Songs of Freedom (C)
 
I'm Hurting Inside
High Tide or Low Tide
Slave Driver
No More Trouble
Concrete Jungle
Get Up, Stand Up
Rastaman Chant
Burnin' and Lootin'
Iron Lion Zion
Lively Up Yourself
Natty Dread
I Shot the Sheriff
No Woman No Cry
Who the Cap Fit
Jah Live

I'M HURTING INSIDE

(Bob Marley)

 

O-oh, wo-o!
When I was just a little child (little child),
Happiness was there awhile (there awhile).
Then from me, yeah, it slipped one day, yeah!
Happiness, come back, I say.
'Cause if you don't come, I've got to go lookin'
For happiness.
Well, if you don't come, I've got to go lookin',
Lord, for happiness - happiness.

Said that - said, I'm-a hurtin' (inside).  And it's ...
I'm hurtin' - I'm hurtin' deep inside.  O God, now.
Oh, hear my cry, hear my cry:
Yeah, my, my, my, my, my, my, my cry.

Been together like school children (school children),
Then you hurt me just in vain (just in vain).
O Lord, I'm your weary child (child);
Oh, happiness, come back awhile.
'Cause if you don't come, I'm gonna go lookin'
For happiness.   The road is dangerous!
(If you don't come) I've got to go lookin'
For happiness - 'appiness.
Said, I'm - don't you know I'm hurtin' - hurtin' inside;
Oh, I'm hurtin' - ooh yeah, ooh yeah.

That's the one who loves!
O-ooh, feel the pain, feel the pain!
That's the one who loves;
Feel the pain!   Feel the pain!
Been together, been together.

HIGH TIDE OR LOW TIDE

(Bob Marley)

In high seas or-a low seas,
I'm gonna be your friend;
I'm gonna be your friend.
In-a high tide or-a low tide,
I'll be by your side;
I'll be by your side.

(I heard her praying - praying - praying)
I said, I heard my mother;
She was praying (praying - praying - praying); yeah, and I -
And the words that she said (the words that she said),
They still-a lingers in my head (lingers in my head).
She said: "A child is born in this world,
He needs protection.   Wo-oh, mm.
God, guide and protect us.
When we're wrong, please correct us (when we're wrong, correct us),
And stand by me," yeah!

High seas or-a low seas,
I'm gonna be your friend;
He said, "I'm gonna be your friend."
And, baby, high tide or low tide,
I'll be by your side;
I'll be by your side.
---
/Instrumental break/
---
Mm.  I said, I heard my mother;
She was cryin' (I heard her cryin'), yeah! (cryin', cryin').
And the tears that she shed (the tears that she shed),
They still lingers in my head (lingers in my head).
She said: "A child is born in this world,
He needs protection.   O-oh, mm.
God, guide and protect us.
When we're wrong (when we're wrong), correct us."  O-oh.
And in high seas or low seas,
I'm gonna be your friend;
I'm gonna be your friend.
Said, "High tide or low tide,
I'll be by your side;
I'll be by your side

SLAVE DRIVER

(Bob Marley)

 

Ooh-ooh-oo-ooh.   Oo-oo-ooh! Oo-oo-ooh.
Slave driver, the table is turn;  (catch a fire)
Catch a fire, so you can get burn, now. (catch a fire)
Slave driver, the table is turn;  (catch a fire)
Catch a fire: gonna get burn.  (catch a fire)  Wo, now!

Ev'rytime I hear the crack of a whip,
My blood runs cold.
I remember on the slave ship,
How they brutalize the very souls.
Today they say that we are free,
Only to be chained in poverty.
Good God, I think it's illiteracy;
It's only a machine that makes money.
Slave driver, the table is turn, y'all.  Ooh-ooh-oo-ooh.

Slave driver, uh!   The table is turn, baby, now; (catch a fire)
Catch a fire, so you can get burn, baby, now.  (catch a fire)
Slave driver, the table is turn, y'all; (catch a fire)
Catch a fire: so you can get burn, now. (catch a fire)

Ev'rytime I hear the crack of a whip,
My blood runs cold.
I remember on the slave ship,
How they brutalize the very soul.

