Small Axe

Palisteve.... FYI when Bob says master he is speaking of the Lord. Its actually scripture that he is sing in the part if the song that says "These are the words

Of my master, tellin' me that No weak heart Shall prosper And whosoever diggeth a pit Shall fall in it, uh, bury in it And whosoever diggeth a pit Shall bury in it, uh (... bury in it)"

I like hearing everyones thouhts though its fun :) Peace and love Unity

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley">Marley</a> actually died from cancer. U-Roy does a great dubbed-out version of this song as well.

hungdaddy has done well i think to identify that it refers to the rival recording studios as well as the 'bigger picture' of government etc. I think the wailers would like this because it shows they were just people like us with real problems big and small.(government and local rivals).it gives us, the ordinary people who are not revolutionaries sitting at home on our PCs, inspiration to realise that you have to start small to achieve big, ya dig?

i've been 2 mount zion and ther was no mantion of bob dying from g.s.w he died of skin cancer in his foot.

it was treatable by amputation but bob didnt want 2 go on stage with a leg off so he left it 2 fester and tragically it finaaly killed him after a lot of pain and suffering

Bob didn't have his toe amputated because he believed in the rastafarian principle that the body must be "whole". A bit different from losing his leg neilybuck!

Record producers/labels in Jamaica have traditionally been controlling, paying artists one time for their songs and retaining all rights etc. When this song was written 3 major record companies controlled the industry in Jamaica, so if you were an aspiring artist, if you dd not record for them your record wouldn't get airplay or distribution (watch the Jimmy Cliff film "The harder they come")

These 3 record companies were so sure of themselves that they actually joined forced and put out albums as "Big T'ree Records". The arrogance of this caused the wailers to do this song.

Although it can be interpreted as David overcoming Goliath in almost any situation, 'Small Axe' like much of Marley's music (and Jamaican music as a whole) is social commentary on what was going on and important at that time. Actually the majority of Jamaican music has more specific social meanings and its quite interesting hearing them again after you realize whats really being said.

This is a fantastic, classic song that can only be considered modern poetry.

The "big tree" is the Jamaicsn government. Marley was very politically charged, and many of his songs contain not-so-veiled metaphors for the poverty and oppression in Jamaica in the 70s.

The "small axe" is the people, which Marley claims will rise up and take down the "big tree" that is the government. While that would eventually happen, Marley wouldn't live to see it, having been shot in his home in 1976 and dying from evenutal complications from that injury 5 years later.

this is what i tell to my friends when they tell me i can't change the world. system is a big tree, but i'm well sharp

I'm not sure, but it seems to me that the people are the big tree, and the master is the one who sharpens the axe to cut it down (using violence against a specific few).

On the other hand, the same master also digs a pit.

amazing song... deeply poetic and heavy with meaning.

For a great cover (almost religious sounding indie electro) see the Gilchrist, Oakes & Nash version: www.myspace.com/gilchristoakesnash

it's how i was introduced to the song - very different!