Taj Mahal — You're Going To Need Somebody On Your Bond
Album: The Real ThingAvg rating:
Your rating:
Total ratings: 1132
Length: 6:10
Plays (last 30 days): 1
share
tweet
You're gonna need somebody on your bond child
You're gonna need somebody on your bond
When it's late 'round midnight and old man
Death comes slippin' into the room
You're gonna need somebody on your bond
You take Mary and Martha standin' up in the hillside
Mary explainin' to Martha, "Darlin', look at the river deep and the water wide"
Here comes ole Moses, faithful Moses carryin' big ole stones up the hill
Tellin' everybody they're gonna need somebody on their bond
Whoa, you take Maivus Staples and ole Claude Chetham
They got the good side on their bond
Oh, I been listen to the music people ever since the day I was born
My momma raised me in a room across from the church by the tree
And that sweet gospel music, oh how it used to comfort me
Tellin' everybody they're gonna need somebody on their bond
You're gonna need somebody on your bond
When it's late 'round midnight and old man
Death comes slippin' into the room
You're gonna need somebody on your bond
You take Mary and Martha standin' up in the hillside
Mary explainin' to Martha, "Darlin', look at the river deep and the water wide"
Here comes ole Moses, faithful Moses carryin' big ole stones up the hill
Tellin' everybody they're gonna need somebody on their bond
Whoa, you take Maivus Staples and ole Claude Chetham
They got the good side on their bond
Oh, I been listen to the music people ever since the day I was born
My momma raised me in a room across from the church by the tree
And that sweet gospel music, oh how it used to comfort me
Tellin' everybody they're gonna need somebody on their bond
Comments (105)add comment
deepwoodskev wrote:
Jerry is out of sync, using the opposite hand as Elaine and George.
Jerry is out of sync, using the opposite hand as Elaine and George.
When I was in college (Berklee) I drove taxi in Boston on weekends to earn some spare change for guitar strings and such. It was my great good fortune to pick up Taj after sound check at The Boston Tea Party and take him to his hotel in Cambridge. Very cool cat, great conversation. He verbally taught me some blues chord changes that I use to this day.
As good as the original.
I had to grab my guitar and learn that turnaround. That's a pretty sweet turnaround.
I'M SO GLAD that I got to see mighty Taj sing and play the blues at Chautauqua Auditorium here back in the early '90s!
Never saw him live, but his tunes always keep me rockin'. Especially this one.
F*** yeah!
Halleluyah (praise-the-lord).
F*** yeah!
Halleluyah (praise-the-lord).
Rico-suave wrote:
I saw Taj Mahal in Agra, India. That was magical too, not to say monumental.
I just saw Taj Mahal at the 2019 Mississippi John Hurt Homecoming Festival in beautiful Carrollton, MS in October. It was magical.
I saw Taj Mahal in Agra, India. That was magical too, not to say monumental.
If this music doesn't move you, your name is Tommy and you are truly deaf, dumb and blind!
Skydog wrote:
I had tickets to see him in the very early '70's, he was opening for It's A Beautiful Day at the local college (EMU)
but it was canceled at the last minute because someone got the flu
or so they say, back then when ticket sales were low someone always "got the flu"
idiot_wind wrote:
Saw him open for John Hiatt a few years back. Kinda surprised me.
I had tickets to see him in the very early '70's, he was opening for It's A Beautiful Day at the local college (EMU)
but it was canceled at the last minute because someone got the flu
or so they say, back then when ticket sales were low someone always "got the flu"
idiot_wind wrote:
Who's playing harp?
Taj himselfSaw him open for John Hiatt a few years back. Kinda surprised me.
Sounds like he's singing "you gonna need somebody on your bone" and then goes on to mumble sunthin'like " pussy pussy pussy". I don't know, just sayin'...
deepwoodskev wrote:
Put a smile upon my face : )
Put a smile upon my face : )
I'd like to hear Peter Green do this!
I just saw Taj Mahal at the 2019 Mississippi John Hurt Homecoming Festival in beautiful Carrollton, MS in October. It was magical.
7 -> 5
Good old fashioned feelgood blues. But I thought the Blues were...Don't believe everything you read.
