I'm sorry to be really annoying, but Bob Marley was about MUCH MORE than just marijuana. It drives me nuts when people think he was some sort of drug legalization crusader. He was a Rastafarian prophet! Maybe that's part of what this song is about, but it's also about injustice. I always thought "every time I plant a seed, he say 'kill them before they grow'" meant that the sheriff or those in power were trying to destroy any ideas that he sowed, particularly about defending one's human rights.
I'm sorry to be really annoying, but Bob Marley was about MUCH MORE than just marijuana. It drives me nuts when people think he was some sort of drug legalization crusader. He was a Rastafarian prophet! Maybe that's part of what this song is about, but it's also about injustice. I always thought "every time I plant a seed, he say 'kill them before they grow'" meant that the sheriff or those in power were trying to destroy any ideas that he sowed, particularly about defending one's human rights.