O God, have mercy on our souls!
Oh, slave driver, the table is turn, y'all;  (catch a fire)
Catch a fire, so you can get burn.   (catch a fire)
Slave driver, the table is turn, y'all; (catch a fire)
Catch a fire ...

NO MORE TROUBLE

(Bob Marley)

 

(We don't need) No, we don't need (no more trouble) no more trouble!
(We don't need no more trouble)

Wo! Oh-oh-oh!
(We don't need)   We don't need no (no more) trouble!
We don't need no trouble!

(We don't need no more trouble)
Make love and not war!   'Cause we don't need no trouble.
What we need is love   (love)
To guide and protect us on.  (on)
If you hope good down from above, (love)
Help the weak if you are strong now.  (love)

We don't need no trouble;
What we need is love.   Oh, no!
We don't need - we don't need - no more trouble!
Lord knows, we don't need no trouble!

(We don't need) We don't need trouble (no more trouble) -
no more trouble - no more trouble!
Seek happiness!   (...)   Oh, ...!
Come on, you all and speak of love.  (...)  Oh, yeah!

We don't need no trouble;
What we need is love, now.  (What we need is love!)
(We don't need)   Oh, we don't need no more trouble!
We don't need, no - we don't need no trouble!
We don't (need) - no, brothers and sisters ... (no more trouble!)

We don't need no trouble; we don't need no trouble!
We don't need no trouble!
What we need is love!

We don't need - we don't need no more - we don't need -
no more trouble - we don't need no more trouble!
Trouble we don't need (we don't need),
(We don't need) Lord, knows! -
  we don't need no more war (no more trouble).
No more trouble - we don't need no more - more trouble!

CONCRETE JUNGLE

(Bob Marley)

 

No sun will shine in my day today;  (no sun will shine)
The high yellow moon won't come out to play:
  (that high yellow moon won't come out to play)
I said (darkness) darkness has covered my light,
(and the stage) And the stage my day into night, yeah.
Where is the love to be found?  (oo-ooh-ooh)
Won't someone tell me?
'Cause my (sweet life) life must be somewhere to be found -
  (must be somewhere for me)
Instead of concrete jungle (la la-la!),
Where the living is harder (la-la!).

Concrete jungle (la la-la!):
Man you got to do your (la la-la!) best.  Wo-ooh, yeah.
No chains around my feet,
But I'm not free, oh-ooh!
I know I am bound here in captivity;
G'yeah, now - (never, never) I've never known happiness;
(never, never) I've never known what sweet caress is -
Still, I'll be always laughing like a clown;
Won't someone help me?   'Cause I (sweet life) -
I've got to pick myself from off the ground
  (must be somewhere for me), he-yeah! -
In this a concrete jungle (la la-la!):
I said, what do you cry for me (la-la!) now, o-oh!
Concrete jungle (la la-la!), ah, won't you let me be (la la-la!), now.
  Hey!   Oh, now!
---
/Guitar solo/
---
I said that life (sweet life) - it must be somewhere to be found
  (must be somewhere for me)
Oh, instead: concrete jungle (la-la!) - collusion (la-la!) -
  confusion (confusion).  Eh!

Concrete jungle (la-la!):  baby, you've got it in.
Concrete jungle (la la-la!), now.  Eh!
Concrete jungle (la la-la!).

What do you stand(?) for me (la-la!), now?

GET UP, STAND UP

(Bob Marley; Peter Tosh)

 

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Preacherman, don't tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don't know
What life is really worth.
It's not all that glitters is gold;
'Alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights.  Come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Most people think,
Great God will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights.  Jah!

Get up, stand up!  (Jah, Jah!)
Stand up for your rights! (Oh-hoo!)
Get up, stand up!  (Get up, stand up!)
Don't give up the fight! (Life is your right!)
Get up, stand up!  (So we can't give up the fight!)
Stand up for your rights! (Lord, Lord!)
Get up, stand up!  (Keep on struggling on!)
Don't give up the fight!  (Yeah!)