Woohooo!
Always loved Taj! And this album in particular is awesome , with the tubas and other horns. Inspired!
For me a 7
Think I've never heard this before. That's a hot boogie r & b cut.
Taj is pretty much always a 10 for me. Transcendent!
westslope wrote:
Do regret not seeing Taj Mahal live in concert.
I had tickets to see him in the very early '70's, he was opening for It's A Beautiful Day at the local college (EMU)
but it was canceled at the last minute because someone got the flu
or so they say, back then when ticket sales were low someone always "got the flu"
idiot_wind wrote:
Do regret not seeing Taj Mahal live in concert.
I had tickets to see him in the very early '70's, he was opening for It's A Beautiful Day at the local college (EMU)
but it was canceled at the last minute because someone got the flu
or so they say, back then when ticket sales were low someone always "got the flu"
idiot_wind wrote:
Who's playing harp?
Taj himself idiot_wind wrote:
Wow, no one ever mentions Mr. Cotton, got to see him twice and shake his hand once. He earns the nickname.
Who's playing harp?
It sounds like Mr Superharp...James Cotton!
It sounds like Mr Superharp...James Cotton!
Wow, no one ever mentions Mr. Cotton, got to see him twice and shake his hand once. He earns the nickname.
Skydog wrote:
Yup, I can see that. Do regret not seeing Taj Mahal live in concert.
Thank you to you Skydog and others for some great, informative comments
now this is hot hot summer and cold cold beer music
Yup, I can see that. Do regret not seeing Taj Mahal live in concert.
Thank you to you Skydog and others for some great, informative comments
bob789 wrote:
love Taj Mahal : ) love this station's fabulous community of artists and scholars too!!!
Good stuff, but does anyone have any idea what he is talking about?
algrif wrote:This is a traditional 'Spiritual'or 'Gospel' song.
When things get dark, and death comes creepin' in the room,
You're goin' to need King Jesus on your bond. That's where it comes from PS: Blind Willie Johnson: You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond. Is the first recording I can find.
When things get dark, and death comes creepin' in the room,
You're goin' to need King Jesus on your bond. That's where it comes from PS: Blind Willie Johnson: You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond. Is the first recording I can find.
love Taj Mahal : ) love this station's fabulous community of artists and scholars too!!!
idiot_wind wrote:
it's Taj on chromatic harmonica
I still think its James Cotton on harp.
Or it could be Magic Dick form the J Geils band. Great name.
Or it could be Magic Dick form the J Geils band. Great name.
it's Taj on chromatic harmonica
now this is hot hot summer and cold cold beer music
Thank you RP! Always the right music for the right time!
Never been a big fan of Taj's music but hot damn this is good!
float dem reeds boy!
I still think its James Cotton on harp.
Or it could be Magic Dick form the J Geils band. Great name.
Or it could be Magic Dick form the J Geils band. Great name.
Who's playing harp?
It sounds like Mr Superharp...James Cotton!
It sounds like Mr Superharp...James Cotton!
Love me so good ol Taj!!!! You get a dancing banana!! 
Businessgypsy wrote:
excuse me? taj plays the blues because he has lived the blues, I do not need an over educated ego to "explain" the blues or it's loving proponets.
Are those the things you pair with Mare-lots? As an artist of the Northern Persuasion, he probably wouldn't know a crawfish from a cannoli.
Yeah, I know he covered that ancient levee builder's folk song "Crawdad Hole", but Henry Saint Clair Fredericks is a scholar and musicologist, not a genuine Blues artist. Well trained and polished, to be sure - but not the actual article by any standard.
He's done a wonderful job of promoting and educating people about Blues and has earned a devoted following - just be aware of the difference between a respectable méthode champenoise sparkling wine and Champagne.
Yeah, I know he covered that ancient levee builder's folk song "Crawdad Hole", but Henry Saint Clair Fredericks is a scholar and musicologist, not a genuine Blues artist. Well trained and polished, to be sure - but not the actual article by any standard.
He's done a wonderful job of promoting and educating people about Blues and has earned a devoted following - just be aware of the difference between a respectable méthode champenoise sparkling wine and Champagne.
excuse me? taj plays the blues because he has lived the blues, I do not need an over educated ego to "explain" the blues or it's loving proponets.
