Roots Archives Forum

"Too long we have been in the dark, it's time for us to see the light, and try to do the things that is right, in Jah Jah sight..."

Don Carlos, Get Up

(a wonderful cut of the "Pick up the pieces" riddim)

I don't know if anyone posted on this one, but when
Joe Higgs sings "But I'll shall not give up so easily / There is a reward for me." It reminds of the state of the world and how we remain oblivious to the reality of a lot of people, which is poverty. Blessed be the poor because they own the kingdom of heaven.

I randomly heard this track on youtube, and it introduced me to the genius of Mr. Higgs, even greater than his influence on Marley and the Wailers.

Let's burn down babylon!

"Please Mr minister, a word with you
only take a minute sir, so don't you screw

You no fight 'gainst the rummin'
you no fight 'gainst the winin'
you no fight 'gainst the cigarette smokin'
yet you know, yet you know
these thing give cancer

Tell me why do you fight 'gainst the collie man
yet you know, yet you know
it's the healing of the nation"

King Pharoah's plague is coming down on the land
King Pharoah yah river is turning blood
King Pharoah's plague is eating up your wheat
and scientist can't help you

The rod of Jahovia
it a go beat you beat you now
The rod of Jahovia
is writing on your walls

Waaahhh Babylon a fall!!!

"If you continue to burn up our herbs .. we gona burn down your cane trees"

HAHA

Police in Helicopter - John Holt/Peter Tosh

I man don't
Eat up your fried chicken
Not lickin'

I man don't
Eat up them frankfurters
Garbage

I man don’t
Eat down the hamburger
can’t do that
I man don’t
Drink pink, blue, yellow, green soda
(Soda pop!)

Peter Tosh - Mystic Man.

Patrick Andy "Life In Jailhouse No Nice". He sings about the tribulations of jailhouse life, very convincingly so, but then there is a line "nah get no dinner till 6.30" as part of a list of these tribulations. What's so bad about that? How is it typical of life in jailhouse?

"Now arse is arse and class is class
and this-a deejay happens to be the boss"

Welton Irie - Rolling Stone


Made me laugh out loud when I first heard it.

"Someone wrong but it's not JAH Bible" - Trinity

"Obediah, Obediah, JAHJAH a go ketch vampire" sings Devon Irons, while the background singers hauntingly wail "JAHJAH a go kill vampire"

"When the man has done his best, JAHJAH will do the rest" - Leroy Smart

"Nicodemus went to JAHJAH by night / to ask him the way of salvation and right / You've got to be born again" - the Congos

"Purify your heart, then you know yourself" - Johnny Osbourne

2 monkeys sat in a coconut tree
discussing things as they seem to be
said one to the other, now listen you
there's a strange rumour, that can't be true
that man, has descended from our noble race
a bad idea, a big disgrace

YEAH, the monkey speaks his mind

and another thing, a monkey won't do
is to go out at night, and stay in the dew

YEAH, the monkey speaks his mind

and another thing, you'll never see
a monkey build a fence around a coconut tree
and when those coconuts start to waste
forbidding others to come and taste

and another thing, you'll never see
a monkey build a fence around a coconut tree
or use a gun, a spear or a knife
to take another monkey's life.

DENZIL THORPE - THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS MIND - adapted from:

ELVIS COSTELLO - THE MONKEY

And three monkeys sat in a coconut tree
Discussing things as they are said to be
Said one to other now listen, you two
“There’s a certain rumour that just can’t be true
That man descended from our noble race
Why, the very idea is a big disgrace, yea”
No monkey ever deserted his wife
Starved her baby and ruined her life

Yea, the monkey speaks his mind

And you’ve never known a mother monk
To leave her babies with others to bunk
And passed them on from one to another
‘Til they scarcely knew which was their mother
Yea, the monkey speak his mind

And another thing you will never see
A monkey build a fence around a coconut tree
And let all the coconuts go to waste
Forbidding other monkeys to come and taste
Why, if I put a fence around this tree
Starvation would force you to steal from me

Yea, the monkey speaks his mind

Here’s another thing a monkey won’t do
Go out on a night and get all in a stew
Or use a gun or a club or a knife
And take another monkey’s life
Yes, man descended, the worthless bum
But, brothers, from us he did not come

Yea, the monkey speaks his mind