Roots Archives Forum

Hey guys,
I hear the song night nurse by the great gregory isaacs is refering to smoking rock. could this be true? the more i listen to the song the more i think it is true. the lyrics seem to support this rumor. Let me know your thoughts.

I doubt it Irieeyes, I think it was a little bit to early for Gregory to start smoking rock when that came out 83-84. I think he started smoking in like 88-89. Not sure though. I still highly doubt it bredda.

Actually, Night Nurse came out on LP in '82, might have even been recorded in '81 so I agree it's probably not the rock.

smoking rock??
i cannot follow...explain plz

rock refers to crack, a habit gregory is sadly known for.

he still doing that?

Last i heard he was but dont wish to spread rumour, its possible hes stopped, id appreciate some input here from someone whos had contact with him.

I heard about a year or two back that his sets were getting shorter and shorter due to the habit, Gregory being one of my favourite artists its a shame if its true.

More likely cokaine.

Of course night nurse have a double meaning and is about cokaine.

wareika

Yeah I could see cocaine being a back drop to the tune but certainly not the rock. It was just to early for that to pop. I would like to know if gregory is still blowing the blue smoke or not, Hopefully not... He's one of my favorite singers...
Easy.
~Keromak

Respect MightyZ. You are correct, it would be impossible to not be influenced by tales of Mr. Isaacs' vices. However, looking through the lens of hindsight, there are lines that could easily be viewed as drug references.

"There's no perscription for me/ She(cocaine)'s the one the only remedy."

"I don't wanna see no doc/ I need attendance from my nurse(cocaine) around the clock."

"Night nurse(cocaine) only you alone can quench this here thirst/ My night nurse(cocaine) oh, the pain is getting worse."

Whether to love or to drugs, these lyrics portray an addiction. It could be argued either way, but "Night Nurse" as a one dimensional love song hasn't sparked my interest in years. Great art, being left open to interpretation, is fixed yet fluid, and is always revealing something new. This new(to me) twist has definitely made me appreciate this overplayed classic anew.

DB