Good Stuff!^
So good. I don't even know what else to say. 
Sounds like what the police officer said to me many, many years ago.
The word is Bond. James Bond.
This song leaves me shaken AND stirred.
This song leaves me shaken AND stirred.
My brother had this album in the 70's and I got a chance to listen to it then. Wow. What an awesome intro to Taj. Get's my toes and heels going! 
Taj can really rock out on this one! Most of Taj's stuff is great, but this and Corina just blow my mind. Gunna have to leave RP for a few to spin the vinyl.
robert johnson on tuba...doesnt get any better!
Regarding authenticity. I'd say Taj Mahal is a musicologist in addition to being a great musician. I think I'd heard he came from a rather middle class background, as opposed to being a traveling rural musician like Robert Johnson or the other blues giants of the early 20th century.
I learned a lot about the blues from him through his interprerations of it, which I find quite faithful homages to their sources.
No matter where he came from, I've never found any pretense in his music or his style, and I think he has been instrumental in helping disseminate the blues in the later decades of the 20rh century. I credit him with introducing me to the Delta Blues. He has my respect.
I learned a lot about the blues from him through his interprerations of it, which I find quite faithful homages to their sources.
No matter where he came from, I've never found any pretense in his music or his style, and I think he has been instrumental in helping disseminate the blues in the later decades of the 20rh century. I credit him with introducing me to the Delta Blues. He has my respect.
I have this on vinyl. Forgot about this or it just didn't grab me back then..
Tastes do change with age. Gonna have to dig this one up.
8
Tastes do change with age. Gonna have to dig this one up.
8
I went to this concert at Fillmore West in the 60's. He is da man!!!
Taj is da bomb baby!!! 
Yeah, Taj...What is it about the horns that just POPS? Loves me some Taj, but those horns push it over the top. Wow.
Nothing less than a 9 on this album.
Mmmmm... so good. Big fat horns, killer rhythm section... and Taj. It doesn't get much better than this.
i like this.. i like the Taj way way more when he sings like a normal guy, like now..
heymarcel wrote:
On the main I take issue with the idea of "authenticity." ...
OK, for you Taj Mahal is authentic Blues and Norman Rockwell is authentic art - I have no issue with that. It's not exclusively a matter of appreciation or utility for me, rather genesis. A what caused this thing to happen curiosity. I like my porcelain tile that mimics terra cotta a whole lot better than the source material (for my intended purpose). Businessgypsy wrote:
On the main I take issue with the idea of "authenticity." I take Rockwell, Van Gogh or Taj Mahal at their word that they're doing what they're driven to do. Many have derided Rockwell for sentimentality and a craftsmanship that didn't add as much to the world of art as Van Gogh's innovative artistic choices did, but that doesn't have anything to do with authenticity.
Likewise, just because most blues artists stayed in a fairly confined genre, and played simple songs very well, or played because they could earn money that way, doesn't make them any more or less authentic. They're playing what they feel is right, and there's no reason to question their authenticity. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Taj Mahal's wide and idiosyncratic stylistic explorations both inside and outside what is usually considered blues doesn't make him less authentic either. His, Robert Johnson's or B.B. King's motives and experiences are immaterial beside their music itself.
Norman Rockwell was an extremely accomplished and beloved illustrator who was driven to create art because of an opportunity to make a living and a carefully honed skill in doing so. Vincent Van Gogh was driven to make art at the cost of his life because he could not do otherwise.
On the main I take issue with the idea of "authenticity." I take Rockwell, Van Gogh or Taj Mahal at their word that they're doing what they're driven to do. Many have derided Rockwell for sentimentality and a craftsmanship that didn't add as much to the world of art as Van Gogh's innovative artistic choices did, but that doesn't have anything to do with authenticity.
