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Midnight Passenger Lyrics
I stepped out on a celluloid night
that flickered on a black and white reel
looking for something that I could not explain
I could only feel
these were the songs upheld by the shades
that spoke to me as I left town
israelites, the harder they come, 56-47
I hear them now
and the words of the prophets never sounded
as good as the echo of a hard one drop
to be forever enslaved by the sound the creator made --
don't let it stop
come again, midnight passenger
there to accompany down
to the end of the souls lost avenue
feel it now
I kept walking in the dust all night
looking for a diamond in the crush
halfway under in bars like a ship that was going down -- or coming up
it was not the sun that stung,
but the feel of loss and the voice of suffering and fate
till I just stopped listening to the chatter of all those yesterdays -- crime pays
we will show up with all our secret problems
and if we can't find land
there's a tone written into soul songs that understands
we will be free
that flickered on a black and white reel
looking for something that I could not explain
I could only feel
these were the songs upheld by the shades
that spoke to me as I left town
israelites, the harder they come, 56-47
I hear them now
and the words of the prophets never sounded
as good as the echo of a hard one drop
to be forever enslaved by the sound the creator made --
don't let it stop
there to accompany down
to the end of the souls lost avenue
feel it now
looking for a diamond in the crush
halfway under in bars like a ship that was going down -- or coming up
it was not the sun that stung,
but the feel of loss and the voice of suffering and fate
till I just stopped listening to the chatter of all those yesterdays -- crime pays
and if we can't find land
there's a tone written into soul songs that understands
we will be free
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this is a master piece Jaysus it is an amazing song...I alway thought it was about music in general.
and the words of the prophets never sounded as good as the echo of a hard one drop
the one drop is the style the song is, the prophets is everyone he looked up to musically...maybe I am wrong
I just thought about this now, and I might be wrong but this song could actually be related to the time when Jesse tried to become a monk. What I can't figure out is if it about when he left his older life or the monk life; or both. Greatest Common Rider song in my opinion and a really really good tune in general.
And I think it's "54-47", not "56-47". Also should be "halfway under in bars like a ship that was sinking down" and "and even if we can't find land"
It's correst that Jesse sings 54-47. And it's an error he did in studio. You can say he forgot his own lyrics.
It's correst that Jesse sings 54-47. And it's an error he did in studio. You can say he forgot his own lyrics.
The correct lyrics is, as he has admitted, 54-46, refering to toots & the maytals.
The correct lyrics is, as he has admitted, 54-46, refering to toots & the maytals.
And the lyrics in itself is pretty straight forward. He's out. Tuning out, tuning in.
And the lyrics in itself is pretty straight forward. He's out. Tuning out, tuning in.
this is mostly (from what i can tell) an homage to some of the great reggae classics throughout the years
"Israelites" by Desmond Dekker "54-46 (That's My Number)" by Toots and the Maytals "The Harder they Come" by Jimmy Cliff
there might be more, i just haven't picked up on them