Roots Archives Forum

Ok so a while ago I worked with a guy who enjoyed slagging off reggae, one of his favorite gripes was that all reggae songs are about the same thing. (sure there are a lot about race, Jah, Racism, social injustice and Love)Mind you I think most pop, country, and probably a few other genres are just about love.

So anyway I put together a play list to show some of the diverse topics in reggae:

Can anyone come up with any other diverse reggae topics?

Artist - Title - About
Lone Ranger - Apprenice Dentist - A bad trip to the dentist
The Heptones - Over And Over - The mystery of time
Leroy Brown - What A Fire (Disaster) - A big fire
Mutabaruka - Hard Time Loving - Trouble finding a peaceful place to have sex
Prince Lincoln - Mr. Kissinger - Henry Kissinger
John Holt - I've Got to Get Away - Noisy neighbours
Pluto Shervington - Dat - Cheating vegetarians
Welton Irie - Army Life - Being in the army
Fred Locks - Walls - Claustrophobia
Bunny Wailer - Reincarnated Souls - Reincarnation
Naggo Morris - Flour Power - Poison in the food chain
Early B - Learn Fi Drive - Leaning to drive
Voice Of Progress - Mini Bus Driver - A dangerous bus driver
Zap Pow - Wadada Carifesta - promiscuity

Nicodemus - Boneman Connection - The bones in the human body

Quality, not heard that before, just listening on you tube... toe nail bone? quality that's so funny

Let your friend check out my website before he starts judging the wide diversity of reggae lyrics!

However

Dennis Brown - Created By The Father - The beauty of Creation
Dennis Brown - Man Next Door - Noisy neighbour
Heptones - Party Time - Having a party
Black Uhuru - Great Train Robbery - About the train robbery
John Holt- Ali-Ba-Ba - His strange dream about various character from various tales

List could really go on and on

funny congo bunny that you started this topic, i was just thinking today about starting a topic about the same thing. i was thinking that calypso/mento artists sang about slightly more diverse subjects, i mean pretty much all 70s roots is about the same thing really, and if i can be honest as much as i LOVE the music, the subject matter can get a tiny bit repetitibe.. anyway here's some of my thoughts

prince buster - ghost dance (about departed friends having a party)
dambala - zimbabwe (about political situation in south africa)
little roy - hurt not the earth (about pollution)
pioneers - long shot, jackpot, etc (about horse racing)
peter tosh - ketchy shuby (about a children's game, i think)
peter tosh - burial / funeral
smiley culture - cockney translation (great lyrics!)

for the record, welton irie's army life is adapted from a very old folk song. lead belly did a version and i think that was recorded in the 30s.

Ahh I forgot longshot!

Didn't know that about army life. I was purposely trying to avoid covers of pop or souls songs (obvious ones I mean, as the more I learn about reggae the more it seems most tracks were rip offs of soul tunes)

Ali baba is another good one, not a typical lyric for any genre I think

Congo Bunny wrote:Quality, not heard that before, just listening on you tube... toe nail bone? quality that's so funny

Hahahahahaha! Does he say that his wrist bone is connected to his spine?

(was this guy in a car accident?)


also:

Lee Perry - Bathroom Skank

A song about washing your balls, basically.



There was a long thread about it on here - but I think that 'Ketchy Shuby' was actually about receiving 'hand relief'.

yellowman - pooping contest

think this one speaks for itself. "which one fart de best?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZMILsEUSek

Funky Punk wrote: There was a long thread about it on here - but I think that 'Ketchy Shuby' was actually about receiving 'hand relief'.

heh, i just read the thread. i guess we can put this one in the "double entendre" pile.

Asher Senator - Original Car Man Style

http://youtu.be/FS2JT_ePbPs