Likewise, just because most blues artists stayed in a fairly confined genre, and played simple songs very well, or played because they could earn money that way, doesn't make them any more or less authentic. They're playing what they feel is right, and there's no reason to question their authenticity. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Taj Mahal's wide and idiosyncratic stylistic explorations both inside and outside what is usually considered blues doesn't make him less authentic either. His, Robert Johnson's or B.B. King's motives and experiences are immaterial beside their music itself.
heymarcel wrote:
Norman Rockwell was an extremely accomplished and beloved illustrator who was driven to create art because of an opportunity to make a living and a carefully honed skill in doing so. Vincent Van Gogh was driven to make art at the cost of his life because he could not do otherwise.
On review, my position is way too personal to extend as a standard for anyone else, so I'll modify my original statement to say "not the actual article in my estimation". Thanks for the response, enjoyed hearing your views.
I'm not sure what you mean by "actual article" here, unless you're referring to personal experiences and accidents of history that have little to do with the music itself. If he isn't a genuine blues artist, no one is. Few people have done as much with and for blues as a genre than he has.
I'm in agreement for the most part with you on your first and last points. As for as your second point, we each see it from a different perspective. If he is what comes to mind when you think of roots delta blues, then for you he certainly is the real deal. I think Kevin Moore is an extremely accomplished and enjoyable blues performer and composer who got into the genre as an actor angling for a part and discovered an aptitude, but does not have a play blues or die drive. Norman Rockwell was an extremely accomplished and beloved illustrator who was driven to create art because of an opportunity to make a living and a carefully honed skill in doing so. Vincent Van Gogh was driven to make art at the cost of his life because he could not do otherwise.
On review, my position is way too personal to extend as a standard for anyone else, so I'll modify my original statement to say "not the actual article in my estimation". Thanks for the response, enjoyed hearing your views.
Businessgypsy wrote:
I'm not sure what you mean by "actual article" here, unless you're referring to personal experiences and accidents of history that have little to do with the music itself. If he isn't a genuine blues artist, no one is. Few people have done as much with and for blues as a genre than he has.
Yeah, I know he covered that ancient levee builder's folk song "Crawdad Hole", but Henry Saint Clair Fredericks is a scholar and musicologist, not a genuine Blues artist. Well trained and polished, to be sure - but not the actual article by any standard.
I'm not sure what you mean by "actual article" here, unless you're referring to personal experiences and accidents of history that have little to do with the music itself. If he isn't a genuine blues artist, no one is. Few people have done as much with and for blues as a genre than he has.
Joy4life wrote:
Yeah, I know he covered that ancient levee builder's folk song "Crawdad Hole", but Henry Saint Clair Fredericks is a scholar and musicologist, not a genuine Blues artist. Well trained and polished, to be sure - but not the actual article by any standard.
He's done a wonderful job of promoting and educating people about Blues and has earned a devoted following - just be aware of the difference between a respectable méthode champenoise sparkling wine and Champagne.
Crayfish anybody?
Are those the things you pair with Mare-lots? As an artist of the Northern Persuasion, he probably wouldn't know a crawfish from a cannoli.Yeah, I know he covered that ancient levee builder's folk song "Crawdad Hole", but Henry Saint Clair Fredericks is a scholar and musicologist, not a genuine Blues artist. Well trained and polished, to be sure - but not the actual article by any standard.
He's done a wonderful job of promoting and educating people about Blues and has earned a devoted following - just be aware of the difference between a respectable méthode champenoise sparkling wine and Champagne.
Crayfish anybody?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYXlK-Dktnk
What the? 
......
......if there were a song that needed an 11, this is it.
"Wid the Horns!!"
I love this tune, and this version of this tune.
We actually picked this song to graduate High School to. Yep, we all lined up and walked out of the auditorium with our diplomas, dancing to this great mover. How GREAT!
I love this tune, and this version of this tune.
We actually picked this song to graduate High School to. Yep, we all lined up and walked out of the auditorium with our diplomas, dancing to this great mover. How GREAT!
Sweet!!!!
this live recording was also performed at Filmore West in '69 and I was there to rock out this this incredible performance! He started with just him playing his banjo. When he brought out his brass section I went nuts!!! Four tuba's, trombones and trumpets. Sousa phones too. The wooden floor just shook like sitting on a big sub woofer!!!! Rode up from Santa Clara in a ten window VW bus.
oh yeah, what a funky Stax sounding groove, I'm sure I heard Mavis Staple getting a mention from Taj in the lyrics.
