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Forgive Them Father Lyrics
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us
Although them again we will never, never, never trust
Dem noh know weh dem do, dig out yuh yei while dem sticking like glue,
Fling, skin, grin while dem plotting fah you,
True, Ah Who???
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Beware the false motives of others
Be careful of those who pretend to be brothers
And you never suppose it's those who are closest to you, to you
They say all the right things to gain their position
Then use your kindness as their ammunition
To shoot you down in the name of ambition, they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Why every Indian wanna be the chief?
Feed a man 'til he's full and he still want beef
Give me grief, try to tief off my piece
Why for you to increase, I must decrease?
If I treat you kindly does it mean that I'm weak?
You hear me speak and think I won't take it to the streets
I know enough cats that don't turn the other cheek
But I try to keep it civilized like Menelik
And other African czars observing stars with war scars
Get yours in this capitalistic system
So many caught or got bought you can't list them
How you gonna idolize the missing?
To survive is to stay alive in the face of opposition
Even when they comin' gunnin'
I stand position
L's known the mission since conception
Let's free the people from deception
If you looking for the answers
Then you gotta ask the questions
And when I let go, my voice echoes through the ghetto
Sick of men trying to pull strings like Geppetto
Why black people always be the ones to settle
March through these streets like Soweto
Like Cain and Abel, Caesar and Brutus, Jesus and Judas,
Backstabbers do this
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
It took me a little while to discover
Wolves in sheep coats who pretend to be lovers
Men who lack conscience will even lie to themselves, to themselves
A friend once said, and I found to be true
That everyday people, they lie to God too
So what makes you think, that they won't lie to you
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them, forgive them
Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them, forgive them
Gwan like dem love while dem rip yuh to shreds,
Trample pon yuh heart and lef yuh fi dead,
Dem a yuh fren who yuh depen pon from way back when,
But if yuh gi dem yuh back den yuh mus meet yuh end,
Dem noh know wey dem do,
Dem no know, dem no know, dem no know,
Dem no know, dem no know wey dem do
I think the Soweto line is a comment about aparthied. She is saying that we (black people) should fight for our rights, instead of settling and being mistreated.
As for the song itself, I think that it is about forgiving those that use you for their own gain. It's about recognizing and not falling intot he trap those that clainm to be friends but actually are simply manipulating you for higher status.
This song is Lauryn's realization that there are people so self-interested that they will hurt anyone to improve their place in life. On the one hand, you want to hate these people, but Lauryn makes you realize that you shouldn't -- they're just naive or weak. Lauryn is both wise and supremelly compassionate because she chooses to ask for their forgiveness instead of wanting vengeance.
I think this song might have been inspired by Wyclef Jean. I know that Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Prakazrel (Pras) were the trio called The Fugees. They broke up because Lauryn and Wyclef are very independently-minded people. I've also heard though that Lauryn thought Wyclef was jealous of her fame -- that he thought Lauryn got all the credit for the Fugees. Whatever the case, each member of the group went their own way and I know Lauryn and Wyclef haven't collaborated since Wyclef's The Carnival, back in 1997.
@jpock
@jpock
Lauryn Hill was a deep individual with a lot to say about the world and you boil this song down a relationship? Lol. This song is about white supremacy and the permeating and mutating virus called racism.
Lauryn Hill was a deep individual with a lot to say about the world and you boil this song down a relationship? Lol. This song is about white supremacy and the permeating and mutating virus called racism.
listen to the melody line in this song, it's the same as in Bob Marley's Concrete Jungle. Fits perfectly, love this song
Nice, just posted the same under Concrete Jungle listing. Fits given she's married to Bob's kid!
Nice, just posted the same under Concrete Jungle listing. Fits given she's married to Bob's kid!
Ooh, take that back. Fathered five of Rohan's kids, but they are not married.
Ooh, take that back. Fathered five of Rohan's kids, but they are not married.
does anyone know what the line, "march through those streets like Soweto" means?
I dunno what the line means...but I know for sure that Soweto is a township in Johannesburg, South Africa.
this is what Jesus said during the passion after he was betrayed