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.
Chain Gang
The Congos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they're singin'
(Hooh aah) (hooh aah)
(Hooh aah) (hooh aah)
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
Till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways
And wearing, wearing a frown
You hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody sa-ay
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
Can't ya hear them singin'
Mm, I'm goin' home one of these days
I'm goin' home see my woman
Whom I love so dear
But meanwhile I got to work right he-ere
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
All day long they're singin', mm
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard
Give me water, I'm thirsty
My, my work is so hard
Oh my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard
The Congos, a reggae vocal group from Jamaica, released the song "Chain Gang" in 1979. The lyrics of the song shed light on the harsh working conditions of prisoners who are forced to work on chain gangs. The song starts with the sound of someone saying, that's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang, and then the lyrics repeat this line emphasizing the sound of the chain. The prisoners, who are singing this song, are working all day long, working on highways and byways, and wearing a frown. They sing with a moaning tone, which suggests their lives are hard and challenging.
The lyrics of the song conveys a feeling of hopelessness and despair, where the only escape from the unbearable conditions is to fantasize about going home to see their loved ones. The song highlights the dichotomy of the situation where the prisoners are working hard in chains, but still, they sing with a dream of going home one day. Moreover, the lyrics embody the social injustice that exists in the prison system as the prisoners are forced to work under inhumane conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear somethin' sayin'
The singer hears a faint sound that prompts his attention.
That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
The sound that the singer hears is actually the collective sound of the prisoners working on the chain gang.
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang
Reiteration of the initial point that the sound comes from the prisoners working on the chain gang.
All day long they're singin'
Despite their plight, the prisoners continue to sing throughout the day.
(Hooh aah) (hooh aah)
The prisoners sing with a haunting, mournful sound.
(Hooh aah) (hooh aah)
Reiteration of the mournful sound.
All day long they work so hard
The prisoners work tirelessly throughout the day.
Till the sun is goin' down
They work until the end of the day as the sun is setting.
Working on the highways and byways
The prisoners work on the roads and paths.
And wearing, wearing a frown
The prisoners wear a frown, indicating how tough their daily lives are.
You hear them moanin' their lives away
The prisoners moan as they work and serve their sentence.
Then you hear somebody sa-ay
It is then unexpected that someone speaks up to point out the sound.
Can't ya hear them singin'
The person sarcastically asks whether the listener can hear the singing prisoners.
Mm, I'm goin' home one of these days
The prisoners daydream about going back to their loved ones.
I'm goin' home see my woman
The prisoners are envisioning seeing their partners once again.
Whom I love so dear
They consider their partners to be extremely valuable.
But meanwhile I got to work right he-ere
Unfortunately, currently they have to continue working as prisoners.
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard
The prisoners complain about how hard their work is.
Give me water, I'm thirsty
They ask for water to quench their thirst.
My, my work is so hard
The prisoners repeat their earlier point about the backbreaking nature of their work.
Oh my, my, my, my, my, my work is so hard
Reiteration of how strenuous their work is.
Writer(s): Sam Cooke
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rodrigomonqs
muito loco mesmo parabens The Congos !!! o brasil gosta muito de voces venha mais pra cá
@cesarmiguel4460
Não sei vocês, mais eu fico imaginado um role com esses coroas, quanta loucura e quanta aprendizagem adquirida...
@margestom5940
Pode crer
@JohnLeaf
verdade
@magnosantos317
É sim irmão.
@canalmovimento4144
@John Leaf
O
M
.
10
@brunorodrigues6953
Eu to na espera deles colaram aqui no BR de novo, vou ao encontro deles pra trocar essa ideia 🙏🏻
@caldrefiao
Ótima versão da música de Sam Cooke. Esses caras mandam bem. Baita homenagem!
@alexandreferreiratribobras392
Uma pedrada do reggae mundial big up The Congos, muica original de Sam Cookie 1960, aqui você encontra muitas pedradas no estilo Rádio Tribo Brasil
@robsonmatias8963
Gosto de mais desses velhinhos e os respeitam como se fossem meus avôs. Só me lembro do meu tio avô nas manhãs de domingo tomando aquele velho café da manhã com minha avó, minha mãe, tia e eu. Como eu gostava daquele velho!