Check out Taj's most recent work with the Music Maker Relief Foundation (MMRF), with the likes of North Carolina blues old timers Etta Baker and John Dee Holeman; MMRF is a charitable organisation that does great work for keeping traditional music alive, so I hope nobody considers this a commercial pitch! https://www.musicmaker.org
Check out Taj's most recent work with the Music Maker Relief Foundation (MMRF), with the likes of North Carolina blues old timers Etta Baker and John Dee Holeman; MMRF is a charitable organisation that does great work for keeping traditional music alive, so I hope nobody considers this a commercial pitch! https://www.musicmaker.org
Fabulous live album, with great / unusual horn arrangements. A must for the true Taj fan!
algrif wrote:
The harp bumps it up a point. Anyone know who's playing ? 
Taj.
Taj reconstituted the 1971 Live at the Filmore band in Brooklyn in eary Feb 2008 as a fundraiser for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Earl McIntyre--17 at the time he toured with Taj in 1971 is now the director of Jazz there. The concert in a 450 seat venue was a "lifetime" experience--write to Taj & get him to take the big tuba band back out on the road in 2008!
Yeah, I need somebody on my bone too!
Yes! More jazz. HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYBODY!!!!! 
What a way to start a day... First song I heard was Otis now Taj! I couldn't be happier.
Okay, after this and Otis I know I will get through this day smiling! Thanks
Mr Taj,always swinging,this one should have been a 7 but gets an 8 for beeing LIVE !
If you feel the need for a Taj infusion, just watch 'Sounder' starring Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson, and Taj hiz own self. Mr. Mahal did the soundtrack, and it captured the essence of Depression-era Louisiana expertly.
c.
Love the bassline
bob789 wrote:
Good stuff, but does anyone have any idea what he is talking about?
This is a traditional 'Spiritual'or 'Gospel' song.
When things get dark, and death comes creepin' in the room,
You're goin' to need King Jesus on your bond.
That's where it comes from
PS: Blind Willie Johnson: You'll Need Somebody on Your Bond. Is the first recording I can find.
bob789 wrote:
Good stuff, but does anyone have any idea what he is talking about?
He is saying that she should stick by him otherwise she won't get sprung next time she gets arrested because he's all she's got, so she should treat him right. She needs someone who'll sign her bond agreement and apparently her options are limited.
I don't know this stuff about bonds from personal experience, you understand. I've just heard about it. I have a friend. . .
He gets an 8 just for the title.
Good stuff, but does anyone have any idea what he is talking about?
Hmmm...following Otis Redding with Taj Mahal. A nice one-two punch (or soft slap on the cheek).
Platypus wrote:
hmmpph. more generic blues. nothing new here.
Actually, the horn arrangement is somewhat unique....
Faithful_Fool wrote:
Well alrighty now!
Who wants to dance? :D/ :D/
I do! I do!
"get your ass into it"
bob789 wrote:
Anybody got a REAL artist's website?
Try this.
Looking for the REAL artist's website?
The links above just send you to India.
Try this instead:
https://www.tajblues.com/
(thanks Shayborg)
bairdc wrote:
Taj is the most amazing performer live
I remember watching him on In Concert back in the 70s. He was definitely great.
The harp bumps it up a point. Anyone know who's playing ?
lester wrote:
Otis Redding is a mighty tough act to follow, but Taj Mahal rocks this one.
Taj is the most amazing performer live - plus - he references Mavis Staples - Otis would have like it...
rickf wrote:
Normally I'd be more generous than a 3 but after Otis this fares poorly.
Otis Redding is a mighty tough act to follow, but Taj Mahal rocks this one.
betterdaze wrote:
I really want to see him live.
8)
Don't miss the chance. I've never seen an entertainer have so much fun entertaining, it's infectous.
EDIT:
tonight (11/27) is his last night in Seattle this year, some tickets still available. We saw him last week, and he is as good as ever. Do Not miss the chance to see him if you can.
8) Well alrighty now!
Who wants to dance? :D/ \:D/
I really want to see him live.
