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.
The Wrong Thing
The Congos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and they cry every day
all they do is just pray
and they sigh more and more
every day my people going to the church
and the living seems worst and worst
they talk about marcus garvey prophecy
all they do is just say
the wrong thing all over
all they do is just think
the wrong thing all over
fire lightning thunder
a go burn you babel
don't matter where you hide
you can't hide from the wrong
that you have dun
you a go back up pan yourself
you better pray good
talk about the troubles i bear
with my brethren we all will share
equality and justice stands for all
who know this satan queendom must fall
fire lightning and thunder a go burn you
don't matter where you are
The Congos's song The Wrong Thing is a critique of blind faith and misguided religious beliefs. The lyrics suggest that people who rely solely on prayer to solve their problems are not only ineffective in their faith but are also neglecting their own history and the plight of their communities. The verses use spiritual imagery to describe how the people's lives are getting worse despite their devotion to the church. The mention of Marcus Garvey's prophecy can be interpreted as a reference to the Rastafarian belief in the self-redemption of the African diaspora. However, the singer is critical of the congregation's lack of knowledge about their own history and cultural identity, which undermines their commitment to this prophecy.
The chorus "all they do is just say the wrong thing all over, all they do is just think the wrong thing all over" criticizes the congregation's lack of critical thinking and their inability to question the effectiveness of their prayers. The singer admonishes them that simply saying and thinking the wrong things will not help them overcome the challenges they face. The use of fire, lightning, and thunder in the lyrics creates a vivid picture of an inevitable reckoning for those who do not take responsibility for their own actions and their impact on the world.
Overall, The Wrong Thing is a powerful critique of the role of religion in society and a call for people to take ownership of their own lives and the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
all they do is just pray
The individuals in this group do nothing more than pray.
and they cry every day
The individuals in this group are filled with sorrow and cry constantly.
all they do is just pray
The individuals in this group do nothing more than pray.
and they sigh more and more
The individuals in this group are full of despair and sigh more and more every day.
every day my people going to the church
Members of my community go to church every day.
and the living seems worst and worst
Despite going to church every day, people feel like their living conditions continue to deteriorate.
they talk about marcus garvey prophecy
People in my community discuss Marcus Garvey's prophecy.
and they don't know their own history
Despite discussing Garvey's prophecy, people in my community do not know their own history.
all they do is just say
People in my community always say the wrong thing.
the wrong thing all over
Every single thing they say is wrong.
all they do is just think
People in my community always think the wrong thing.
the wrong thing all over
Every thought they have is misguided.
fire lightning thunder
A destructive natural disaster that purges evil from the world.
a go burn you babel
People who engage in wrongdoing will be destroyed by the purging power of natural disaster.
don't matter where you hide
There is no place to hide from the consequences of wrongdoing.
you can't hide from the wrong
The negative consequences of wrongdoing will find you no matter what.
that you have dun
The negative consequences of wrongdoing are a result of past actions.
you a go back up pan yourself
You will be forced to face the consequences of your actions.
you better pray good
It is important to pray for forgiveness for past wrongdoing.
talk about the troubles i bear
I discuss the difficulties I face.
with my brethren we all will share
My loved ones and I all support each other during hard times.
equality and justice stands for all
Everyone deserves equality and justice.
who know this satan queendom must fall
Those who understand that evil exists in the world know that it must be defeated.
fire lightning and thunder a go burn you
If you engage in evil, you will be destroyed by the purging power of natural disaster.
don't matter where you are
You cannot escape the consequences of wrongdoing.
Contributed by Adeline N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.