Thanks Sir Bob

Since I was younger, I’ve been listening to Bob Marley songs like “Get up Stand up” and “Redemption Song” not solely for the fact that they’re pleasant to the ears but because of the powerful lyrics. I’ve been a fan of those songs and reggae music in general for almost a decade now — including those years that I got hooked to Black Dyak and Tropical Depression songs (High School, hahaha!). Well, I’m a “Reggae Wednesday” regular. However, it was just 3 years ago that I decided to buy a Bob Marley compilation CD (i couldn’t find an original copy so I bought a pirated one, SORRY!). The cd contains almost ALL songs of Bob Marley, and I spent almost 1 whole week to familiarize every song. It was by then that I realized that Bob is more than “Get up Stand Up” and “Redemption Song”. He has a lot of other songs that are strikingly unconventional: songs that somehow awaken my sleeping idealisms and principles in life. Sadly, it is a fact that we seldom hear these songs being played on our local radio stations. One of my favorites is the song War that actually speaks of truth and hope, although I remember discussing this song with a friend and he called it just “a song about what-ifs”. For me, it’s an intelligent explanation why there’s war, and if we want peace, then we should choose to either end or win the war.

What I can give you now is just the lyrics (coz I’m at what we call “the Shoe Factory”, so uploading the song is not possible, hehehe!).

WAR

Until the philosophy which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned -
Everywhere is war -
Me say war.

That until there no longer
First class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a mans skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes -
Me say war.

That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race -
Dis a war.

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But never attained -
Now everywhere is war – war.

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
That hold our brothers in angola,
In mozambique,
South africa
Sub-human bondage
Have been toppled,
Utterly destroyed -
Well, everywhere is war -
Me say war.

War in the east,
War in the west,
War up north,
War down south -
War – war -
Rumours of war.
And until that day,
The african continent
Will not know peace,
We africans will fight – we find it necessary -
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory

Of good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!

THANKS SIR BOB!

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Tags: Bob Marley, Reggae, songs, War

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