8)
8) rickf wrote:
Normally I'd be more generous than a 3 but after Otis this fares poorly.
I agree, but come on, a 3 ??
can not get enough of the Taj
Normally I'd be more generous than a 3 but after Otis this fares poorly.
Platypus wrote:
hmmpph. more generic blues. nothing new here.
Mm, in the end I think the only thing that (really) matters is whether or not music (of any sort) moves me. Concerning Blues, just like with classical music (in fact Blues is also a sort of classical music by now), that depends on the interpretation. Taj Mahal seldom disappointed me.
Is it new, or is it not
Who cares?
Taj Mahal is able to bring the dinner to the table
Wholesome, satisfying and soulfully nutritious.
The sort of "Feel-Good-Rhythm and Blues" (
) like only Taj Mahal is able to produce. I think it's just more upbeat than Blues mostly is.
) like only Taj Mahal is able to produce. I think it's just more upbeat than Blues mostly is. Businessgypsy wrote:
? Helped sell some records to the mainstream in the idiom, but I think that claim requires some substantiation. Kind of like claiming Green Day resurrected punk (when everybody knows that it prefers to remain undead). I eat-sleep-and-drink Blues, but always thought of Taj Mahal as watered down sanitized pseudo Blues. Your results may vary. Hey, it's just an opinion. I really like Kevin Moore (Keb Mo on stage), and he never played Blues until he was auditioning for a play that required it. I'm glad Bill is playing any kind of Blues, and I'm glad you're enjoying it!
I must confess that I lifted that claim from AMG.
One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer/multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. Not content to stay within that realm, Mahal soon broadened his approach, taking a musicologist's interest in a multitude of folk and roots music from around the world -- reggae and other Caribbean folk, jazz, gospel, R&B, zydeco, various West African styles, Latin, even Hawaiian. The African-derived heritage of most of those forms allowed Mahal to explore his own ethnicity from a global perspective and to present the blues as part of a wider musical context. Yet while he dabbled in many different genres, he never strayed too far from his laid-back country blues foundation. Blues purists naturally didn't have much use for Mahal's music and according to some of his other detractors, his multi-ethnic fusions sometimes came off as indulgent, or overly self-conscious and academic. Still, Mahal's concept seemed somewhat vindicated in the '90s, when a cadre of young bluesmen began to follow his lead -- both acoustic revivalists (Keb' Mo' , Guy Davis ) and eclectic bohemians (Corey Harris , Alvin Youngblood Hart ).
ScottFromWyoming wrote:Helped sell some records to the mainstream in the idiom, but I think that claim requires some substantiation. Kind of like claiming Green Day resurrected punk (when everybody knows that it prefers to remain undead). I eat-sleep-and-drink Blues, but always thought of Taj Mahal as watered down sanitized pseudo Blues. Your results may vary. Hey, it's just an opinion. I really like Kevin Moore (Keb Mo on stage), and he never played Blues until he was auditioning for a play that required it. I'm glad Bill is playing any kind of Blues, and I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Okay. Taj Mahal is only responsible for resurrecting acoustic blues.
? SpaceCowboy wrote:
Couldn't agree more!
Totally uninteresting!!!! Blues of this caliber is the anti-thesis of innovative. And there are so many of them doing this to us...
Okay. Taj Mahal is only responsible for resurrecting acoustic blues. This song does happen to have an electric guitar buried back there, but the primary instrumentation is acoustic. Plus, Taj includes horns and drum styles not normally found in modern blues. If it sounds familiar, it's only because so many have followed his lead.
Platypus wrote:
hmmpph. more generic blues. nothing new here.
Couldn't agree more!
Totally uninteresting!!!! Blues of this caliber is the anti-thesis of innovative. And there are so many of them doing this to us...
hmmpph. more generic blues. nothing new here.
This is pretty cool
When I was in college (Berklee) I drove taxi in Boston on weekends to earn some spare change for guitar strings and such. It was my great good fortune to pick up Taj after sound check at The Boston Tea Party and take him to his hotel in Cambridge. Very cool cat, great conversation. He verbally taught me some blues chord changes that I use to this day.
Cool story. Thank You for sharing it!