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 Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song “Monkey Man”.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
Sit Down Servant
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
And if you ever say goodbye
And if you ever even try
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I'm gonna love you more and more every day
And if you ever say goodbye
And if you ever even try
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
Gonna tell your mama
Tell your papa, too
So they'll know exactly
Just what I'm gonna do
If you ever say goodbye
If you ever even try
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
Oh, yeah
Gonna tell your mama
Tell your papa, too
So they'll know exactly
Just what I'm gonna do
If you ever say goodbye
And if you ever even try
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you.
The lyrics to Toots and the Maytals' song "Sit Right Down" are about a person who is deeply in love with someone who they fear will leave them. The singer declares that they will cry over this person if they ever say goodbye or even try to leave. The repetition of the phrase "I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you" underscores the depth of their emotional attachment and the pain they anticipate feeling if the relationship ends.
The singer also pledges to love this person more and more every day, suggesting that they are willing to invest time and energy into the relationship in order to make it work. However, the fear of loss looms large, which is why they feel the need to tell the other person's parents what they are going to do if they leave.
Overall, the lyrics to "Sit Right Down" are a poignant expression of love and vulnerability. The singer's willingness to cry over the loss of a lover speaks to the intensity of their emotions and the importance of the relationship to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah
Expressing enthusiasm for what is to come
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I will completely break down if you ever leave me
And if you ever say goodbye
In the event that you were to leave me
And if you ever even try
Or even consider leaving me
I'm gonna love you more and more every day
My love for you will only grow stronger each passing day
Gonna tell your mama
I'm going to inform your mother
Tell your papa, too
And your father as well
So they'll know exactly
So they are aware
Just what I'm gonna do
What actions I will take in response to your leaving
Oh yeah
An exclamation to affirm enthusiasm
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I will completely break down if you ever leave me
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I will completely break down if you ever leave me
I'm gonna sit right down and cry over you
I will completely break down if you ever leave me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howard Biggs, Joe Thomas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind