Originally called simply The Maytals, are considered legends of ska and reg… Read Full Bio ↴Originally called simply The Maytals, are considered legends of ska and reggae music. They are from Kingston, Jamaica. Their sound is a unique, original combination of gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.

In Kingston, he met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to "The Flames" and, possibly, "The Vikings". Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, "Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals", for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.

After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band's musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drugs possession charges.

Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band officially changed their name to Toots and the Maytals and began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which produced three classic albums and a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies - "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word reggae, "Pressure Drop", "54-46 was my number" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970. The group was featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff.

Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the group released three best-selling albums, and enjoyed international hits with "Funky Kingston" in 1973 and "Reggae Got Soul" in 1976.

The compositions of Toots & the Maytals (also known as Toots and the Maytals) would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when the Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and the Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop", with other Maytals' covers being recorded by Sublime. Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully.

The band recently won the 2005 Grammy award for reggae for the album True Love, an album consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside popular and legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists today such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.

They also contributed to the album 'Radiodread' (a tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).

Give Peace a Chance
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two, one two three four
Everybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

C'mon
Everybody's talking about Ministers,
Sinisters, Banisters and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
And bye bye, bye byes.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Let me tell you now
Everybody's talking about
Revolution, evolution, masturbation,
Flagellation, regulation, integrations,
Meditations, United Nations,
Congratulations.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Everybody's talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer,
Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna,
Hare, Hare Krishna

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Overall Meaning

Toots & The Maytals's song "Give Peace a Chance" is an anthem for peace and unity. The lyrics speak about the various -isms and -ists that people talk about, ranging from Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism to Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters, and Canisters, Bishops, and Fishops, and Rabbis and Pop Eyes, among others. The song acknowledges the fact that people are often more concerned with these things instead of what truly matters, which is peace. The chorus of the song simply asks people to come together and give peace a chance.

The song promotes a message of hope, urging people to put their differences aside and come together to work towards a common goal of peace. The song's bridge mentions prominent figures such as John and Yoko, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Norman Mailer, and Alan Ginsberg, among others, who were known for their contribution to the peace movement.

Overall, the song is a call to action for people to prioritize peace above everything else. It reminds us that despite our differences, we are all human beings who want the same thing - to live in a world free of violence, hatred, and war. The song continues to be relevant today as it was when it was first released in 1970.

Line by Line Meaning

Two, one two three four
The song is starting with a four-count introduction.

Everybody's talking about Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
People are discussing different 'isms', such as bagism, shagism, and tagism, among others.

This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m.
There are many ideologies and concepts being thrown around.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
The band's message is simple: all that is needed is peace.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
The chorus is repeated, reiterating the message of the song.

C'mon
The band is calling for people to join them and support peace.

Everybody's talking about Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters and canisters Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes, And bye bye, bye byes.
People are discussing various figures in power, such as ministers, sinisters, and rabbis, as well as other things.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
The band continues to emphasize the importance of peace.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
Again, the chorus is repeated to reiterate the song's central message.

Let me tell you now
The singer is about to share something important.

Everybody's talking about Revolution, evolution, masturbation, Flagellation, regulation, integrations, Meditations, United Nations, Congratulations.
The conversation has turned to different topics, from revolution and evolution to meditation and the United Nations.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
Regardless of what people are discussing, the band's message remains the same.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
The song's chorus is repeated one more time to emphasize its central message.

Everybody's talking about John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare Krishna
The conversation has shifted to various cultural icons, such as John and Yoko, Bob Dylan, and Alan Ginsberg.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
Despite the many different topics people are discussing, the band's message remains the same: give peace a chance.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
The song ends with one final repetition of its simple yet powerful message.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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