Blair grew up in rural Clarks Town in the northwestern parish of Trelawny. His deeply religious family life (his mother was a Seventh-day Adventist and his grandmother a Revivalist) imbued him with a profound spirituality. During his youth, his favorite singers were reggae legends Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer, musicians who strongly influenced his own style. Peter Tosh's influence can definitely be heard in Anthony B's vocal delivery and revolutionary stance.
Anthony B adopted Rastafarian beliefs as a teenager, a decision which was not well-received by his family. The stubborn and determined Anthony B refused to give up his new religion and his dreadlocks and moved to the home of his aunt and uncle in the Kingston suburb, Portmore.
While attending high school, Anthony B debuted as a deejay for the local sound system, Shaggy Hi-Power. In 1988, he befriended reggae artists such as Determine, Mega Banton, Ricky General and Terror Fabulous.
At this point in the reggae industry, singing "slack" songs about women was the popular thing to do. Anthony B did not believe in degrading women and chose to pen politically-slanted songs rather than so-called "gyal chunes." He hooked up with Little Devon the Half Pint sound-a-like singer he made his debut single "The Living is Hard" on the Wizard label in 1993. Anthony B tried many different producers but found that none of them fit his style of music. Finally, Anthony B teamed up with Richard "Bello" Bell, creating hits such as Fire Pon Rome, Raid Di Barn, Rumour, and Repentance Time. Anthony B's 1996 debut album Real Revolutionary was highly acclaimed in the reggae community. In late 1997, Anthony B released Universal Struggle which showed that Anthony B had a consistent, high-calibre talent. Anthony B has released a large number of albums since that time including 1999's Seven Seals and 2004's Untouchable which featured collaborations with artists including Wyclef Jean.
Anthony B tours extensively in Europe and North America and is known for his fiery, high-energy performances.
Anthony B is a member of the Bobo Ashanti branch of the Rastafarian movement. "Bobo Dreads", as they are known, are recognizable by their long robes and turbans. The strong Afrocentric pride and the other Rastafarian beliefs (or "overstandings" as Rastafarians prefer to call them) which Anthony B holds are reflected in his songs.
Discography
* Predator & Prey (1996, Alpha Enterprises)
* Real Revolutionary / So Many Things (1996, Greensleeves)
* Universal Struggle (1997, VP Records)
* Seven Seals (1999, VP Records)
* That's Life (2001, VP Records)
* More Love (2001, AO ! Records)
* Live On The Battlefield (2002, Jahmin' Records)
* Reggae Max (2002, Jet Star)
* Street Knowledge (2003, Nocturne)
* Judgment Time (2003, 2B1 Records)
* Smoke Free (2003, Bogalusa Records)
* Voice Of Jamaica vol. 2 (2003, Nocturne)
* Wise Man Chant (2004, Black Scorpio)
* Justice Fight (2004, Nocturne)
* Untouchable (2004, Togetherness Records)
* Power Of Creation (2004, Nocturne)
* Black Star (2005, Greensleeves)
* My Hope (2005, AL.TA.FA.AN. / Minor 7 Flat 5)
Cold Feet
Anthony B Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who in spite of his young age and small size knew his mind
For every copper penny and clover he would find
Make a wish for better days the end of hard times
For no more cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
His clothes were always cleanHis face was always scrubbed
There was food on the table enough to fill him up
His house was full of life - His house was full of love
But when winter days arrived
There was never money enough to shod his cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He grew up to be a worker determined to succeed
He made a life for himself, free from worldly wants or needs
But with nobody to share the life he'd made
No body to keep him warm at night
When he'd go to sleep he'd sleep alone with his cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
One night he walked the street looking to the heaven's above
Searching for a shooting star a benevolent God
When a woman passing by brushed his arm
He turned and found love
He then wished for the courage to ask this stranger
Who she was to not have cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He thought she'd like the party life and want the finer things
So he promised more than he could buy
And he promised her the sun and moon to not have cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He worked day and night his fingers to the bone
Hi worried mind guilty conscience drive him on
He can't give her what she needs
He wants to give her what he thinks she wants
Her sad-eyed face, his empty pockets drive him on and his cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He'd struggled all his life to be an honest man
Proud that the dirt on his palms was the soil of the land
But some guys he knew from high school days
Said they had a plan to get rich quick
And they could count him in if he don't have cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He thought about their offer accepted it without qualms
Dreamt about the life he'd buy
The comfort that would come without cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He decided to tell his wife things would soon turn around
He said the little boy is dead
A man stands with you now without cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
Without cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
He thought he'd set his clock right, He though he'd read his watch
He left in such a hurry he didn't think to wish for luck
Makes no difference if you're early, No difference if you're late
When you're out of time, The flowers have been laid
You're six feet underground
With cold feet
Cold cold cold cold feet
The song "Cold Feet" by Anthony B tells the story of a young boy who wished for better days, especially for the end of hard times, to change his situation from always having cold feet. He grows up determined to succeed and makes a life for himself, free from worldly wants or needs but with nobody to share it with. He then meets a woman who he wishes to not have cold feet around but ends up promising her more than he could buy. He accepts an offer from some old acquaintances to get rich quick, but when he realizes he has made a grave mistake, he can't take it back, and he pays for it with his life.
