McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in 1933. He took up the tenor saxophone at the age of eleven, when he was a pupil at the Alpha School, and eventually joined Eric Dean’s Orchestra.
In 1954 he left for an engagement in Nassau, Bahamas, after which he ended up in Miami, Florida, and it was here that McCook first heard John Coltrane and fell in love with jazz. McCook returned to Jamaica in early 1962, where he was approached by a few local producers to do some recordings. Eventually he consented to record a jazz session for Clement "Coxson" Dodd, which was issued on the album as "Jazz Jamaica". His first ska recording was an adaptation of Ernest Gold’s "Exodus", recorded in November 1963 with musicians who would soon make up the Skatalites.
During the 1960s and 1970s McCook recorded with the majority of prominent reggae artists of the era, working particularly with producer Bunny Lee and his house band, The Aggrovators, as well as being featured prominently in the recordings of Yabby You and the Prophets (most notably on version sides and extended disco mixes), all while still performing and recording with the variety of line ups under the Skatalites name.
McCook died of pneumonia and heart failure, aged 71, on 5 May 1998.
Travelling On Bond Street
Tommy McCook Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ohh its been a long long time
I'm just roaming around all over this land, with just one goal? in mind
I'm still searching to find my love
hoping she will come along
one of these days.
to this traveling man
im so happy with him I've found my true love
cuz so I've been searching to find my love, hoping she will go along
one of these days
to this traveling man.
Im still searching to find my love, hoping she will go along.
one of these days
Believe me
to this traveling man
traveling man
im traveling traveling ohh
The lyrics of Tommy McCook's "Travelling On Bond Street" depict a man who has been traveling for a long time, searching for love. The opening line, "So long I have been a traveling man," clearly reflects his weariness with this lifestyle. Despite his exhaustion, he continues to roam aimlessly, with "just one goal? in mind." This ambiguity of the goal suggests that the man is so desperate to find love that he is willing to search in any corner of the land.
The following lines show that the singer is still searching for his love, hoping that one day she will appear. The phrase "to this traveling man" becomes a refrain that serves as a reminder of his nomadic existence, reminding him of his perpetual state of flux. However, in the second verse, there is a change in his attitude towards love. The lyrics suggest that he has met someone and found his true love, and is no longer willing to travel. The line "I wanna stop your" is deliberately left incomplete, pointing towards his inability to find the right words to convey his love for her. He has finally found what he has been looking for, and he no longer wants to be a "traveling man."
Overall, the lyrics of "Travelling On Bond Street" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the search for love, the journey that people take before finding their soulmate. It is a song about restlessness, longing, and finally finding love, which gives the traveler a reason to stop moving.
Line by Line Meaning
So long I have been a traveling man
I have been traveling for a long time
ohh its been a long long time
It has been a very long time
I'm just roaming around all over this land, with just one goal? in mind
I am wandering aimlessly with only one thing on my mind
I'm still searching to find my love
I am still looking for my love
hoping she will come along
I hope to find her soon
one of these days.
At some point in the future
to this traveling man
To me, who travels a lot
I am tired of being a traveling man, i wanna stop your "….?"
I am tired of traveling and want to settle down
im so happy with him I've found my true love
I am very happy that I have found my true love
cuz so I've been searching to find my love, hoping she will go along
I have been looking for my love, hoping she would be willing to come with me
Believe me
Trust me
traveling man
A man who travels a lot
im traveling traveling ohh
I am still traveling
Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
stumpy murff
My favorite B-side cut,Karl Bryan on alto saxophone- wicked version of traveling man.