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Bob Marley and the Wailers – Caution Lyrics 12 years ago
Nice Additional context! I always love knowing the life events that inspired a great song like this.

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Bob Marley and the Wailers – Caution Lyrics 12 years ago
Some of this will seem quite obvious, without stating:

This song is a warning about proceeding though life without a constant awareness of evil, and the conditions from whence it arises.

Here I am, walking down the street
(walk walk walk walk walk walk walk)
And the terrain, everything is so sweet
(woah woah woah sweet)
(woah woah woah sweet)
I'm doing my thing and I'm doing it slow

Marley, says I, but this "I" is also us, the listener. The song opens by setting the stage, for an individual travelling the road of life. This person find themselves taking their time, and everything seems to be a great vibe.

But there is just one thing I would like you to know, oh
(However, looks are deceiving, and everything is not just a hippie parade in the prairie.)

The WARNING!

When it wet it slippery yeah
When it dump it crumpy
If it's likely you will tumble down
Don't want you on the ground
Oh oh oh caution, the road is wet
Black soul is black as jet
Do you hear me
Caution the road is hot
You got to do better than that

Translation: When it rains it pours. If evil persists, you will likely get taken down by it. No one wants to see that happen, so try a little harder to have some self-discipline.

Hit me from the top
You crazy motherfunky
Hit me from the top
You crazy motherfunky
Hit me from the top
You crazy motherfunky

This could be a couple different things, but I think mostly this is a shout out to reggae music which literally hits at the "top" of the beat, as opposed to other rock styles. If this indeed the case, that this is a reggae refference, then it may also be possible the following lines:

If it's likely you were tumbling down
Don't want you on the ground (don't don't)

Could Bob be saying, "I don't want you to stop dancing." ? Indeed, let's keep these bodies dancing, and purging the negative effects of culture and society!

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