The song is a poignant tale of the struggles of life and how we often find ourselves making choices that can negatively affect us in the long run. One could interpret the lyrics as being about the choices people make in life and the consequences that come with those choices. It speaks to the idea that the grass is not always greener on the other side and that we must make sure we are content with what we have before we chase after more.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a little boy once upon a time
Once there was a young boy.
Who in spite of his young age and small size knew his mind
Although he was young and small, he had a strong sense of self.
For every copper penny and clover he would find
He would make a wish for better days whenever he found a penny or a clover.
Make a wish for better days the end of hard times
He would hope for an end to difficult times.
For no more cold feet
So that he wouldn't have to suffer from cold feet anymore.
Cold cold cold cold feet
Reinforcing the idea that cold feet were a recurring problem.
His clothes were always clean
He took care to have clean clothes.
His face was always scrubbed
He made sure his face was clean.
There was food on the table enough to fill him up
He had enough food to satisfy his hunger.
His house was full of life - His house was full of love
His home was lively and full of warmth and love.
But when winter days arrived There was never money enough to shod his cold feet
However, when winter came around, there was never enough money to buy him shoes to keep his feet warm.
Cold cold cold cold feet
Emphasizing again how cold feet were a recurring issue in his life.
He grew up to be a worker determined to succeed
As he grew up, he was determined to succeed as a hard worker.
He made a life for himself, free from worldly wants or needs
He made a life that did not depend on material possessions or extravagant desires.
But with nobody to share the life he'd made No body to keep him warm at night When he'd go to sleep he'd sleep alone with his cold feet
Despite his success, he was alone with no one to share his life with and no one to warm him at night, still struggling with his cold feet.
Cold cold cold cold feet
Once again, emphasizing his recurring cold feet.
One night he walked the street looking to the heaven's above Searching for a shooting star a benevolent God
One night, he went outside to look for a shooting star or God in hopes of finding something to guide him.
When a woman passing by brushed his arm He turned and found love
As he was walking, a woman brushed his arm, and he turned around to see her, and he found love.
He then wished for the courage to ask this stranger Who she was to not have cold feet
He wished for the courage to ask this woman who she was and to not have cold feet holding him back from taking that step.
Cold cold cold cold feet
Reminding the listeners of the ongoing problem of his cold feet.
He thought she'd like the party life and want the finer things So he promised more than he could buy And he promised her the sun and moon to not have cold feet
Thinking of what she might want, he promised her more than he could deliver and promised her everything possible to not have cold feet hold him back from taking a chance at love.
He worked day and night his fingers to the bone Hi worried mind guilty conscience drive him on He can't give her what she needs He wants to give her what he thinks she wants Her sad-eyed face, his empty pockets drive him on and his cold feet
He worked hard to provide for her and was driven by guilt to give her what he thinks she wants, but he was unable to give her what she truly needs, and seeing her sad face and empty pockets only fueled his self-doubt and cold feet.
Cold cold cold cold feet
Reinforcing once more the recurring issue of cold feet in his life.
He'd struggled all his life to be an honest man Proud that the dirt on his palms was the soil of the land
He took pride in being an honest man who worked hard on the land.
But some guys he knew from high school days Said they had a plan to get rich quick And they could count him in if he don't have cold feet
However, some previous acquaintances presented him with a scheme to become wealthy quickly, and they wanted him to join in if he was brave enough to take the risk.
Cold cold cold cold feet
The ongoing problem of cold feet could have once again hindered him from taking the offered opportunity.
He thought about their offer accepted it without qualms Dreamt about the life he'd buy The comfort that would come without cold feet
He thought about the offer, accepted it, and dreamt of a life of comfort without cold feet, looking forward to future success.
He decided to tell his wife things would soon turn around He said the little boy is dead A man stands with you now without cold feet
Excited about his future and the potential of the opportunity, he decided to tell his wife that they would soon have success and that he was now a man standing with her without the burden of cold feet.
Cold cold cold cold feet
But once again, he was reminded of his ongoing issue with cold feet.
He thought he'd set his clock right He though he'd read his watch He left in such a hurry he didn't think to wish for luck Makes no difference if you're early No difference if you're late When you're out of time The flowers have been laid You're six feet underground With cold feet
Thinking he had time on his side, he forgot to wish himself luck, but in reality, time catches up to everyone, and it doesn't matter if you're early or late because eventually, everyone's life ends in death, even if they leave with cold feet.
Cold cold cold cold feet
Finalizing the ongoing recurrence of cold feet throughout his life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRACY L CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nrubsasemaj547
Big song...use to love this song when I was young, just brings back remembrancestions
@Jahfariinternational
One of the greatest stories told in reggae ever and also one of the saddest stories ever because of how true it is for so many young, black and disenfranchised men.
@davidsmith5235
so true
@thirdworldrider6991
i wonder who black countries blame their disenfranchisement on. Like Nigeria, yeh were disenfranchised black men. Uh fuck dude your the majority population. Who is disenfranching you. Its just a throw away word now and you dont know what it means,
@ranchydotcom
its Tracy Chapman original song and he added to it
@matt4567
@@thirdworldrider6991 These countries are still reeling from the legacy of slavery, colonialism and imperialism. Simply travelling to many of these nations and observing culture, governance and interactions will demonstrate this.
Of course this knowledge can be obtained by study without travelling.
@aaronalleyne3380
So true 💯🙏🏾
@renaldogibbons3663
Who is listening in 2024
@NormajosephJean
2024
@thekhidjoegaming1859
Me