We sick an' tired of-a your ism-skism game -
Dyin' 'n' goin' to heaven in-a Jesus' name, Lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty God is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can't fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (What you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights!  (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

So you better:
Get up, stand up!   (In the morning!  Git it up!)
Stand up for your rights!  (Stand up for our rights!)
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! (Don't give it up, don't give it up!)
Get up, stand up!   (Get up, stand up!)
Stand up for your rights!  (Get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up!   ( ... )
Don't give up the fight! (Get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up!   ( ... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight!

RASTA MAN CHANT

(Traditional; arranged: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston)

 

Hear the words of the Rastaman say:
"Babylon, you throne gone down, gone down;
Babylon, you throne gone down."

Said I hear the words of the Iyaman say:
"Babylon, you throne gone down, gone down;
Babylon, you throne gone down."
---
/Short instrumental break/
---
And I hear the angel with the seven seals say:
"Babylon throne gone down, gone down;
Babylon throne gone down."
---
/Short instrumental break/
---
I say fly away home to Zion  (fly away home);
I say fly away home to Zion  (fly away home).
One bright morning when my work is over,
Man will fly away home.
---
/Short instrumental break/
---
One bright morning when my work is over,
Man will fly away home.
One bright morning when my work is over,
Man will fly away home.
Say one bright morning when my work is over,
Man will fly away home.

BURNIN' AND LOOTIN'

(Bob Marley)

 

This morning I woke up in a curfew;
O God, I was a prisoner, too - yeah!
Could not recognize the faces standing over me;
They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality.  Eh!

How many rivers do we have to cross,
Before we can talk to the boss?  Eh!
All that we got, it seems we have lost;
We must have really paid the cost.

(That's why we gonna be)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight;
(Say we gonna burn and loot)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight;
(One more thing)
Burnin' all pollution tonight;
(Oh, yeah, yeah)
Burnin' all illusion tonight.

Oh, stop them!

Give me the food and let me grow;
Let the Roots Man take a blow.
All them drugs gonna make you slow now;
It's not the music of the ghetto.  Eh!

Weeping and a-wailin' tonight;
(Who can stop the tears?)
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight;
(We've been suffering these long, long-a years!)
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight
(Will you say cheer?)
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight
(But where?)

Give me the food and let me grow;
Let the Roots Man take a blow.
I must say: all them - all them drugs gonna make you slow;
It's not the music of the ghetto.

We gonna be burning and a-looting tonight;
(To survive, yeah!)
Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight;
(Save your baby lives)
Burning all pollution tonight;
(Pollution, yeah, yeah!)
Burning all illusion tonight
(Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord-a, Lord!)

Burning and a-looting tonight;
Burning and a-looting tonight;
Burning all pollution tonight.

IRON, LION, ZION

-

 

I am on the rock and then I check a stock
I have to run like a fugitive to save the life I live
I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion (repeat)
Iron Lion Zion
I'm on the run but I ain't got no gun
See they want to be the star
So they fighting tribal war
And they saying Iron like a Lion in Zion
Iron like a Lion in Zion,
Iron Lion Zion

I'm on the rock, (running and you running)
I take a stock, (running like a fugitive)
I had to run like a fugitive just to save the life I live
I'm gonna be Iron like a Lion in Zion (repeat)
Iron Lion Zion, Iron Lion Zion, Iron Lion Zion
Iron like a Lion in Zion, Iron like a Lion in Zion
Iron like a Lion in Zion

LIVELY UP YOURSELF

-

 

You're gonna lively up yourself
And don't be no drag,
You lively up yourself cause reggae is another bag
You lively up yourself and don't say no
You're gonna lively up yourself cause I said so

(Hear what you gonna do)
You rock so you rock so like you never did before
You dip so you dip so, dip thru my door
You come so you come so oh yeah
You skank so you skank so be alive today

You're gonna lively up yourself and don't say no
You lively up yourself big daddy says so
You lively up yourself and don't be no drag
You lively up yourself cause reggae is another bag

What you got that I don't know
I'm a trying to wonder why you act so
(Hey, do you hear what the man seh?)
Lively up your woman in the morning time you'all
Keep a lively up your woman when the evening come
And take her take ya.

