Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Oh, oh
Jah would never give the power to a bald head
Run come crucify the Dread
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but you living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you living in hell
Time alone, oh, time will tell
You think you are in heaven, but you living in hell
Back them up, oh, not the brothers
But the ones who set them up
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Time alone, oh, time will tell
You think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Mm-mm, mm-mm
Oh, ma
Oh, ma
Oh, ma children are cryin'
Oh, children, weep no more
Oh, ma sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree
All you have spoke
Oh, children, weep no more
Weep no more, children, weep no more
Jah would never give the power to a baldhead
Run come crucify the Dread
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Jah would never give the power to a bald head
Run come crucify the Dread
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but you living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you living in hell
Time alone, oh, time will tell
You think you are in heaven, but you living in hell
Back them up, oh, not the brothers
But the ones who set them up
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Time alone, oh, time will tell
You think you're in heaven, but you're living in hell
Mm-mm, mm-mm
Oh, ma
Oh, ma
Oh, ma children are cryin'
Oh, children, weep no more
Oh, ma sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree
All you have spoke
Oh, children, weep no more
Weep no more, children, weep no more
Jah would never give the power to a baldhead
Run come crucify the Dread
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
Time alone, oh, time will tell
Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell
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I think this song is definitely about materialism, and, to me, makes much more sense now that someone has said that it was written after someone tried to kill Bob Marley. The first line is saying that power will never go to Babylon/the Western society. The second line I think is a sarcastic threat, almost a challenge, saying yeah, sure come on and kill me or any of us, it won't help. He's trying to tell us that the life Westerners like myself live isn't heaven, like we think, and that sooner or later everything will come crashing down, and eventually will become hell.
@onomatopoeia <br /> <br /> This song from Bob Time will tell. Is about the 2 political parties Mike and Edward. Both are power parties in Jamaica. One of the assassins was from one of the political parties. They tried to kill Bob at his home. He describes how the ones who set them out. The one that called the order to kill Bob. Bob says to sum it up Jah is the Judge. Rastafarian
there are definitely lyrics missing from this and every other lyrics webpage for this song. listen to it right before the part "Oh children weep no more, Oh my sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree". the "oh children weep no more" is the end of a stanza right before the sycamore tree part, and he's definitely not just mumbling before that as one site said, can anyone hear it? one line sounds like "…to the ground" to me but the rest is muddled
@rokdrokd <br /> @whecks <br /> I'm looking for clarification on the missing lyrics too. To me, the part about the tree sounds like "Over by Sycamore tree, saw the free country. Jah will settle the score. Oh children weep no more." I've been loving Bob's music for 35 years and can't learn enough about it.
@rokdrokd Mmm, I honestly think Bob had various lyrics for this track, and in recording he may have shifted between such, sometimes on stage he sings different lyrics to what is recorded.<br /> <br /> "sold my(man) freedom 'round the world" - slave trade<br /> "sold man to the ground" - despair of being caught and sold<br /> "sold man take a man pride" - lost of pride<br /> "oh, children, weep no more" - younger ones stop crying<br /> "sold by sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree" - sold by sycamore tree, but analogy to Haile Selassie as a freedom tree.<br /> "saw you settle the score"<br />
I think this song is about materialism. You may have everything in the world but if you dont posses the key to happiness and salvation (in this case Jah), you may seem happy but time will tell. Also, the line, "Jah would never give the power to a baldheald" refers to the the eventual fall of babylon or western society as we know it. "Back them up, oh not the brothers/ But the ones, who set the up" is a refrence to Jah's interference in stoping the "baldhead" who enslaved or "set them up" from opressing the African race. "Oh children weep no more/Oh my sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree" refers to the freedom that they will be restored when the opression that plagues the African people is lifted with the fall of babylon.
In the 'Songs of Freedom' booklet it states this song was written in response to the attempt that was made on his life. Nothing about materialism...maybe looking a bit too deep into it.
"Back them up, oh not the brothers But the ones, who set them up"
this song was written about the Assasination attempt on his life in 76, "Back them up, oh not the brothers,But the ones, who set them up" "Thinking your in heaven but your living in hell" he's talking about the political involvement and the guiltiness they should be feeling.
"Oh children weep no more Oh my sycamore tree, saw the freedom tree"
before the assasins rushed in, Rita was putting her kids in the car when the gunshots burst Rita was hit in the head and the kids where crying, Bob was in the kitchen eating fruit when the gunmen rushed in an opened fire during that moment bob saw the sycamore tree and made a break for it .
R.I.P. Robert Nesta Marley
@Steppingrazor <br /> Amazing that it was a Sycamore. <br /> The sycamore symbolizes clarity.. and in the scripture I believe it means a clear and safe way to see the Lord. I might be paraphrasing. Still though, extremely cosmic and interesting it was a Sycamore. He saw things clearly.<br />
@Steppingrazor <br /> Amazing that it was a Sycamore. <br /> The sycamore symbolizes clarity.. and in the scripture I believe it means a clear and safe way to see the Lord. I might be paraphrasing. Still though, extremely cosmic and interesting it was a Sycamore. He saw things clearly.<br />
Yeah, there's a whole section missing...here and everywhere else. I think it goes like this (at least this is the way I sing it):
Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Saw my kid and my woman, thrown onto the ground. Saw them take my pride. Oh children weep no more. Oh my sycamore tree. Saw the freedom tree. Saw you settle the score. Oh, children weep no more. Weep no more. Children weep no more.
FWIW, I've heard live versions too where he includes other lyrics like: Saw you take my pride. Took them for a ride. Drove them for a ride. Saw Jah settle the score. Saw Jah open the door. Saw the open tree. Saw the open country.
Sorry "Saw my sycamore tree.", not "Oh my sycamore tree."
@whecks True, sometimes he freestyles it, he probably had many different versions throughout his lifetime.
I feel like the refrain that goes; 'Time alone, oh, time will tell Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell'
probably refers to those people who are content living in Babylon, the metaphorical Babylon that is. In time they'll see their mistake in living in ignorance as subjects of the capitalist system; reaping it's short lived rewards at the expense of other's freedom. Like a lot of his lyrics it's got a possible religious interpretation, but I really get a social political message from it too
Like he sings in Exodus; 'Open your eyes and look within: Are you satisfied with the life you're living? We know where we're going; We know where we're from. We're leaving Babylon'
i'll have to agree with ajk4 on this one. i think what bob is sayin is that time alone will show how "Babylon" was ultimately an evil influence on Planet Earth...that materialistic thinking will sooner or later become a thing of the past. go ron paul :)