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Redemption Song
It may be the sudden onset of winter, or it may have been reading about Ange's Adventures in Granada with deadlocked reggae and techno freaks, but lately I have found my mind gently drifting to plans for lifting the island's anchor and sailing south to Jamaica for the winter.
I'm not exactly sure why Jamaica is preferable over any other tropical escape, but I suspect it's because I'm a massive Bob Marley fan and while the current generation of so-called reggae doesn't really turn my crank, I simply love old-school reggae.
Currently my favorite Marley tune is "Redemption Song", which is often described as being performed as one of Bob's fervent preacher-like sermons and reading over the lyrics, I can certainly see that interpretation, however, I also have a few person ideas about the lyrics that I'd like to share.
"Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,"
This line of course has a very direct meaning to do with slavery and oppression. In modern times, I always take it to mean that we are all being oppressed and repressed by our various governments. The common people have and will always be slaves to the rich (pirates).
If you wonder why governments are pushing for stricter controls on identity, from barcodes to identification chips, to electronic currency, you have to look no further than a cow in a field with a brightly coloured tag in its ear. It's all about property identification and nothing more.
"But my hand was made strong
By the and of the almighty."
Not being of any particular viewpoint when it comes to dogma I think that this is my favorite line from the whole song, as it has a personal meaning to me as an artist that works with and is required to have very strong hands, both literally and figuratively in the sense that passion and dedication are required to drive an artist forward.
And that drive comes from the almighty muse, our personal "daimons" (in the Greek philosophical sense), our destiny, not as defined by a higher being, but from the internal purpose that we were either born with or inherited, such as creativity or curiosity.
"Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
cause all I ever have:"
Here the concept is proven, when you are nothing, when you are a slave, when you are oppressed, all you have to free your mind are your ideas and creations. Of course, the real power of ideas is when they spread, see Memes.
"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds."
Again, here is the pure and simple truth of the universe. We are only truly slaves if we allow ourselves to be so. An idea is only as infectious as we allow that idea to be. There is no perfect truth of the universe, because all perspectives are relative and all perceptions are flawed due to the nature of the machine (a person) and tools (our senses) used to process said perceptions.
"Wo! have no fear for atomic energy,
cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time."
I have mused over this line for years and I can't for the life of me figure out what it's about. Sometimes I find it simply ironic that Bob died from a disease (cancer) which is often related to thoughts of nuclear science, both as cause and effect.
Other times I think it's just interesting from the perspective of a post-apocalyptic nuclear holocaust, where, indeed, even if human life was nearly obliterated, time would indeed continue to tick forward, even if there is nobody left to sit and (imperfectly) contemplate the passage of time.
"How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?"
I read once that free speech extends as far as reaching 17% of the population of a given region, after that point the free speaker is considered a danger to the ruling power and is eliminated. This doesn't always constitute direct assassination. Today, it is just as easy to silence a person through personal attacks, discrediting them on any one of numerous, often taboo levels and cutting off their access to the media.
This in turn makes it perfectly acceptable for the general populace to turn their heads and embrace ignorance.
Here are the full lyrics for "Redemption Song" for your consideration, there are as many interpretations as there are people, but the one fact that should be beyond question is that Bob Marley was a genius.
"Redemption Song"
Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the and of the almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? ooh!
Some say its just a part of it:
Weve got to fulfil de book.
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our mind.
Wo! have no fear for atomic energy,
cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say its just a part of it:
Weve got to fulfil de book.
Wont you help to sing
Dese songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever had:
Redemption songs -
All I ever had:
Redemption songs:
These songs of freedom,
Songs of freedom.
Posted by Dylon on December 5, 2006 12:49 PM |
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Comments
I'm a huge Bob Marley fan. When I lived abroad, I made sure I was armed with my most prized CDs and I brought a few Bob Marley ones. The lyrics are ones to ponder about and discuss for hours with friends :)
I don’t think any proper adventure would be complete without a good soundtrack! For some reason, even if I don’t have tunes with me, I always start thinking of certain songs when I visit particular places.
Like the ocean, every time I go agate hunting on the west coast I always end up singing Bob’s “One Love” to myself.
One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right, oh ja!
I hear ya! Definitely...one must always have road tunes in hand when going on a little adventure. I remember a trip some friends and I took out east to the Maritimes and we played the soundtracks from Reservoir Dogs, Studio 54, Boogie Nights and Trainspotting over and over and over...
Ever notice that whenever a friend brings his/her guitar to a party, for some reason people always end up singing "No Woman No Cry"? Then again, maybe it's just my friends who always end up doing that :) Good times anyway.
Awesome! Definitely some good tunes there, perfect road trip soundtrack!
“Lookin' back on the track for a little green bag,
Got to find just the kind or I'm losin' my mind”
(LOL!) Of course, every time I hear “Little Green Bag” these days it reminds me of the commercial with the guy in linedancing in the bright green speedo.
Or how about Iggy?
“He’s gonna do another strip tease.
Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion?”
I still remember seeing “Trainspotting” in a back alley theatre that I found in Toronto, I think I paid for the ticket with coupons from microwave popping corn or maybe it was trash bags! Too long ago to remember, I recall enjoying the movie, despite the fact that I was the only one in the entire theatre. I had a strange knack for finding empty shows when I was in the city; I seem to recall seeing “Strange Days” all by myself as well!
Hmmm, I guess I’ve been going to the “wrong” parties, oh, wait a minute, I don’t go to parties, I’m anti-social! What a dilemma! (LOL)
LOL! If it's any consolation, I don't go to many parties either ;p I used to when I lived in Toronto and Montreal, but now that I'm on the Island, I don't because: A) I'm still relatively new and the only people I see (on a not so regular basis even) are my parents, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law and her family, B) We live on a farm and because Hubby and I always have heaps of work to do, we almost never venture out. Quite frankly, I don't mind the kind of hermit-like lifestyle we've adopted. Sure, I'm a little too social to be described as a "Walden Pond, H.D. Thoreau" type, but I quite like the quiet lifestyle :) Less drama that way! LOL
You’re quite right! I used to think that I needed to live in a fast-paced city to have a good life. Then, somewhere along the line I realized that it was much nicer to live someplace quiet. It’s funny, having lived here my whole life and knowing so many people, I’m still down-right antisocial unless I’m on a computer call or doing a market with my jewelry, the life of misanthropic hermit suits me just fine! (LOL)
April 2008