He was booed off stage at a show celebrating the visit of Nelson Mandela. In 1993 at the very popular show Sting he accused fellow deejay Bounty Killer that the elder artist had stolen his catchphrase, "people dead". This triggered a lyrical battle which continued on the air with each artist counteracting the other's songs. Finally, in 1995, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer settled their differences on the air by actually signing a peace treaty and the two recorded an album together, Guns Out. This was followed by a single, "No Mama No Cry", a rehash of the Bob Marley classic "No Woman No Cry", speaking out against violence and inspired by the murder of Pan Head, another popular Deejay.
Partially as a result of prodding from his producers, Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man soon converted to the Rastafari movement.
In 1994, he was signed by Island Records and released the critically acclaimed album Blessed.
In 1995, Beenie Man released a remix of Barrington Levy's "Under Mi Sensi" in the United Kingdom, and collaborated with Dennis Brown and Triston Palma to release Three Against War and Lt. Stitchie on Mad Cobra Meets Lt. Stitchie & Beenie Man. He took another step up the ladder in 1996, releasing the seminal Maestro, produced by Patrick Roberts and shot him to UK fame. During the period from the mid to late '90s, Beenie Man dominated the Jamaican charts to the extent that he perhaps had a good claim to the crown of "Dancehall King", a title only bestowed previously on Yellowman in the early 1980s.
In 1998, Beenie Man signed to Virgin Records to release albums in the United States. His first American offering was The Doctor (1998). In 2000, Beenie Man teamed up with Arturo Sandoval and Wyclef Jean (The Fugees) to release The Art & Life. During the late 1990s, Beenie Man began his conquest of America with the hits, "Romie", "Who Am I" and "Girls Dem Sugar", which featured American R&B singer, Mya.
In 2002, he had a sizeable hit with a duet with Janet Jackson called "Feel It Boy", but his biggest break in America came in early 2004 with the release of a remix of "Dude", featuring guest vocals by fellow Jamaican Ms. Thing, as well as rhymes by Shawnna.
Battery Dolly
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, inna di problem
Beenie Man, pon di mic, Steely a teach dem
Lively-cate to all di girls dem inna di dancehall
All di while dem have one man
And a keep it all
All di girl dem have all man
And let me tell yuh bout well
Jus inna wah day some guy a talk bout skettel,
Skettel a sof sof ting fi how
Dem gal deh a dwell
Dem gal a mussi angel come up from dung a hell
Listen how mi tell
Anyway
Six man pop her off las week satedeh
Dem a call her Battrey Dolly
Some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Well a style and a mix up on a tuesdeh or a thursdeh
She a Battrey Dolly
Hey, some gal dem a Battry Dolly
Well every man weh fly dung know her name inna di city
She a Battrey Dolly
Some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Every man shi tek well all a dem regret
Dem call her .Battrey Dolly
Hey, some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Weh they say?
Nah talk di gal dem weh a dance to reggae
Talking to di one dem who a big time streddeh
Who four man pop off last week Satedeh
Mi see her wid another four jus di Sundeh Tuesdeh Wednesdeh
Shi mek mi bawl the
Si Steely ova deh suh well shi want him seh heh
Listen to di DJ who a jump pon reggae
And eh cool
Battrey Dolly inna di Bank
'nough a dem out deh a look battrey wrong
'nough a dem a ole engine wid bend crank
'nough a dem a give up and nah get nuh thanks
Nuh jump up inna mi pants hey hey
Hand up inna di air and mek a gal know you a noo
Battrey Dolly .You anuh Battrey Dolly
Wine up inna di dance and mek a gal know you a nooo
Battrey Dolly You anuh Battrey Dolly
Hey hol on pon yuh man and mek a gal know you a nooo
Battrey Dolly You anuh Battrey Dolly
Kick out all yuh shoes and mek a gal know you a nooo
Battrey Dolly you anuh Battrey Dolly
Mi seh Geeez
Wonda if da gal deh a color tv
Di amount a man alone mi know weh look pon she
Sometimes mi haffi wonda if a ABC
Wide big and Free
Well,
Last night mi si dis gal pon see-N-N
This mawnin mi see her pon NBC again
She and Rodman and Michael Jordan den
And she seh she and dem a friend
Hey, well
This gal yah have mi unda zig-zag puzzle
Sometime mi haffi wonda if da gal yah have mi a buzzle
Every weh mi guh mi si da gal deh a struggle
Shi nah lef her bass and nah lef her treble
A who?
