Recorded in exile in London following Bob Marley's recovery from the attempt made on his life, "Natural Mystic" leads off his comeback album, Exodus, with a track that made lyrical reference to the catastrophic event. As for the song's melody, the band had been kicking around its strictly roots riff for quite some time, according to Wailers bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett. "That’s why it still stands up today, because it’s outstanding," he said. "Natural Mystic" not only set the tone for one of Marley's grestest works, but also its title phrase earned Marley, already called Nesta and Tuff Gong, yet another nickname.