The vocal trio was originally formed in 1968 by Bernard Collins and Donald Manning. Their first song was "Satta Massagana", which was strongly influenced by Carlton Manning's "Happy Land". "Satta Massagana" is a Rastafarian hymn sung partly in the ancient Ethiopian Amharic language. They recruited a third vocalist, who was still at school and often unable to attend rehearsals; he was soon replaced by Donald's brother Lynford Manning, who had previously been a member of their brother Carlton Manning's group Carlton and The Shoes.
"Satta Massagana" was first recorded for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in March 1969, but he decided against releasing it, seeing no commercial potential for what he saw as a song constituting cultural subversion. In 1971, the group purchased the master tapes from Dodd for £90 and released it on their own Clinch label, the single becoming a massive success, prompting Dodd to release his own instrumental and deejay versions. The group released further takes on the song on Clinch by Tommy McCook, Big Youth, and Dillinger, as well as their own "Mabrak", featuring the group reciting passages from the Old Testament. It has since been recorded by dozens of artists. The group's second release, "Declaration of Rights", featured Leroy Sibbles on backing vocals, and like their first was a huge hit in Jamaica, (and subsequently in the international market) and has been covered several times since. Their 1973 single "Y Mas Gan" was similar to "Satta" in its use of Amharic.
The group continued to record throughout the 1970s for producers including Lloyd Daley, Tommy Cowan, and Geoffrey Chung, and their debut album, Forward on to Zion was produced by Clive Hunt and released in 1976. The follow-up, Arise (1978), was recorded under stressful conditions with internal rivalries threatening to break up the group, and after the album's release, Collins left the band, to be eventually replaced by Carlton Manning. This line-up performed at the 1979 Reggae Sunsplash festival, but split up the following year.
Donald Manning had a brief solo career in the early 1980s, in which he recorded as Donald Abyssinian.
Bernard Collins launched his own version of the group in the late 1980s, with two versions of the group existing for a time. The original line-up reunited in 1998 and went on to record new material, including the singles "African Princess" and "Swing Low" and the album Reunion, although Collins was not involved in songwriting at this time. Collins left again in 1999 and released material as Bernard Collins & the Abyssinians, releasing an album the same year.
The Abyssinians are credited on "Slave Song", from Sade's 2002 album, Lovers Live.
Discography
Studio albums
1976 : Satta Massagana - Jam Sounds (reissued 1988 on Clinch, 1993, 2007 on Heartbeat, also released as Satta and Forward on to Zion)
1978 : Arise - Tuff Gong/Virgin/Clinch
1998 : Reunion - Artists Only
Compilation albums
1982 : Forward - Alligator
1994 : Best of the Abyssinians - Musidisc
1996 : 19.95 + TAX
1998 : Satta Dub - Tabou 1
1998 : Declaration of Dub - Heartbeat
1999 : Last Days - Clinch (credited to Bernard Collins)
2003 : Abyssinians & Friends Tree of Satta vol. 1 - Blood & Fire
Live albums
2002 : Live in San Francisco - 2b1 II
Hey You
The Abyssinians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't love you no more (hey you)
Hey you (hey you)
I don't need you for sure (hey you)
The first time I met you (get yourself on the right track)
I could neither say nor do, yeah
(Be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Prove your love could do, yeah (get yourself on a straight plan)
You gave no chance (adjust yourself to the right time)
To express myself to you, yeah, yeah
(Bet you can say you are doing fine)
My heart is on end, lately
Like a ship's stack on a river
Still I've got to leave you
For we both need a trail
Hey you (hey you)
I don't love you no more (hey you)
Hey you (hey you)
I don't need you for sure, no way (hey you)
My heart is on end, lately
Like a ship's stack on a river
Still I've got to leave you
For we both need a trail
Hey you (hey you)
I don't need you for sure (hey you)
Hey you (hey you)
I don't love you no more (hey you)
The first time I met you (get yourself on the right track)
I could neither say nor do, yeah
(Be sure, there ain't no turning back)
You let me on along (you dee doo, you dee doo)
Prove your love could do, yeah (get yourself on a straight plan)
You gave no chance (adjust yourself to the right time)
To express myself to you, yeah
(Bet you can say you are doing fine)
You, you, hey you (get yourself on the right track)
You, you, hey you (be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Hey you, you, hey you (get yourself on the right track)
Hey you, you, hey you (be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Hey you, you, you (get yourself on the right track)
You, you, you (be sure, there ain't no turning back)
In "Hey You," The Abyssinians sing about a relationship that has come to an end. The song is filled with mixed emotions, as the singer struggles to let go of their love but ultimately decides that it is time to move on. The repetition of the phrase "hey you" adds a sense of urgency to the song, as if the singer is calling out to their former lover.
The lyrics speak to an inability to communicate effectively in the relationship. The singer says they couldn't "say nor do" anything the first time they met, and later, they were not given a chance "to express myself to you." This lack of communication is likely part of what led to the end of the relationship.
The metaphor of a ship stuck on a river is used to describe the singer's heart being "on end, lately." The ship represents stagnation and being stuck in one place, unable to move forward. The singer realizes that they need to leave the relationship because they and their former partner "both need a trail," or a new path for themselves.
Overall, the lyrics of "Hey You" convey a sense of closure and acceptance despite the sadness of the situation. The repetition of the phrase "hey you" adds an emotional weight to the song that makes it feel urgent and deeply personal.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you (hey you)
Calling out to someone
I don't love you no more (hey you)
No longer feeling love towards the person being addressed
Hey you (hey you)
Calling out again
I don't need you for sure (hey you)
No longer needing the person being addressed
The first time I met you (get yourself on the right track)
Recalling the first encounter and trying to give advice
I could neither say nor do, yeah
Unable to express oneself during the first encounter
(Be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Encouraging the person to move forward and not look back
You let me on along (you dee doo, you dee doo)
Leading the person on and making them believe in love
Prove your love could do, yeah (get yourself on a straight plan)
Testing the love and advising to have a clear plan
You gave no chance (adjust yourself to the right time)
Not giving a chance to express oneself and advising to wait for the right time
To express myself to you, yeah, yeah
Desire to express oneself to the person being addressed
(Bet you can say you are doing fine)
Questioning how well the person is really doing
My heart is on end, lately
Feeling emotionally overwhelmed recently
Like a ship's stack on a river
Feeling stuck and unable to move forward
Still I've got to leave you
Knowing that it's necessary to move on
For we both need a trail
Both parties need a fresh start and new path
You, you, hey you (get yourself on the right track)
Urging the person to focus and move on
You, you, hey you (be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Reinforcing the idea to move forward
Hey you, you, hey you (get yourself on the right track)
Continuing to urge the person to move on
Hey you, you, hey you (be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Continuing to reinforce the idea to move forward
Hey you, you, you (get yourself on the right track)
Final admonishment to the person to move forward
You, you, you (be sure, there ain't no turning back)
Final reinforcement to move forward
Contributed by Aubrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.