No woman no cry
no woman no cry
no woman no cry
no woman no cry
Say I remember when we used to sit
in the government yard in Trenchtown
Ob- observing all the hypocrites
as they'd mingle with the good people we met
Good friends we had and good friends we lost
along the way
in this bright future
you can forget your past
so dry your tears I say.
no woman no cry
no woman no cry

Hey little darling don't shed no tears
no woman no cry
I remember when we used to sit
in the government yard in Trenchtown
and then georgie would make a fire light
as it was love wood burning through the night
and we would cook wholemeal porridge
of which I'd share with you
my feet is my only carriage
so I've got to push on through
but while I'm gone (I mean it)
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
ev'rything's gonna be alright
No woman no cry
No woman no cry
Oh my little sister don't shed no tears
no woman no cry



Lyrics submitted by kevin

Track duration: 07:08


No Woman No Cry song meanings
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121 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:That is all some women need to hear from the man that they love and that he loves her. Great song. :)
    Flag redshiftdazzleron July 22, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Bob Marley is singing to his best friend, the woman he loves. He is singing about all the good and bad times he has had with her. He is asking her to be strong and not to cry, to keep her head up, for everything's gonna be alright.
    Flag brazilianMikeon May 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Probably it's wrong but when I listen to it I always think that this song is about these persons who have increase their conditions, and there's this woman that sometimes cry thinking about her past, and he says "everything is gonna be alright" because thing are better now...Anyway the part of Geogie seems to mean that, instead of their changes, their are still the same persons...I don't know, it's just what I think
    Flag Scaramouche75on May 24, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song for me is about strength. Everybody keeps talking about the lyric where he says everythings gonna be alright, which means something and is important but what about where he says in this bright future you can't forget your past? To me this means that everything that has happend in your past wether it's good, bad, or ugly, wether you are ashamed of it or very proud, it makes you who you are today and makes you who you are in your future. To be strong in your beliefs and who you are and yes that everything is gonna be alright!
    Flag jessieni22on November 06, 2011   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:"No woman, no cry" means "no, woman, don't cry". It's jamaican english therefore it can be quite easy to mininterpret
    Flagged blerpdon February 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The song is a message to an impoverished woman of Kingston. Bob Marley is telling a fairy tale, the story of life in ghettoes in Trenchtown, “the government yard” consisted of small houses built by the Jamaican government in the 1940’s. As with all fairy tales, the ending of this story will be a good one. “In this bright future” tells of the change that will happen, that eventually, people and society will rise above the hungry life of the ghetto, and will leave the past behind. “Everything’s gonna be alright” is telling the woman that one day, things will change, to not worry. Life will get better.

    Feet in Buddhism, or pada, as is the word in Sanskrit, as played an important part in Theravada, and hence its holy text is called the Dhammapada or the Path(as in walking) of Truth. Buddhism is the belief that one can rise over sorrow and hunger, that one can reach Nirvana, the mental state above suffering. Mahayana, another denomination of Buddhism, literally meaning “great vehicle” or “great carriage” in Sanskrit. Bob Marley’s lyrics , though he was not a Buddhist, could be seen as him saying that his feet, his soul, as he is in the ghetto and does not have a fancy carriage or car, are his only way to surpass and overcome the state of sorrow in the ghetto and go down the path of salvation, “so I've got to push on through”, which shows his dedication to rise above the ghetto, despite hardship.
    Flag JustifyTheEndon December 26, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation: After really getting into the lyrics I realized that it wasn't some "I'm fine being single" song, but it was actually meaning to say "no woman don't cry" - Jamaican dialect as I've learnt from the other comments.
    Overall I think its about how the government is in a world of its own sometimes, forgetting about the people who are really in need. However Marley brings out a feeling of how life is still wholesome and good despite this ignorance, there is such a warm feeling of a bond between friends and family.
    Flagged dylanmikelrdon September 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I think I means past friend cries because of the hardships in Trechtown.
    Smile back in past and remember the good times, not only the bad :)
    Flag echoboyon July 12, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Its about being poor and living with nothing. Some of the women were crying and upset and Bob's saying "No woman, don't cry, everything's going to be alright"

    Rumour is that he changed the song credits of the song to one of his good friend's name who ran a soup kitchen, enabling the man to keep running the soup kitchen for years more (helping feed the poor). This makes the song even more powerful.

    Great man, great song
    Flag originlon May 19, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Wow Bob Marley is an artist unlike any other, the words of his songs are moving and inspirational, I think the world would be a better place if we could all learn to live even the simplist of his lyrics, I am a huge fan my husband and our four children ranging from 1-12 in age are fans and run around singing Marley tunes all the time, lol! A wonderful artist:)
    Flag joel4justathoughton February 25, 2010   Link

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