 "He wanted everything at the same time and was everything at the same time: prophet, soul rebel, Rastaman, herbsman, wild man, natural mystic man, ladies man, island man, family man, Rita's man, soccer man, showman, shaman, human, Jamaican!" into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 1994
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Imagine. If Bob Marley were alive still, he would be celebrating his 59th birthday today. How time flies while we are not having fun. How could we? We live in a world drowning in the Babylonian shitstem Marley decried in song.
So much trouble in the world now
So much trouble in the world now ...You see men sailing on their ego trips
Blast off on their space ship
Million miles from reality
No care for you, no care for me
Thank Jah we still have his music to inspire us and keep us standing up against the evil and greed of the downpressors...
Forget your troubles and dance.
Forget your sorrow and dance.
Forget your sickness and dance.
Forget your weakness and dance.
Cost of living get so high,
Rich and poor, they start a cry.
Now the weak must get strong.
They say, "Oh, what a tribulation."
Woe to the downpressors; they eat the bread of sorrow
Woe to the downpressorsl they eat the bread of sad tomorrow...
Twenty-three years after Marley went home to Zion, he still is heralded by many as a voice for the sufferers, for the poor, for those maligned by the majority. As the Jamaica Observer notes, even Babylon has embraced the Tuff Gong — to an extent:
Marley used his music to spread his message of social development and religion. He ended up being respected as a musical prophet and 23 years after his death he remains an icon of rebellion.
Article comments
1 - Tom
We should consider ourselves lucky he drank that Pepsi and bought the guitar instead of a Coke and an accordian.
2 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Nat! Beautiful, informative and evocative - like thetrue greats, Bob only grows over time.
3 - Al Barger
Was Bob Marley a Magical Negro, like John Coffey in The Green Mile or something? You and Bono et al are piling a lot of cheap sociological crap onto the man's outstanding actual MUSICAL achievement.
4 - Eric Olsen
I think he was more like a Magical Person, and sociology is certainly part of his story.
5 - Al Barger
Yeah, but the sociology is a BAD part of the "story" rather than a significant item of his actual accomplishments. He was not in any significant since a political leader or thinker, for one thing. He was an outstanding MUSICIAN- which I would generally rate as a higher achievement.
The sociology stuff only ultimately takes away from his legitimate reputation for achievement.
It's as if it were not enough to say that he was one of the greatest musicians of modern times. No, he has to be cast as some kind of cheap Jesus figure.
He WAS an outstanding musician. He was NOT Moses. Trying to shoehorn that into it only tends to dilute his real achievements.
6 - Natalie Davis
Thanks, Eric.
7 - Natalie Davis
Tom, I had to think about yours for a bit before the meaning became clear -- and left me laughing. Color me Edith Bunker: Ohhhhhh...
8 - Al Barger
I'm imagining the accordian version of "I Shot the Sheriff." Oy.
Miss Natalie, the image of you doing Edith Bunker is most charming.