A Ras look like Tony Rebel
And a next Ras look like Future Trouble
Anyweh mi guh mi si da gal deh a bubble
Hey dis yah gal yah nah settle!
Cause
Six man pop her off last week Satedeh cau she a
Battrey Dolly some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Well a style neva mix up pon a Tuesdeh or a Thursdeh
She a Battrey Dolly Some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Well everyman weh fly dung know her name inna di City
She a Battrey Dolly Some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Well some gal as dem guh dung dem deh gal deh tekkie tekkie
Dem a Battrey Dolly some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Well Fell,
From yuh si di gal dem inna di Kasco clothes dem
Den yuh know a Battrey Dolly den yuh call dem
Every man dem see dem sleep with dem and dem friend
Listen how mi end
Cool hey
All dem a try fi dis mi wi nuh have nuh problem
Hey cool Battrey Dolly mi nuh waan none a dem
Suh settle dung leave mi now because mi have mi girl friend
Unu listen how di DJ life cyaan really end
Anyway
From night Battrey Dolly work ten
If yuh dis di program well yuh mus gone again
Look how di gal dem a wine hey inna nuh problem
Beenie Man, pon di Mic, Steely a teach dem.
The lyrics of Beenie Man's song "Battery Dolly" is about the dancehall culture of Jamaica where the girls are dancing provocatively to reggae music with multiple partners in the club. Beenie Man is addressing all the girls in the dancehall who are "Battrey Dolly," and narrating stories of how these girls are being used by multiple men. He talks about how some guys talk about "skettel" - which refers to a woman who has multiple sexual partners - and how these girls are taking drugs and are addicted to sex.
Beenie Man further explains how a girl got her nickname "Battery Dolly" as six men popped her off last week Satedeh. The song narrates how these girls are fine with sleeping around with multiple partners and rotating men. The lyrics are an echo of the cultural double standards present in society, where boys can be celebrated for their sexual exploits, but when a girl does the same, she is labeled as loose or promiscuous. The song highlights how these girls have come to accept and own their reputation as sexual objects.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, look how di gal dem a wine
Observing the way the girls are dancing
Hey, inna di problem
Despite the issues being discussed, Beenie Man is still starting his performance
Beenie Man, pon di mic, Steely a teach dem
Beenie Man is introducing his performance with the assistance of Steely
Lively-cate to all di girls dem inna di dancehall
Addressing all the girls in the dancehall
All di while dem have one man
The girls have one man each
And a keep it all
Keeping their relationship with that one man exclusive
All di girl dem have all man
All the other girls have multiple partners
All a follow man another man a drug dem
The other girls are following men that are bad influences on them
And let me tell yuh bout well
Beenie Man is about to share a story
Jus inna wah day some guy a talk bout skettel,
Recently, someone was talking about a promiscuous woman
Skettel a sof sof ting fi how
This promiscuous woman is not something to admire
Dem gal deh a dwell
These women are living like skettel
Dem gal a mussi angel come up from dung a hell
Sarcastically suggesting that the women are not good people
Listen how mi tell
Beenie Man is about to share another story
Anyway
Continuing the story despite the interruption
Six man pop her off las week satedeh
Six men slept with her on Saturday last week
Dem a call her Battrey Dolly
She is being referred to as 'Battery Dolly'
Some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
There are other women like her as well
Well a style and a mix up on a tuesdeh or a thursdeh
She has no preference for which days to mix it up
She a Battrey Dolly
She is referred to again as 'Battery Dolly'
Hey, some gal dem a Battry Dolly
Reiterating that there are other women like her
Well every man weh fly dung know her name inna di city
Every man in the city that sleeps around knows her name
Every man shi tek well all a dem regret
Every man she sleeps with regrets it
Dem call her .Battrey Dolly
She gets referred to as 'Battery Dolly' again
Weh they say?
