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.
True Love Is Hard To Find
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's why I've got to be yours
You told me the day will never come
When you would walk out and leave
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
You told me that you know I would have to travel all over
You would take care of my business for me
Darlin', all I ask of you
Is to leave those business alone and save it just for me
Yes
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
And glory fills my heart with joy from heaven
With love for you
Darlin', I always think of you
Always have my arms filled with love for you
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Just because I know
True love is hard to find
I believe in love
True love is hard to find
Everybody should know that
True love is hard to find
You know that
True love is hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
The lyrics of Toots and The Maytals’ song, “True Love Is Hard To Find”, express the idea that finding true love is rare and challenging. The lines, “You said that your love was just for me / That's why I've got to be yours” suggest a deep commitment from a lover who has made a promise to stay faithful. The singer acknowledges that it’s hard to find someone who will truly love and commit to another person. Throughout the song, he continues to repeat the phrase, “True love is hard to find”, to emphasize the rarity of finding true love.
As the song progresses, the lyrics seem to convey that the singer believes he has found true love. He asks his love to leave his business alone and save it just for him, which shows his desire for exclusivity. He also shares that having his arms filled with love for the person he loves is something he always thinks about. The final lines, “Just because I know / True love is hard to find / I believe in love / True love is hard to find”, suggest that even though the road to finding true love may be challenging, the singer still believes in the power of love and encourages others to do the same.
Overall, the lyrics of “True Love Is Hard To Find” communicate the idea that finding true love is rare and difficult, but the rewards of experiencing true love are worth the effort.
Line by Line Meaning
You said that your love was just for me
You promised that your love was exclusive to me
That's why I've got to be yours
That's why I choose to be with you
You told me the day will never come
You assured me that there won't be a day when you walk out and leave
When you would walk out and leave
When you would abandon me
'Cause you know that
Because you believe that
True love is hard to find
Genuine love is not easy to find
'Cause you know that
Because you believe that
True love is hard to find
Authentic love is difficult to discover
Everybody knows
It's common knowledge
True love is hard to find
Sincere love is rare
Hard to find
Difficult to come across
Very hard to find
Extremely challenging to find
I say (true love)
I declare (genuine love)
True love (true love)
Authentic love (sincere love)
True love (true love)
Genuine love (real love)
True love is hard to find
Real love isn't easy to find
You told me that you know I would have to travel all over
You mentioned that I would have to travel frequently
You would take care of my business for me
You promised to handle my affairs while I'm away
Darlin', all I ask of you
Honey, all I request from you
Is to leave those business alone and save it just for me
Is to avoid meddling with my affairs and keep them safe for me
And glory fills my heart with joy from heaven
The divine fills my heart with immense happiness
With love for you
With affection for you
Darlin', I always think of you
Honey, I always have you on my mind
Always have my arms filled with love for you
Always embrace you with affection
'Cause you know that
Because you are aware that
Just because I know
Just because I believe
I believe in love
I have faith in affection
Everybody should know that
Everyone ought to be aware that
You know that
You are aware that
Hard to find
Challenging to discover
True love (true love)
Authentic love (sincere love)
True love (true love)
Genuine love (real love)
True love is hard to find
Real love isn't easy to find
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CLEMENT SEYMOUR DODD, FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@iriemoon4526
You said that your love was just for me
That's why I've got to be yours
You told me the day will never come
When you would walk out and leave
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
You told me that you know I would have to travel all over
You would take care of my business for me
Darlin', all I ask of you
Is to leave those business alone and save it just for me
Yes
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
And glory fills my heart with joy from heaven
With love for you
Darlin', I always think of you
Always have my arms filled with love for you
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Just because I know
True love is hard to find
I believe in love
True love is hard to find
Everybody should know that
True love is hard to find
You know that
True love is hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
@iriemoon4526
You said that your love was just for me
That's why I've got to be yours
You told me the day will never come
When you would walk out and leave
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
You told me that you know I would have to travel all over
You would take care of my business for me
Darlin', all I ask of you
Is to leave those business alone and save it just for me
Yes
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
And glory fills my heart with joy from heaven
With love for you
Darlin', I always think of you
Always have my arms filled with love for you
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Just because I know
True love is hard to find
I believe in love
True love is hard to find
Everybody should know that
True love is hard to find
You know that
True love is hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
@MD-rd7bn
RIP Toots, thank you for everything you gave us.
This is my favorite track, so subtle, so much in it...
@donquixote2u
a sadly under-rated album, pure gold
@iriemoon4526
You said that your love was just for me
That's why I've got to be yours
You told me the day will never come
When you would walk out and leave
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
You told me that you know I would have to travel all over
You would take care of my business for me
Darlin', all I ask of you
Is to leave those business alone and save it just for me
Yes
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
And glory fills my heart with joy from heaven
With love for you
Darlin', I always think of you
Always have my arms filled with love for you
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
'Cause you know that
True love is hard to find
Everybody knows
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
Very hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Just because I know
True love is hard to find
I believe in love
True love is hard to find
Everybody should know that
True love is hard to find
You know that
True love is hard to find
I say (true love)
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
Hard to find
True love (true love)
True love (true love)
True love is hard to find
@zawadiyahb.7982
Love this album!
@VensPaul
Fantastic song/band/singers! Thank you !
@mzidayile1353
Simply the best song Thumbs up to Toots Hibert and the Maytals
@gatshatsha
true love true love is hard to find... Toots music for ever and ever...
@lawrencenjawe1935
Fantastic number. Recalling my introduction to Toots & the Maytals in 82
@raphaelrousso7124
This is truly beautiful and moves me deep over and over !! Is anyone has the words to this song ?
@MD-rd7bn
Look it up on the internet