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).
Pomps and 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 another night
Do re mi fah so la te 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 no idea what he says here)??
Calm down
Have your pomps and pride
The lyrics to Toots & The Maytals's song "Pomps and Pride" speak to the issue of pride and materialism. The first stanza opens with "Everybody just cryin out, calm down, have your pomps and pride." Here, Toots is telling people to calm down and not get too caught up in their material possessions, or their "pomps and pride." The repetition of "calm down" emphasizes the need for people to not get too wrapped up in their own ego.
The second stanza speaks directly to the struggle between happiness and materialism - "For today, today, today is a happy day, for tonight, tonight, can be another night." Here, the song is reminding people that happiness is temporary and fleeting, and that there is more to life than just material possessions.
The final stanza really drives home the message of the song. "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?" Here, the song speaks to the emptiness and lack of fulfillment that can often accompany a focus on material possessions, even when individuals believe that these possessions will bring them happiness. The final lines once again implore the listener to "calm down" and not get too caught up in their pomps and pride.
Overall, Toots & The Maytals's song "Pomps and Pride" is a thoughtful meditation on the dangers of pride and materialism, and a call to find true happiness and fulfillment elsewhere.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody just Cryin out (cry out)
Everyone is loudly expressing their emotions
Calm down (calm down) Have your pomps and pride
Relax and exhibit your finery and self-confidence
Everybody just Cryin out (cry out)
Everyone is loudly expressing their emotions
Calm down (calm down) Have your pomps and pride
Relax and exhibit your finery and self-confidence
Everybody's just crying crying Sighing sighing
People are feeling intense sadness and despair
Dying to see the light And when they see it, they see it's not bright Can this be right?
People are hoping for a better future, but are disappointed when they find it is not as good as they anticipated
Everybody just Calm down (calm down)Have your pomps and pride
Relax and exhibit your finery and self-confidence
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down Have your pomps and pride
Unclear, possibly referring to a luxury or exotic location
Writer(s): FREDERICK HIBBERT
Contributed by Madison V. 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 ✌🏻