Asking rhetorically what people are saying about her
Nah talk di gal dem weh a dance to reggae
Talking specifically about promiscuous women who dance to reggae
Talking to di one dem who a big time streddeh
Addressing the big-time promiscuous women out there
Who four man pop off last week Satedeh
Referring to a woman who slept with four men on Saturday last week
Mi see her wid another four jus di Sundeh Tuesdeh Wednesdeh
Seeing her with another four men on different days
Shi mek mi bawl the
She makes him sad
Si Steely ova deh suh well shi want him seh heh
She is even after Steely
Listen to di DJ who a jump pon reggae
Listening to the role of the DJ
And eh cool
Agreeing with the DJ's style
Battrey Dolly inna di Bank
'Battery Dolly' is well-known even in the bank
'nough a dem out deh a look battrey wrong
Many people out there have a negative opinion of promiscuous women
'nough a dem a ole engine wid bend crank
Many of them are old and used up
'nough a dem a give up and nah get nuh thanks
Many of them are giving up but still not getting any thanks
Nuh jump up inna mi pants hey hey
He is not sleeping around
Hand up inna di air and mek a gal know you a noo
Putting your hands in the air to let women know that you are not 'Battery Dolly'
Wine up inna di dance and mek a gal know you a nooo
Dancing in the club to show that you are not 'Battery Dolly'
Hey hol on pon yuh man and mek a gal know you a nooo
Holding onto your man to let women know that you are not 'Battery Dolly'
Kick out all yuh shoes and mek a gal know you a nooo
Removing your shoes to dance to show that you are not 'Battery Dolly'
Mi seh Geeez
Exclaiming 'Geez'
Wonda if da gal deh a color tv
Wondering if this woman is fictional like a color TV
Di amount a man alone mi know weh look pon she
Beenie Man knows of multiple men who fantasize about her
Sometimes mi haffi wonda if a ABC
He sometimes wonders if this woman is a myth like ABC
Wide big and Free
She is described as having a large and voluptuous figure
Last night mi si dis gal pon see-N-N
Beenie Man saw her on Channel C last night
This mawnin mi see her pon NBC again
He saw her on NBC this morning
She and Rodman and Michael Jordan den
She was with Rodman and Michael Jordan
And she seh she and dem a friend
She claims to be friends with them
This gal yah have mi unda zig-zag puzzle
This woman has Beenie Man extremely confused
Sometime mi haffi wonda if da gal yah have mi a buzzle
Beenie Man is so confused that he starts to question his own intellect
Every weh mi guh mi si da gal deh a struggle
He keeps seeing her everywhere, struggling with multiple men
Shi nah lef her bass and nah lef her treble
She is not leaving behind her less-than-respectable lifestyle
A who?
Asking 'Who?'
A Ras look like Tony Rebel
Describing a man who looks like Tony Rebel
And a next Ras look like Future Trouble
Describing another man who looks like Future Trouble
Anyweh mi guh mi si da gal deh a bubble
He keeps seeing her everywhere, with different men
Hey dis yah gal yah nah settle!
This woman is not interested in settling down
Six man pop her off last week Satedeh cau she a
Six men slept with her on Saturday last week because she is
Battrey Dolly some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Repeating that she and other women are 'Battery Dolly'
Well a style neva mix up pon a Tuesdeh or a Thursdeh
She has no preference on which days to mix things up
She a Battrey Dolly Some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Reiterating that there are multiple promiscuous women like her
Well everyman weh fly dung know her name inna di City
Every man in the city that sleeps around knows her name
Well some gal as dem guh dung dem deh gal deh tekkie tekkie
Some women choose to be promiscuous
Dem a Battrey Dolly some gal dem a Battrey Dolly
Repeating that there are multiple promiscuous women out there
Well Fell,
Addressing others
From yuh si di gal dem inna di Kasco clothes dem
When you see women dressed in skimpy clothes
Den yuh know a Battrey Dolly den yuh call dem
You know that they are 'Battery Dolly' and you refer to them as such
Every man dem see dem sleep with dem and dem friend
Every man sees them sleeping with both them and their friends
All dem a try fi dis mi wi nuh have nuh problem
People that try to diss him do not faze him
Hey cool Battrey Dolly mi nuh waan none a dem
Beenie Man is not interested in 'Battery Dolly' men
Suh settle dung leave mi now because mi have mi girl friend
Beenie Man is telling women to leave him alone because he already has a girlfriend
Unu listen how di DJ life cyaan really end
The DJ is reminding everyone that life goes on
From night Battrey Dolly work ten
'Battery Dolly' is working hard and playing hard
If yuh dis di program well yuh mus gone again
If you don't like it, you should leave the program
Look how di gal dem a wine hey inna nuh problem
The girls are dancing despite the issues being discussed
Beenie Man, pon di Mic, Steely a teach dem.
Beenie Man is performing with Steely
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MOSES DAVIS, CLEVELAND BROWNE, WYCLIFFE JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind