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).
Pomp & Pride
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cryin out (cry out)
Calm down (calm down)
Have your pomps and pride
Calm down (calm down) Have your pomps and pride
Everybody just
Cryin out (cry out)
Calm down (calm down)
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down
Have your pomps and pride
For today, today, today is a happy day
For tonight tonight, can be a better night
Do re mi fah so la si do
Everybody's just crying crying
Sighing sighing
Dying to see the light
And when they see it, they see it's not bright
Can this be right?
Everybody just
Calm down (calm down)Have your pomps and pride
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down
Have your pomps and pride
For today, today, today is a happy day
For tonight tonight, can be happy night
Do re mi fah so la si do.
The lyrics to Toots & The Maytals's song Pomp & Pride are a call for people to calm down and have their "pomps and pride," which refers to their sense of self and confidence. The repetition of "calm down" emphasizes the need for people to relax and not get caught up in their emotions. However, the lyrics acknowledge that people are crying, sighing, and dying to see the light, suggesting that there is a deeper sense of unrest and dissatisfaction that needs to be addressed.
The song also recognizes the possibility of happiness, both in the present moment ("today is a happy day") and in the future ("tonight can be a better night"). The use of the musical scale ("Do re mi fah so la si do") adds a playful, musical element to the song, reinforcing the idea that happiness can be found through expressing oneself and embracing one's individuality.
Overall, the lyrics of Pomp & Pride encourage listeners to balance their emotions with their sense of self, to seek happiness and fulfillment, and to not get bogged down by their troubles.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody just
Everyone is doing the same thing
Cryin out (cry out)
They are loudly expressing themselves
Calm down (calm down)
They need to relax
Have your pomps and pride
They should assert their self-importance
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down
Is it really necessary for them to be so worked up?
Have your pomps and pride
They should be confident in themselves
Everybody just
Everyone is still doing the same thing
Cryin out (cry out)
They are still loudly expressing themselves
Calm down (calm down)
They still need to relax
Have your pomps and pride
They need to maintain their self-importance
For today, today, today is a happy day
Today is a good day
For tonight tonight, can be a better night
Tonight can be even better
Do re mi fah so la si do
Musical interlude
Everybody's just crying crying
They are still expressing themselves
Sighing sighing
They are feeling a sense of disappointment
Dying to see the light
They want to see something positive or hopeful
And when they see it, they see it's not bright
But what they see disappoints them
Can this be right?
They wonder if what they are experiencing is fair or just
Everybody just
Everyone is doing the same thing
Calm down (calm down)
They need to relax to avoid disappointment
Have your pomps and pride
They should maintain their self-importance even in the face of disappointment
Writer(s): Frederick Hibbert
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@RJ-og3cu
I did not grow up on this music, I found it on my own, I could not be happier, yet also sad I did not find it sooner.
@donnamaria4882
Better late than never, right...reggae forever :-)
@tanguyfabeck8128
Rest easy Toots, thanks for what you have brought to the music world 🙏💖
@Gretsch52
RIP Toots Hibbert. A great loss indeed.
@tmooxo7957
This song never fails to sort my head out. Rest in rhythm king x
@whut-da
Concur. It's the greatest feel-good song ever written.
@shelonibryan2097
Who else listening this music in 2020...☝️
@clarabellmurray9577
Me
@jojimaya3516
Me bro , Me ✌️👍
@bojonerewel
me from indonesia ✌🏻