It makes sense to get hold of this Atlantic single and listen not just to the lyrics but particularly to the performance combined with the lyrics. Soul music is emotive. It does not leave you untouched.
Soul music is to be experienced rather than written about.
Nevertheless, sometimes written explanations are necessary hence these words being read by you. To understand Soul music and its origins it is necessary to understand Black Americans history and culture. Subjected to slavery and taken from their homelands in Africa the people we call Black Americans endured the most horrendous hardships and lives. They triumphed over their sufferings by a combination of their devout Christianity assumed under slavery and their need to express their lives in some form that could not be seen as a direct protest. Hence the musical heritage that has been their gift to the world.