Toots and The Maytals are from Kingston, Jamaica. It was the producer Byron Lee who 1971 renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group and the lead singer, 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 drug possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band 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" 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.
Toots and the Maytals' compositions 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.
In 2005, the band won a Grammy award for best reggae album for True Love, consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the Easy Star All-Stars album 'Radiodread' (a dub tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[35] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.
In 2017 Toots and the Maytals played Coachella Fest April 16 and 23 at 4:20 pm. They became the second reggae-based group to perform at the Coachella festival, after Chronixx in 2016.
In 2018, Toots and the Maytals launched a 50th anniversary tour with concert appearances in North America from April to August, moving to dates in the UK starting in October.
On July 25, 2018 Toots and the Maytals debuted an original song entitled "Marley" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and also played the classic "Funky Kingston".
On August 24, 2018 Toots and the Maytals performed at Locknβ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song βMonkey Manβ.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
In The Dark
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
In the dark, you live your life
In the dark, you cheat and lie
In the dark, you want to fuss and fight
In the dark, you will get no life
Listen, people tell me love, love is true
People tell me love, what love can do
You keep on telling me love and then sleep
That's when you try to turn your back on me
I'm so lonely and so blue
I keep on loving no one but you
I wonder where you go, I wonder where you are
And I know one day soon you'll wanna (break my heart)
C'mon c'mon baby
The lyrics of Toots and the Maytals' song "In The Dark" convey a sense of confusion and disorientation, with the repeated riddles and questions emphasizing a sense of not knowing what's going on. The lyrics of the first verse suggest that the person being addressed is lost in some way, unable to find their way out of a dark and perhaps dangerous situation. They're urged to look outside themselves, to see the consequences of their actions in the world around them. In the second verse, this theme of love continues, with the singer expressing their loneliness and dedication to someone who may not be worthy of their affection.
The chorus of the song drives home the point that living in the dark, both literally and metaphorically, is a negative and destructive force. The repeated line serves as a warning to those who would continue down that path, indicating that they'll never find happiness or fulfillment if they continue to act in a dishonest or selfish manner.
Ultimately, "In The Dark" seems to be a call to wake up, to see the world as it truly is and to take responsibility for one's own actions. The repeated riddles and questions suggest that the answers may not come easily or quickly, but that there's always a way out of the darkness if one is willing to look for it.
Line by Line Meaning
Riddle me this, riddle me this
Challenge me, challenge me
Riddle me, riddle me that
Puzzle me, puzzle me
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
You cannot guess my location
In the dark, you live your life
You conceal and deceive
In the dark, you cheat and lie
You are untruthful and deceitful
In the dark, you want to fuss and fight
You desire conflict and dispute
In the dark, you will get no life
Your existence will be unfulfilling
Listen, people tell me love, love is true
I have heard that affection is genuine
People tell me love, what love can do
They express the power of love
You keep on telling me love and then sleep
You profess love and then ignore me
That's when you try to turn your back on me
You attempt to reject me
I'm so lonely and so blue
I feel isolated and sad
I keep on loving no one but you
I cannot stop caring for you
I wonder where you go, I wonder where you are
I am curious about your whereabouts
And I know one day soon you'll wanna (break my heart)
I anticipate you will hurt me emotionally
C'mon c'mon baby
Encouragement for affection
Contributed by Taylor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kevin54469
riddle me this, riddle me this
riddle me, riddle me that
i bet you donβt know just where iβm at
in the dark, you live your life
in the dark, you cheat and lie
in the dark, you want to fuss and fight
in the dark, you will get no life
listen, people tell me love, love is true
people tell me love, what love can do
you keep on telling me love and then sleep
thatβs when you try to turn your back on me
iβm so lonely and so blue
i keep on loving no one but you
i wonder where you go, i wonder where you are
and i know one day soon youβll wanna (break my heart)
Come on, Come on baby
Come back to me, yeah, yeah
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
I'm hearing and i know one day soon you'll wanna hurt my heart or maybe break my heart but many sites show the lyrics to that line as I know one day soon you'll want to come back home
Tell me what you people hear is it come back home or hurt my heart or break my heart????
@OCTOPUSSY91210
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that,
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
In the dark, there ain't no light
In the dark, (Lord) you cheat and lie
In the dark, you want to fuss and fight
(Hey, hey) In the dark, you will get no light
(Listen) People tell me love, love is true
They tell me love, what love can do
You keep on telling me love, endlessly
That's when you try to turn your back on me
I'm so lonely, I'm so blue
Good God, I keep on loving no one but you
No matter where you go, no matter where you roam
I know one day soon you'll want to come back home
Come on, Come on baby
Come back to me, yeah, yeah
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
Riddle me this, riddle me this, riddle me, riddle me that
I bet you don't know just where I'm at
@polakorafa
It's impossible to me listening this song and don't feel good. For me Toots & the Maytals are among the greatest music bands all times. Rest in Peace friends and thank you to made so many people happy trough yours songs. Greetings from Brazil.
@wellstonsanford5750
Rest in eternal peace, our great brother Mr Toots Hibbert.
@myaslesultandebergame7955
Aminπ
@claudiasheran4594
I remember playing this record over and over on my record player when i was a teenager, still lovin it to this dayβ€β€β€
@MCHadebe
and me also I was using a galaxy record player π
@myaslesultandebergame7955
Gospel for life,reggae for ever...
a Frenchie fanππ€
Kisses from France and take care ππππ
@sophiaphillips7435
RIP Tootsβ¦your music will live on forever!
@charmainestewart1363
One of my favorite from Toots. I'm so lonely and so blue Good God I keep on loving no one but you. Sleep well Toots.
@rm1133
Toots & the Maytals.....one of the most underrated groups of all-time. Great song after great song after great song; they don't quit
@winstonmiller9649
This one is my philosophical favourite by Toots and Maytals.