Myton had previously been a member of The Tartans in the late 1960s (along with Prince Lincoln Thompson, Devon Russell and Lindburgh Lewis), and Ras Michael's group, and had recorded with Thompson's Royal Rasses in the mid-1970s. He formed the Congos, initially as a duo with Johnson, recording the single "At the Feast" for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry expanded the group to a trio with the addition of Burnett, this line-up recording the classic roots reggae album Heart of the Congos in 1977 at Perry's Black Ark studio. The album featured illustrious backing singers such as Gregory Isaacs, The Meditations, and Barry LLewellyn and Earl Morgan of The Heptones. The album has been described as "the most consistently brilliant album of Scratch's entire career".
Perry's previous productions by Max Romeo and Junior Murvin had been huge commercial successes thanks to a deal with Island Records, but Perry was in dispute with Island at the time the Congos' album was finished, so it was released on his own Black Ark label, limiting its success overseas, and causing a rift with the group. The Congos went their own way, organising a limited pressing of the album themselves. United Kingdom label Go Feet eventually reissued the album in 1980, and although the group had recorded new material since leaving Perry, Heart of the Congos proved a hard act to follow and their other releases suffered as a consequence. Albums such as Congo Ashanti were sparser and sounded ordinary compared to Perry's kitchen-sink-and-all massive productions.
Burnett quit the group, soon followed by Johnson, who embarked on a solo career. Myton continued to record as The Congos with various other musicians until the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1990s, The Congos reformed, with Myton and Burnett joined by Lindburgh Lewis, several albums following in subsequent years. In 2005 Myton recorded Give Them the Rights with a host of backup singers and star session players such as Sly and Robbie and Earl "Chinna" Smith, very much in the spiritual 70s roots vein. In 2006, the UK reggae revival label Blood and Fire released the album Fisherman Style featuring a remixed version of the classic cut "Fisherman" from Heart of the Congos plus such legends as Horace Andy, Big Youth, Dillinger, Prince Jazzbo, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Max Romeo, Mykal Rose, Dean Fraser, Sugar Minott, and U-Roy doing their own new versions over the original rhythm.
In 2002, they appeared on the album The Slackers and Friends by the ska/reggae band The Slackers.
In 2008, The Congos appeared in the independent feature film, Wah Do Dem which captures them performing "Fisherman," and "Congoman Chant," under a full moon at Helshire Beach outside Kingston.
In 2009, Myton, Burnett, and Johnson reunited with Perry to record the album Back in the Black Ark, which, despite its title, was recorded at Myton's studio in Portmore and at Mixing Lab, Kingston.
Can't Come In
The Congos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Cedric Myton)
*You keep on knocking but you can't come in
You've got to be clean
You keep on knocking but you can't come in
The door is locked on you, don't you know that it's true
You've got to be ready
When the Bridegroom cometh
You've got to be clean
***There were ten Brethrens together
Five were wise, and five were foolish, foolish
So you keep on knocking but you can't come in...
The rolling stone gathers no moss
Too late, too late shall be your pride
You keep on knocking but you can't come in
You've got to be clean
To rally round the Red, Gold and Green
You keep on knocking but you can't come in
The door is locked on you
Mercy 'pon Jah Jah judgement come
Telling the world...
Biblical References...
*Luke 13:24-25 - Strive to enter in at the strait gate:
for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and
shall not be able. When once the master of the house is
risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to
stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord,
Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say
unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
**Matthew 25:6 - And at midnight there was a cry made,
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Luke 12:35-37 - Let your loins be girded about, and
your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men
that wait for their lord, when he will return from the
wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open
unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom
the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I
say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them
to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
***Matthew 25:1-13 - Then shall the kingdom of heaven be
likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and
went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them
were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish
took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the
wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While
the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the
bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those
virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish
said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps
are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so;
lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather
to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they
went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was
shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily
I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man
cometh.
The Congos' song "Can't Come In" is a spiritual song that draws heavily from Biblical references to talk about the need to be clean and ready to meet the Bridegroom, which represents the second coming of Christ. The song starts with the singer knocking on the door, but he's denied entry because he's not clean, and the door is locked on him. In the chorus, the artist explains that when the Bridegroom comes, you've got to be ready and clean to gain entry. He then cites the parable of the ten virgins from the Bible, where five were wise and prepared for the Bridegroom while the other five were foolish and unprepared, and they missed out on the opportunity to meet the Bridegroom.
The song's overarching message is an appeal to listeners to be ready for the second coming of Christ, which could happen at any time, and it's up to us to ensure that we've lived a clean life that's worthy of meeting the Bridegroom. The song also stresses the importance of vigilance and preparedness as we never know when Christ will return.
Line by Line Meaning
You keep on knocking but you can't come in
Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many will seek to enter in and shall not be able
You've got to be clean
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately
The door is locked on you, don't you know that it's true
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut
When the Bridegroom cometh
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him
You've got to be ready
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately
There were ten Brethrens together
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom
Five were wise, and five were foolish, foolish
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
To rally round the Red, Gold and Green
Telling the world to watch and be ready for they know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh
Mercy 'pon Jah Jah judgement come
Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them
Contributed by Andrew P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.