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).
Love Gonna Walk Out On Me
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something moves within my heart
And it thrills me to my soul
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
I can't believe that baby
Love is gonna let me down
I see the morning sun
I know everything is alright
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
I can't believe what you're saying to me baby
Love is gonna let me down
I can see the morning sun
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
I can see you rushing through that door
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna walk out on me
By AGU
The song "Love Gonna Walk Out On Me" by Toots & The Maytals feat. Ben Harper is a love song that explores the fear of losing someone and the uncertainty that comes with it. The lyrics suggest that every time the singer sees the person they love, their heart is moved and they feel a thrill in their soul. However, despite these strong feelings, the singer is worried that love will ultimately let them down. They cannot believe that this person will leave them, but they are haunted by the idea that love is fleeting and can disappear at any moment.
The lyrics create a sense of tension between the singer's love and their fear of losing it. They describe the beauty of the morning sun and the joy of seeing their beloved rushing to their door, but also express their anxiety that love will eventually walk out on them. This tension is reinforced by the repetition of the phrase "tell me that love is gonna let me down", which underscores the singer's uncertainty and vulnerability.
Overall, the song portrays the complex emotions of love and the risk of losing it. It suggests that even though love can be a powerful force, it is not always certain or permanent. The lyrics encourage listeners to appreciate the beauty of love while also acknowledging its fragility and impermanence.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I see your face
Whenever I catch sight of your face
Something moves within my heart
I feel a stirring deep within my heart
And it thrills me to my soul
Which excites me to my very core
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
You're warning me that love will ultimately disappoint me
I can't believe that baby
I'm finding it hard to accept that idea, darling
Love is gonna let me down
My heart will eventually be broken by love
I see the morning sun
When I glimpse the rising sun
I know everything is alright
I feel reassured that all is well
I could see you rushing to my door
I envision you hurrying to my doorstep
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Telling me once again that love will fail me
I can't believe what you're saying to me baby
I'm struggling to accept your words, my dear
Love is gonna let me down
Love will eventually crush my heart
I can see the morning sun
The sunrise fills me with a sense of calm
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
And that assurance that all is well soothes me
I can see you rushing through that door
I vividly imagine you hurrying into my arms
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
But that nagging doubt always resurfaces that love will fail me
Love is gonna let me down
Inevitably, love will abandon me
Love is gonna walk out on me
Love will leave me empty-handed, without a second thought
Lyrics Β© PIGFACTORY USA LLC
Written by: B. DAVIDSON, F. HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daviskereone5988
Every time I see your face
Something moves within my heart
And it thrills me to my soul
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
I can't believe that baby
Love is gonna let me down
I see the morning sun
I know everything is alright
I could see you rushing to my door
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
I can't believe what you're saying to me baby
Love is gonna let me down
I can see the morning sun
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
I can see you rushing through that door
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna walk out on me
@SuperSmokey91
one of me favourite songs, great combination of voices.. and love to see that its all positive comments as well to go with the positive sounds
@ZachKopkaZake
Good duet
@annelisegautier5261
Groundation
@johnweldon7738
Yes let love be a driving force that carries us when we need a lift" True Love will never Lose π
#BlessUp
@Laamalaan
Oh my dear lord it's been years since I heard this song... accidentally discovered this again while trying to search great reggae songs.... LONG LIVE THE TOOTS and BEN !!! Pure beauty, harmony, and soul food. Chills all over me.
@ZachKopkaZake
How did you first hear it?
@johnweldon7738
Don't you just love when an unexpected visitor is an old friend " Good Song
@Fgrauch
This is so amazing and underrated
@TheLilibelle
Adoring Toots' voice in this version... it has a patina of lovingly well-used family silver.
@ZachKopkaZake
Patina hilarious