Oh Jah Can't You See

Oh Jah Can't You See (1982)

Barrington Levy makes a supplication to God for liberation from oppressive powers as he mourns the persecution of his people by the wicked. He recalls the history of the oppressors and their hearts of greed, stripping the land and the People of the resources that would allow them to flourish. Essentially, he asks for God for mercy in the midst of their suffering. He also speaks on the sin of the oppressors—their deceitful, murderous, and evil ways, which cause unrest for the innocent. He ends the song with a plea for God to grant peace, sustenance, and deliverance from suffering, also asking God to bless those who are of God’s own heart, in God’s divine order.

References:

Psalm 91:8 https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Psalms-91-8/

In the song, Barrington calls to Ms. Murray, whom I believe to be Anna Pauline Murray (Pauli Murray, 1920-1985), an African-American civil rights activist, who was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus in Petersburg, Virginia, 15 years before Rosa Parks. She had also organized restaurant sit-ins in Washington, D.C. 20 years before the Greensboro sit-ins.

Pauli Murray: https://paulimurrayproject.org/pauli-murray/biography/ Timeline of her life: https://paulimurrayproject.org/pauli-murray/timeline/

Oh Jah Can’t You See was released on Barrington Levy’s ‘Time Capsule’ album. It was recorded in 1982 at Channel One studio in Jamaica but was shelved for nearly 15 years before resurfacing in 1996 by RAS Records.