4 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Downpresser Man Lyrics
Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
(3x)
All along that day
(CHORUS)
You gonna run to the sea
But the sea will be boiling
When you run to the sea
The sea will be boiling(2x)
All along that day
You gonna run to the rocks
The rocks will be melting
When you run to the rocks
The rocks will be melitng(2x)
All that day
So I said
CHORUS
You drink your big champagne and laugh(3x)
All along that day
I wouldn't like to be a flea
Under your collar man
(3x)
All along that day
You can run but you can't hide(3x)
Telling you all along that day
You gonna run to the Lord
Beggin' to hide you
(2x)
You gonna run to Jah
Beggin' to hide you
All, all along that day
And I said Downpresser Man
Where you gonna run to
Where you gonna run to Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
I said all along
All along, along that day Downpresser man(4x)
Wait, Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
Downpresser man
I don't know where you gonna run to
All along that day
Downpresser man
You can't run, you can't bribe Jah-Jah
Can't call him in a bar
Fe can drink some
Devil soup
Can't bribe him to run a car now
Can't test him faith
Downpresser man(5x)
Where you gonna run to
Downpresser man
You can't bribe no one
Them no want no money
Them run'f money
That money get funny
Downpresser Man...
Where you gonna run to
(3x)
All along that day
(CHORUS)
But the sea will be boiling
When you run to the sea
The sea will be boiling(2x)
All along that day
The rocks will be melting
The rocks will be melitng(2x)
All that day
CHORUS
All along that day
Under your collar man
(3x)
All along that day
Telling you all along that day
Beggin' to hide you
(2x)
You gonna run to Jah
Beggin' to hide you
All, all along that day
Where you gonna run to Downpresser man
Where you gonna run to
I said all along
All along, along that day Downpresser man(4x)
Where you gonna run to
Downpresser man
I don't know where you gonna run to
All along that day
You can't run, you can't bribe Jah-Jah
Can't call him in a bar
Fe can drink some
Devil soup
Can't bribe him to run a car now
Can't test him faith
Downpresser man(5x)
Where you gonna run to
You can't bribe no one
Them no want no money
Them run'f money
That money get funny
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
To me, his greatest version is: Equal Rights/Downpressor Man (Live) on the The Best Of Peter Tosh 1978-1987 album.
This song to me could be interpreted a number of ways. Definitely sounds first to be about the landowners/politicians of Jamaica. Their shenanigans will eventually be exposed.
All in all a great song. Even better in the live version!
[Edit: correction 2]
This is about the corrupt politicians and landowners of jamaica who were in the minority compared to the poor and hungry. It means that their greed and crimes against the common man will eventually catch up with them, whether it will be an uprising of the majority oppressed or from god on their judgement day.
Also, in my opinion, his greatest song.
I don't disagree with other comments about how this relates to Jamaican politics.
I see this as a very religious song. When he says, "You gonna run to the lord, beggin him to hide you" I think of a bad man, who's met his maker. When a bad person is about to be killed, he's going to shout out "Please God no!" or "Please God help me!" So Tosh is saying, if you're going to embrace God when things are at their worst, why not embrace God now?
It's not about only bad man getting killed. Where you gonna run to? It could be anyone who's looking for help...they run to the sea and it's boiling - no help there. No where do you turn?
So anyone who's having a tough time, anyone who's looking for help, anyone who's not happy...eventually, they will turn to someone else, and when those people and resources run out...where you gonna run to? You gonna run to Jah, that's where. So why wait?