You rock so you rock so you dip so you dip so
You skank so you skank so and don't be no drag
You come so you come so for reggae is another bag.

Get what you got in that bag
What have you got in the other bag
You got hanging there?
What you say you got?
I don't believe you!

NATTY DREAD

(Alan cole; Rita Anderson)

 

Dread, Natty Dread now,    (Natty Dread)
Dreadlock Congo Bongo I.   (Natty Dread)
Natty Dreadlock in a Babylon:         (Natty Dread)
A dreadlock Congo Bongo I.            (Natty Dread)
Eh!  Children get your culture        (Natty Dreadlock)
And don't stay there and gesture, a-ah,         (Natty Dreadlock)
Or the battle will be hotter          (Natty Dreadlock)
And you won't get no supper.          (Natty Dreadlock)

Natty Dread, Natty Dread, now;        (Natty Dread)
A dreadlock Congo Bongo I.            (Natty Dread)
Natty Dreadlock in a Babylon -        (Natty Dread)
Roots Natty, Roots Natty! (Natty Dread)

Then I walk up the first street,      (Natty Dreadlock)
And then I walk up the second street to see.    (Natty Dreadlock)
Then I trod on through third street, (Natty Dreadlock)
And then I talk to some Dread on fourth street. (Natty Dreadlock)
Natty Dreadlock in a fifth street,    (Natty Dreadlock)
And then I skip one fence to sixth street.      (Natty Dreadlock)
I've got to reach seventh street:     (Natty Dreadlock)
Natty Dreadlock Bingy Bongo I         (Natty Dread)
Natty dread, Natty Dread, now,        (Natty Dread)
Roots Natty Congo I.       (Natty Dread)

Oh, Natty, Natty,
Natty 21,000 miles away from home, yeah!
Oh, Natty, Natty,
And that's a long way
For Natty to be from home.

Don't care what the world seh;        (Natty Dread)
I'n'I couldn't never go astray.       (Natty Dread)
Just like a bright and sunny day:     (Natty Dread)
Oh, we're gonna have things our way. (Natty Dread)
Natty Dread, Natty Dreadlock,         (Natty Dreadlock)
Dreadlock Congo Bongo I.   (Natty Dreadlock)
Don't care what the world seh;        (Natty Dreadlock)
I'n'I gonna have things our way.      (Natty Dreadlock)
If a egg Natty in a the red -         (Natty Dreadlock)
If a egg Natty in a the red.          (Natty Dreadlock)
Natty Dread, Natty Dreadlock.

I SHOT THE SHERIFF

(Bob Marley)

 

(I shot the sheriff
But I didn't shoot no deputy, oh no!  Oh!
I shot the sheriff
But I didn't shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.)
Yeah!  All around in my home town,
They're tryin' to track me down;
They say they want to bring me in guilty
For the killing of a deputy,
For the life of a deputy.
But I say:

Oh, now, now.  Oh!
(I shot the sheriff.) - the sheriff.
(But I swear it was in selfdefence.)
Oh, no!  (Ooh, ooh, oo-oh)  Yeah!
I say: I shot the sheriff - Oh, Lord! -
(And they say it is a capital offence.)
Yeah! (Ooh, ooh, oo-oh)  Yeah!

Sheriff John Brown always hated me,
For what, I don't know:
Every time I plant a seed,
He said kill it before it grow -
He said kill them before they grow.
And so:

Read it in the news:
(I shot the sheriff.)   Oh, Lord!
(But I swear it was in self-defence.)
Where was the deputy?   (Oo-oo-oh)
I say: I shot the sheriff,
But I swear it was in selfdefence.  (Oo-oh)  Yeah!

Freedom came my way one day
And I started out of town, yeah!
All of a sudden I saw sheriff John Brown
Aiming to shoot me down,
So I shot - I shot - I shot him down and I say:
If I am guilty I will pay.

