This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Ey!
This morning I woke up in a curfew
Oh God, I was a prisoner, too
Could not recognize the faces standing over me
All dressed in uniforms of brutality
How many rivers do we have to cross
Before we can talk to the boss?
I'm saying, all we got, it seems we have lost
We must have really paid the cost
That's why we gonna be burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
We're burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
Burnin' all pollution tonight
Oh, we're burnin' all illusion tonight
Ey!
Oh, give me the food and let me grow
Let the Roots Man take the gold
I say, 'cause all them drugs gonna make you slow, now
It's not the music from the ghetto
Eh!
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight, lord, lord, lord, lord
Eh! (weeping and a-wailin' tonight)
Oh, (weeping and a-wailin' tonight) yeah!
How many rivers
How many rivers
Do we have to cross?
Talk to the boss
And one more, if all we got, we have lost
What I mean yeah, we must have really paid the cost
That's why we gonna be (burnin' and a-lootin' tonight)
Burning and a-lootin'
(Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight) lord, oh, lord, oh, lord, oh, lord
Burnin' all pollution tonight
(Burnin' all illusion tonight) eh!
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight)
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight) lord, oh, lord, oh, lord, oh, lord
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight) who can stop the tears tonight?
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight) so, pretty no, no tears tonight, eh!
This morning I woke up in a curfew
Oh God, I was a prisoner, too
Could not recognize the faces standing over me
All dressed in uniforms of brutality
How many rivers do we have to cross
Before we can talk to the boss?
I'm saying, all we got, it seems we have lost
We must have really paid the cost
That's why we gonna be burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
We're burnin' and a-lootin' tonight
Burnin' all pollution tonight
Oh, we're burnin' all illusion tonight
Ey!
Oh, give me the food and let me grow
Let the Roots Man take the gold
I say, 'cause all them drugs gonna make you slow, now
It's not the music from the ghetto
Eh!
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight
Weeping and a-wailin' tonight, lord, lord, lord, lord
Eh! (weeping and a-wailin' tonight)
Oh, (weeping and a-wailin' tonight) yeah!
How many rivers
How many rivers
Do we have to cross?
Talk to the boss
And one more, if all we got, we have lost
What I mean yeah, we must have really paid the cost
That's why we gonna be (burnin' and a-lootin' tonight)
Burning and a-lootin'
(Burnin' and a-lootin' tonight) lord, oh, lord, oh, lord, oh, lord
Burnin' all pollution tonight
(Burnin' all illusion tonight) eh!
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight)
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight) lord, oh, lord, oh, lord, oh, lord
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight) who can stop the tears tonight?
(Weeping and a-wailin' tonight) so, pretty no, no tears tonight, eh!
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Burnin' & Lootin' Lyrics as written by Bob Marley
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Preaty much the last post are correct, it show the suffering of a looter in Jamaica that has woken up in jail and reminisces about shit he did, he pledges to looting and burning for freedom. And the movie "La Haine" is pretty much a perspective on the track, its a French movie but subtitles help, it shows weed and looting just like the track.
this is an amazing song that shows the abuse and suffering of the people in the ghetto in jamaican
My favorite song from The Wailers, the starting song of the movie "La Haine"
South Afrikan animal's anthem as they destroy their own infrastructure and supply-lines for their Marxist overlords due to poor impulse control.
Give me the food and let me grow; Let the Roots Man take a blow. All them drugs gonna make you slow now; It's not the music of the ghetto. Eh! wow that is all about weed. he wouldve had such a bteer image if he ditn smoke so much grass
It's not all about weed.<br /> "Give me the food and let me grow" is literally about food.<br /> "Let the Roots Man take a blow." yeah, talking about ganj there.<br /> "All them drugs gonna make you slow now" Here he's talking about processed drugs. Stuff like heroin and cocaine and also prescription drugs, which as a rasta he considered to be poison and blasphemous to use.<br /> As a naturally growing herb, he wouldn't describe weed as a drug; in fact it's considered to be an important tool for the contemplation of God.<br /> (I'm not an expert on Rastafari, but i think that's right.)
uh he's mostly talkin about breaking down and destroyin the system that enslaves. azkm is right the song is probably talkin about getting rid of processed drugs, they're evil. But weed is used to open the mind and receive spiritual wisdom so its good
bobmarley4ever im not sure if you like marley or not but h didnt smoke herb for people to look at him as cool or a rebel..he smoked it because it was part of his religion. he was a devout rastafarian and if rastafarian requierd its followers to not use herb he would have done it without a second though..that being said, if marley had not used herb he would not be the marley as he is known today..a great musician, symbol of peace,historical figure, and most of all a prophet and enlightenment for not just jamaicans but for african descendants across the world<br /> Marley is truth<br />