Know something about this song or lyrics?
Add it to our wiki.
We refuse to be
What you wanted us to be
We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be, if you don't know
You can't educate I
For no equal opportunity
Talking about my freedom
People freedom and liberty
Yeah, we've been trodding on
The winepress much too long
Rebel, Rebel
We've been trodding on the
Winepress much too long, Rebel
Babylon System is the Vampire
Sucking the children day by day
Me say the Babylon System is the Vampire
Sucking the blood of the sufferers
Building church and university
Deceiving the people continually
Me say them graduating thieves and murderers
Look out now
Sucking the blood of the sufferers
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth right now
Come on and tell the children the truth
(repeat)
'Cause we've been trodding on
The winepress much too long
Got to Rebel, Got to Rebel Now
We've been taken for granted
Much too long, Rebel
(repeat)
From the very day we left the shores
Of our father's land
We've been trampled on, oh now
Now we know everything we got to rebel
Somebody got to pay for the work
We've done, Rebel
What you wanted us to be
We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be, if you don't know
You can't educate I
For no equal opportunity
Talking about my freedom
People freedom and liberty
Yeah, we've been trodding on
The winepress much too long
Rebel, Rebel
We've been trodding on the
Winepress much too long, Rebel
Babylon System is the Vampire
Sucking the children day by day
Me say the Babylon System is the Vampire
Sucking the blood of the sufferers
Building church and university
Deceiving the people continually
Me say them graduating thieves and murderers
Look out now
Sucking the blood of the sufferers
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth right now
Come on and tell the children the truth
(repeat)
'Cause we've been trodding on
The winepress much too long
Got to Rebel, Got to Rebel Now
We've been taken for granted
Much too long, Rebel
(repeat)
From the very day we left the shores
Of our father's land
We've been trampled on, oh now
Now we know everything we got to rebel
Somebody got to pay for the work
We've done, Rebel
Lyrics submitted by uNifusE
Track duration: 04:22
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
In Rasta religion, Babylon is a reference to White Western culture as a whole taken from the Ethiopianism a lot of Rasta beliefs rest on. It has absolutely nothing to do with Hammurabi himself, though you are right in that he was a king of Babylon.
Rastas consider the whole structure of western (read: European and American) society as oppressive and responsible for centuries of exploitation of black people. Thus, they called that society and culture as a whole "New Babylon" in reference to the Biblical Babylon which was also fraught with injustice.
In any case, it's a beautiful song, and Marley was a beautiful human being.
what this song means to me: Marley is talking about how the civilizations took the Babylonian system of Hammurabi, with building schools and churches. The only things they're teaching those kids today is how to be greedy, selfish, competent, and OPPRESSOR! he's hating on the governments and oppressors that are hiding the facts that we should know, and showing us only the facts that they want us to know. that's y the first thing he says is:
We refuse to be
What you wanted us to be
We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be, if you don't know
You can't educate I
For no equal opportunity
Talking about my freedom
People freedom and liberty
come on people! OPEN UR GOD DAMN EYES! TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELVES NOW, AND TRY TO MAKE A CHANGE!
"DONT LET THEM FOOL YA! OR EVEN TRY TO SCHOOL YA!" - Bob Marley (Could You Be Loved).. School Yourselves and be what YOU want to be!
Thank you for looking at the messages of that legend, because this gives me a hope that good people like you do exist.
governments and oppressers taken the children forgranted to furfill their dreams.
forcing children into their system of rascism, thiefs and murders.
also refers africa to be our fathers land since near all religion came from africa!
politicions and goverments using religion to control people like bush for instance or the roman catholics.
governments and oppressers taken the children forgranted to furfill their dreams.
forcing children into their system of rascism, thiefs and murders.
also refers africa to be our fathers land since near all religion came from africa!
politicions and goverments using religion to control people like bush for instance or the roman catholics.
Building church and university
Deceiving the people continually
Me say them graduating thieves and murderers
Look out now
Sucking the blood of the sufferers
America's churches deceive people everyday...
Our business world(college grads) is filled with Thieves that make their money from middle-lower class people....
Our murder rates are higher than any other "peaceful" country on this earth....
Bob just wants us to:
Tell the children the truth-
"We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be"
I love those lines because it does not only apply to a group of people who are being oppressed. For me it just means that I can be whoever I want to be and nobody else should be able to change who I am.