(I shot the sheriff,)
But I say (But I didn't shoot no deputy),
I didn't shoot no deputy (oh, no-oh), oh no!
(I shot the sheriff.)   I did!
But I didn't shoot no deputy.  Oh!  (Oo-oo-ooh)

Reflexes had got the better of me
And what is to be must be:
Every day the bucket a-go a well,
One day the bottom a-go drop out,
One day the bottom a-go drop out.
I say:

I - I - I - I shot the sheriff.
Lord, I didn't shot the deputy.  Yeah!
I - I (shot the sheriff) -
But I didn't shoot no deputy, yeah!  No, yeah! 

NO WOMAN NO CRY

(Vincent Ford)

 

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.

'Cause - 'cause - 'cause I remember when a we used to sit
In a government yard in Trenchtown,
Ober - observing the 'ypocrites - yeah! -
Mingle with the good people we meet, yeah!
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we have lost
Along the way, yeah!
In this great future, you can't forget your past;
So dry your tears, I seh.  Yeah!

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.   Eh, yeah!
A little darlin', don't shed no tears:
No, woman, no cry.   Eh!

Said - said - said I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown, yeah!
And then Georgie would make the fire lights,
I seh, logwood burnin' through the nights, yeah!
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge, say,
Of which I'll share with you, yeah!
My feet is my only carriage
And so I've got to push on through.
Oh, while I'm gone,
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, yeah!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right-a!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, yeah!
Everything's gonna be all right!

So no, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
I seh, O little - O little darlin', don't shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry, eh.

No, woman - no, woman - no, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
One more time I got to say:
O little - little darlin', please don't shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry.
---

WHO THE CAP FIT

(Aston Barrett; Carlton Barrett)

 

Man to man is so unjust, children:
Ya don't know who to trust.
Your worst enemy could be your best friend,
And your best friend your worse enemy.

Some will eat and drink with you,
Then behind them su-su 'pon you.
Only your friend know your secrets,
So only he could reveal it.
And who the cap fit, let them wear it!
Who the cap fit, let them wear it!
Said I throw me corn, me no call no fowl;
I saying, "Cook-cook-cook, cluk-cluk-cluk."

Some will hate you, pretend they love you now,
Then behind they try to eliminate you.
But who Jah bless, no one curse;
Thank God, we're past the worse.

Hypocrites and parasites
Will come up and take a bite.
And if your night should turn to day,

A lot of people would run away.
And who the stock fit let them wear it!
Who the (cap fit) let them (wear it)!

And then a-gonna throw me corn,
And then a-gonna call no fowl,
And then a-gonna "Cook-cook-cook, cluk-cluk-cluk."
---
/Instrumental break/
---
Some will eat and drink with you,
Then behind them su-su 'pon you, yeah!
And if night should turn to day, now,
A lot of people would run away, yeah!
And who the cap fit, let them wear it!
Who the cap fit, let them wear it!
Throw me corn, me no call no fowl;
A-saying: "Cook-cook-cook, cluk-cluk-cluk."
...      : "Cook-cook-cook, cluk-cluk-cluk."
Throw me corn (cook-cook-cook);
Me call no fowl (cluk-cluk-cluk)

JAH LIVE

(Lee Perry; Bob Marley)

 

Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!
Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!

The truth is an offence,
But not a sin.
Is he who laugh last,
Children, is he who win.
Is a foolish dog
Bark at a flying bird.
One sheep a-must learn, children,
To respect the shepherd.

Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!
Jah live, children, ye-ah-ah-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!  Jah!
---
/Guitar solo/
---
Fools say in their heart,
"Rasta, your god is dead!"
But I'n'I know:
Jah - Jah dread;
It shall be Dreader Dread

Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!
Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!

Let Jah arise
Now that the enemies are scattered!
Let Jah arise:
The enemies - the enemies are scattered.

Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, ooh! - children, yeah!
Jah live, children, ye-ah!
Jah - Jah live, children, yeah!