The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as a duo with… Read Full Bio ↴The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as a duo with Ashanti Roy (tenor) (b. Roydel Johnson, 1947, Hanover, Jamaica) and Cedric Myton (falsetto) (b. 1947, Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone) (b. early 1950s, Port Antonio, Jamaica). and have been active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They recorded the classic Heart of The Congos in 1977, with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry at the Black Ark Studio.

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.

Open Up The Gate
The Congos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Open up the gates of Zion
Africa we want to go
Africa we want to go

Repatriation is at hand
I and I know where the Black man stands

To the west coast of Africa

East, north and south
Repatriation is a must

Jah said unto the south 'give up!'
To the west 'keep not back!'
Send my sons from afar
And my daughters from the end of the world

Hallelujah
Please send the Father
The Almighty One of Creation
Living inna man
The Almighty Redeemer
The Word, Sound and Iwa
Living inna man yeah

Ooh allelujah!
Listen to Father
Almighty Bongo Ashanti I and I

Living inna I and I
Mighty, mighty Redeemer of Creation

Overall Meaning

The Congos's "Open Up The Gate" is a song with deep religious and political meanings. The song talks about the desire of African people to return to their homeland and the belief that it is their right to do so. The opening verse repeats the phrase "Open up the gates of Zion," which is a reference to Zion, the biblical name for Jerusalem, and also a symbol for the promised land of Africa where the black man wants to go.

The chorus is a call for repatriation, which refers to the movement that began in the early 20th century and aimed to bring black people back to their ancestral homeland. The lyrics state that repatriation is a must and that black people know where they stand. The verses talk about the different regions of Africa- east, north, south, and west and make a reference to a message from Jah (God) commanding Africans to give up and send his sons and daughters from afar.

The song's ending repeats the Hallelujahs and emphasizes the belief in the Almighty One of Creation and the Almighty Redeemer, living within every man. The song's overall message is important and powerful, reflecting the black people's ongoing desire to reclaim their roots, identity, and freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

Open up the gates of Zion
Let us enter the holy land of Zion

Africa we want to go
We desire to return to our ancestral land of Africa

Africa we want to go
Our hearts yearn to go back home to Africa

Repatriation is at hand
The time has come for our return to Africa

I and I know where the Black man stands
We, the Black people, know our place and our worth

To the west coast of Africa
Let us return to the western coasts of Africa

East, north and south
Let us return to all parts of Africa

Repatriation is a must
Returning to Africa is not just a desire, it is a necessity

Jah said unto the south 'give up!'
God said to the southern land to let us go

To the west 'keep not back!'
God commanded the west to not prevent our return

Send my sons from afar
God wants us to return to Africa from distant lands