This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
United we stand and divided we fall
Black man know yourself before your back is against the wall
Ah soh yuh stay
Yuh ongle ah tink one way
But I'm not a one way DJ
Coin two side, get that?
Hear dis
Shabba Rankin', reggae people's callin' out
People from east, west, north and south
Say, I'm the MC with the nasty mouth
Dem feel like is pure slackness alone I can talk about
I know me Roots and Culture
Who is the route Robert Nesta?
And Bunny Wailer follow after
It is music, mi charge for
Look how deh world noh stop suffer
What have black people under pressure
Some talk dis and some talk dat
Say everything from Shabba mouth is slack
I love roots and reality straight to the max
Because I'm a article oil abash
I love me Roots and Culture
To teach all deh youngster
Honor your mother and father
So dat yuh days will be longer
Some talk dat and some talk dis
Nuff ah dem ah fight 'gainst slackness lyrics
You have to please, John Public
When you're dealin' with deh, Reggae music
Shabba Rankin', you a murder
And it is music you charge for
Want to be a musical ambassador
Ah goin' teach all yeh youngster
Here dis
Some of dem ah bawl how dem want culture
And some of dem waah people be vulgar
I rather to stick to I culture
Than to be a dirty character
I love me Roots and Culture
I goin' teach all yeh youngster
It's a new page the Ranks turn over
Teach 'em just like a teacher
Make them listen to me like a pastor
Woy yo
Shabba Rankin', reggae people callin' out
People from east, west, north, and south
Say I'm deh MC with deh nasty mouth
Dem feel like is pure slackness alone I can talk about
Know me Roots and Culture
See how black people a suffer
It's what have black people under pressure
Just because we don't stick together
Woy yo
United we stand and divided we fall
Black man know yourself before your back is against the wall
Ten time rise, and ten time fall
Oh, Shabba is stronger then deh great China wall
Know me Roots and Culture
Is a new page me turn over
Mek up mi mind to teach the youngster
Teach the youth dem like a teacher
Make dem listen to the Ranks like a pastor
Some talk dis and some talk dat
Say everyting from me mouth is slack
I love roots and reality straight to the max
Me can't understan' how, black can kill black
I know me Roots and Culture
Who is the root Robert Nesta?
And Bunny Wailer follow after
What about Jacob and Peter
Jimmy the Pioneer in Jamaica
Know about your Roots and yuh Culture
Else you will fade out forever
Live good in your neighborhood
Live good and live good as you should
Shabba Rankin', you a murder
It is music me charge for
Some talk dis and some talk dat
Say everyting from Shabba mouth is slack
I love roots and reality straight from the max
Because I am a article oil abash
Ah, love me Roots and Culture
It's a new page I turn over
Teach the youth dem like a teacher
Make dem listen to the Ranks like a pastor
Come now
See, you just
Jump aroun' if you love culture
You love culture you ah goh free Mandela
Come now
Wine up yuh line if yuh love culture
Tell Shabba to stop being vulgar
Change up mi style and ah change mi order
Have the lyrics now to teach the youngster
Black man know yourself before your back is against the wall
Ah soh yuh stay
Yuh ongle ah tink one way
But I'm not a one way DJ
Coin two side, get that?
Hear dis
Shabba Rankin', reggae people's callin' out
People from east, west, north and south
Say, I'm the MC with the nasty mouth
Dem feel like is pure slackness alone I can talk about
I know me Roots and Culture
Who is the route Robert Nesta?
And Bunny Wailer follow after
It is music, mi charge for
Look how deh world noh stop suffer
What have black people under pressure
Some talk dis and some talk dat
Say everything from Shabba mouth is slack
I love roots and reality straight to the max
Because I'm a article oil abash
I love me Roots and Culture
To teach all deh youngster
Honor your mother and father
So dat yuh days will be longer
Some talk dat and some talk dis
Nuff ah dem ah fight 'gainst slackness lyrics
You have to please, John Public
When you're dealin' with deh, Reggae music
Shabba Rankin', you a murder
And it is music you charge for
Want to be a musical ambassador
Ah goin' teach all yeh youngster
Here dis
Some of dem ah bawl how dem want culture
And some of dem waah people be vulgar
I rather to stick to I culture
Than to be a dirty character
I love me Roots and Culture
I goin' teach all yeh youngster
It's a new page the Ranks turn over
Teach 'em just like a teacher
Make them listen to me like a pastor
Woy yo
Shabba Rankin', reggae people callin' out
People from east, west, north, and south
Say I'm deh MC with deh nasty mouth
Dem feel like is pure slackness alone I can talk about
Know me Roots and Culture
See how black people a suffer
It's what have black people under pressure
Just because we don't stick together
Woy yo
United we stand and divided we fall
Black man know yourself before your back is against the wall
Ten time rise, and ten time fall
Oh, Shabba is stronger then deh great China wall
Know me Roots and Culture
Is a new page me turn over
Mek up mi mind to teach the youngster
Teach the youth dem like a teacher
Make dem listen to the Ranks like a pastor
Some talk dis and some talk dat
Say everyting from me mouth is slack
I love roots and reality straight to the max
Me can't understan' how, black can kill black
I know me Roots and Culture
Who is the root Robert Nesta?
And Bunny Wailer follow after
What about Jacob and Peter
Jimmy the Pioneer in Jamaica
Know about your Roots and yuh Culture
Else you will fade out forever
Live good in your neighborhood
Live good and live good as you should
Shabba Rankin', you a murder
It is music me charge for
Some talk dis and some talk dat
Say everyting from Shabba mouth is slack
I love roots and reality straight from the max
Because I am a article oil abash
Ah, love me Roots and Culture
It's a new page I turn over
Teach the youth dem like a teacher
Make dem listen to the Ranks like a pastor
Come now
See, you just
Jump aroun' if you love culture
You love culture you ah goh free Mandela
Come now
Wine up yuh line if yuh love culture
Tell Shabba to stop being vulgar
Change up mi style and ah change mi order
Have the lyrics now to teach the youngster
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Roots and Culture Lyrics as written by Winston Riley Rexton Gordon
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.