get on board
Seize the moment and take advantage of the opportunity
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind