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).
Thy Kingdom Come
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive them that Joshua said
Oh, my God is wonderful
Oh, my Lord is wonderful
Oh, He is wonderful
Thy kingdom come, oh yeah, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
Oh, yeah, give us this day, oh yeah, our daily bread
And forgive them, yeah, that Joshua said
Thy kingdom come, oh yeah, Thy will be done, oh yeah
On earth as it is in Heaven, oh, ohh
Oh, give us this day, oh yeah, our daily bread
And forgive them, oh yeah, that Joshua said
The lyrics to Toots & The Maytals's song Thy Kingdom Come address the idea of the kingdom of God coming to Earth, and how its will would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. The overall message of the song is a plea to God, asking Him to provide the daily sustenance that we need to survive, and to forgive us our sins.
The line "give us this day our daily bread" refers to the Lord's Prayer, a prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray. The prayer asks for God's provision and is a recognition of our dependence on Him. The reference to Joshua in the lyrics is also a biblical one. Joshua was a leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. The lyrics suggest that we should forgive others as Joshua did.
The repetition of the phrase "oh yeah" in the lyrics gives the song a sense of urgency and reinforces the message of the song. The phrase "Oh, my God is wonderful" that's repeated throughout the chorus of the song reinforces the idea that God is great and a source of wonder for the people who sing the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
Let your (God's) kingdom come, and your (God's) will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
On earth, let things be like they are in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Provide us with our daily needs
And forgive them that Joshua said
And forgive those who Joshua (a biblical figure) told to do wrong
Oh, my God is wonderful
Oh, my God is amazing
Oh, my Lord is wonderful
Oh, my Lord is amazing
Oh, He is wonderful
Oh, God is amazing
Precious to me
Very valuable to me
Thy kingdom come, oh yeah, Thy will be done
Let your (God's) kingdom come, and your (God's) will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
On earth, let things be like they are in Heaven
Oh, yeah, give us this day, oh yeah, our daily bread
Please provide us with our daily needs
And forgive them, yeah, that Joshua said
Please forgive those who Joshua (a biblical figure) told to do wrong
Thy kingdom come, oh yeah, Thy will be done, oh yeah
Let your (God's) kingdom come, and your (God's) will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven, oh, ohh
On earth, let things be like they are in Heaven
Oh, give us this day, oh yeah, our daily bread
Please provide us with our daily needs
And forgive them, oh yeah, that Joshua said
Please forgive those who Joshua (a biblical figure) told to do wrong
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind