I Wayne was raised by his aunt and her husband Ansell Collins, a renowned keyboard player. This young artist has been refining his craft since age seven. Coming from a musical family, I Wayne had first made his venture into performance as a student at Greater Portmore High School, joining a local group Vibes Machine. The group, consisting of singers and DJs, used to perform at afterwork parties at popular clubs like Cactus and Asylum. One night, the artiste was forced to perform alone due to the fact that his bandmates were running extremely late. The response was tremendous, and I Wayne was motivated to perfect his solo act.
In the Summer of 2004, Wayne released Can't Satisfy Her, in the new wave of reggae. The track was reportedly the first roots reggae song to be added to the playlist of Hot 97, the influential hip-hop radio station in New York City.
In November of 2004, I Wayne signed a record deal with VP Records to release his debut album, Lava Ground. Lava Ground was praised for returning to reggae's "essential roots" in contrast to popular reggae artists who induce listeners to "dance and groove to their carefree music".
I Wayne’s first week sales from his sophmore album Book of Life (Nov. 6, 2007) walked him straight to the top of the Billboard charts at the #4 spot in the reggae category.
Living In Love
I Wayne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love to see my people living in love
I hate to see them fighting & swimming in blood
Nuff neglect the farming, the scorning the mud
Yet they want to be the first to reap the fruit as it bud (OH!)
They fill the earth with prison, church, and whore house
Love the rum bar, yet them hate the pure house
Dem take the microchip and now a wrath a pour out
Less food, more drought and more mouth (oh)
[Chorus]
Rasta tell dem all the while
Stop war and go till the soil
Stop fighting for land and oil
Fi di coil so many go defile
Slave master spit inna dem face dem tek dat wit a smile
Di banks of the nile so mild and so fertile acres more than a zillion mile
People acting vile pick up cannibal style
Wah devour mama, papa, and child, (oh)
[2nd verse]
Sew life seed it and mek it buss
Dem sey dem ting dem tek too long fi grow and start to cuss har
I couldn't trust some of those as how I trust her
Such is life, dem say ah just her
I see Cassia Heights weh dem call di squater land
Some sey fi government, some sey fi Mathalon
Still no wan share although dem got a lot ah land
Dem wan fi turn a gun range and shotta land.
[Chorus]
Rasta tell dem all the while
Stop war and go till the soil
Stop fighting for land and oil
Fi di coil so many go defile
Slave master spit inna dem face dem tek dat wit a smile
The banks of the nile so mild & so fertile acres more than ah zillion mile
The people acting vile pick up cannibal style
Wah devour mama, papa, and child
[3rd verse]
Politician ah talk certain tings dem nah mention
Sey ah drugs and gun people tax money spend pon
Come wit plastic smile & dem wicked intention
Inna ya hand, a where dem put dem evil invention
Turn gun model seeking attention
See it deh now ya dead and it is no redemption
Parents ah wonder where to get the first cent from
To bury the dirt dem not even got pension
[Chorus]
Rasta tell dem all the while
Stop war and go til the soil
Stop fighting for land and oil
Fi di coil so many go defile
Slave master spit inna dem face dem tek dat wit a smile
Di banks of the nile so mild and so fertile acres more than ah zillion mile
The people acting vile pick up cannibal style
Wah devour mama, papa, and child
[Rpt 1st verse]
I love to see my people living in love.
I hate to see them fighting and swimming in blood.
Nuff neglect the farming, scorning the mud.
Yet they want to be the first to pick the fruit as it bud (oh)
They turn the earth inna prison, church, and whore house
Love the rum bar, yet they hate the pure house
Dem take the micro chip and now a wrath a pour out
Less food, more mouth and more drought
[Chorus]
Rasta tell dem all the while
Stop war and go till the soil
Stop fighting for land and oil
Fi the coil so many go defile
Slave master spit inna dem face dem tek dat wit a smile
Da banks of the nile so mild and so fertile measures more than ah zillion mile
People acting vile, dem pick up cannibal style
Wah devour mama, papa, and child
I Wayne's "Living in Love" is a reggae song that speaks about the importance of love and peace in society. The first verse highlights the contrast between love and violence, showcasing the singer's dislike for seeing people fight and shed blood. He mentions how people often neglect farming, yet still want to reap the fruit when it's ripe. The verse further highlights how people fill the earth with negative things like prison, church, and brothels, while still loving the rum bar and other vices. The singer warns against taking the microchip, which he associates with increased drought and hunger.
The chorus reinforces the message of the song, urging people to stop fighting for land and oil and instead focus on tilling the soil. The bridge paints a picture of a society that has become cannibalistic, with people devouring their own kind. The third verse highlights how politicians neglect the real issues affecting society such as drugs and guns, using taxpayers' money for their wicked intentions.
Overall, the song urges listeners to practice love, care for the land, and reject violence and greed, as these lead to the destruction of society. I Wayne further warns against becoming complacent and focusing on vices instead of cultivating the land and producing food.
Line by Line Meaning
I love to see my people living in love.
I feel great happiness when my fellow citizens treat each other with kindness and respect.
I hate to see them fighting and swimming in blood.
I feel great sadness and anger when my fellow citizens fight and hurt each other.
Nuff neglect the farming, scorning the mud.
Many people don't want to put in the hard work to grow crops and instead look down on the task.
Yet they want to be the first to pick the fruit as it bud (oh)
Despite not wanting to work hard to grow the crops, they still desire the rewards at the earliest stage of the process.
They turn the earth inna prison, church, and whore house
They have created a society where people are imprisoned, prey on each other in the name of religion, and exploit each other sexually.
Love the rum bar, yet they hate the pure house
They enjoy drinking in bars, but have disdain for places of spiritual purity.
Dem take the micro chip and now a wrath a pour out
By embracing technology, we have brought about great destruction and chaos.
Less food, more mouth and more drought
We are experiencing shortages of food due to overpopulation and poor farming practices.
Stop war and go till the soil
Stop fighting and instead focus on farming.
Stop fighting for land and oil
Stop battling over ownership of land and resources.
Fi the coil so many go defile
By fighting over resources, we are destroying the very things we need to survive.
Slave master spit inna dem face dem tek dat wit a smile
The people in power continue to demean and subjugate the powerless, who respond with submission disguised as a smile.
Da banks of the nile so mild and so fertile measures more than ah zillion mile
The Nile river valley is incredibly fruitful and productive.
People acting vile, dem pick up cannibal style
Our behaviors towards each other have become vicious and self-destructive, resembling cannibalism.
Wah devour mama, papa, and child
We are figuratively tearing apart our families and communities.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLIFFROY PAUL TAYLOR, NICHOLAS LISTRANI, STEPHEN C. GIBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind