Rumour
Anthony B Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning

Intro:
Whoooooaaaaaa
Emperor Selassie
Liveth and reigneth in ah you and I
Sit up pon the throne in ah Mount Zion
My Lord

Chorus:

Rumor dem ah spread say Selassie dead
How the body fe function without head
Say Marcus Garvey and Emmanuel gone
Without the trinity say life couldn't gwan

Verse 1:
In ah Psamls 87 that's where me see clear
His foundation is in the Holy Mountains
Glorious things are spoken of thee
Mention Africa and Babylon to me
Ethiopia city of the Almighty
The most high was born there His Magesty
All my springs are in thee
Unnuh better sing this song to be free

Chorus

Verse 2:
You know I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I fear no evil that mean me no haffe fret
Selassie is my shield and my guide
And Him will always be by my side
Iniquity see me haffe run and hide
Blaspheme a talk bout Selassie died
Dem had no pride

Chorus

Verse 3:
Stop for a while and look inna youself
Lace unnuh shoes and buckle unnuh belt
Wash in His blood wunna will forever have health
Dis the trinity, like butter unnuh ah guh melt
Unnuh better uplift unnuh self and be wise
Now is the time wunna all realise

Off ah wunna face tek off the disguise
Sing along

Repeat Chorus

Repeat Verse 1

Overall Meaning

In Anthony B's song "Rumour," the lyrics describe the spreading rumors of the death of Emperor Selassie and how the trinity of Selassie, Marcus Garvey, and Emmanuel are essential for life. The intro pays homage to Emperor Selassie, who is believed to live and reign in us all, while sitting on the throne in Mount Zion. The chorus refutes rumors of Selassie's death, questions how the body can function without a head, and emphasizes the importance of the trinity for life to go on.

The first verse grounds the lyrics in Psalms 87, where the foundation of the Holy Mountains is mentioned. The lyrics speak of glorious things spoken about Africa and Babylon and specifically Ethiopia as the city of the Almighty. The most high was born in Ethiopia, and it is where His Majesty resides. The lyrics ask the listener to sing this song to be free.

The second verse describes the artist walking through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil because Selassie is their shield and guide. The lyrics also refute blasphemy that Selassie is dead and tells those who spread rumors like that to have pride. The third verse calls on listeners to reflect on themselves, wash themselves in His blood for everlasting health, and uplift themselves to be wise. It encourages listeners to take off their disguise, face the truth, and sing along with the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Rumor dem ah spread say Selassie dead
People are spreading the rumor that Selassie has died

How the body fe function without head
How can the body function without a head

Say Marcus Garvey and Emmanuel gone
Marcus Garvey and Emmanuel are said to be gone

Without the trinity say life couldn't gwan
Without the trinity, life couldn't go on

In ah Psamls 87 that's where me see clear
In Psalms 87, I see clearly

His foundation is in the Holy Mountains
The foundation of Selassie's reign is in the Holy Mountains

Glorious things are spoken of thee
Wonderful things are said about thee

Mention Africa and Babylon to me
Mention Africa and Babylon to me

Ethiopia city of the Almighty
Ethiopia is the city of the Almighty

The most high was born there His Magesty
The most high was born there, His Majesty

All my springs are in thee
All my springs of life are in thee

Unnuh better sing this song to be free
You better sing this song to be free

Stop for a while and look inna youself
Stop for a while and look inside yourself

Lace unnuh shoes and buckle unnuh belt
Lace your shoes and buckle your belt

Wash in His blood wunna will forever have health
If you wash in His blood, you will forever have health

Dis the trinity, like butter unnuh ah guh melt
Disrespecting the trinity is like melting butter

Unnuh better uplift unnuh self and be wise
You better uplift yourself and be wise

Now is the time wunna all realise
Now is the time for everyone to realize

Off ah wunna face tek off the disguise
Take off the disguise from your face

You know I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I fear no evil that mean me no haffe fret
I fear no evil, that means I don't have to worry

Selassie is my shield and my guide
Selassie is my shield and my guide

And Him will always be by my side
And He will always be by my side

Iniquity see me haffe run and hide
Iniquity sees me and has to run and hide

Blaspheme a talk bout Selassie died
Blasphemers talk about Selassie dying

Dem had no pride
They have no pride

Lyrics © SUELION MUSIC
Written by: KEITH BLAIR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Anthony B is the stage name of Keith Blair (born March 31, 1976), a Jamaican musician.

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. Read Full BioAnthony B is the stage name of Keith Blair (born March 31, 1976), a Jamaican musician.

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)