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.
Heaven On Earth
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreadlocks, well before one selassi words shall
Pass Zion and earth shall boom like ball
Tell me whey di hell a gwaan a dance hall
Inna 1957 wen tings just a settle down
When a near independence and Selassie never come
Outa back a wall a whey di bobo camp did settle down
Housing sheme did all a build up
Emmanuel mek a wall and a bull bay di man tun
Whey him build a di bobo camp and everyone was welcome
Outa Marcus Garvey a tun him eyes pon Kingston
Whey him build di bobo camp and everyman was welcome
Bobo camp an institution for the old and yound for historical fact
Go deh go siddom
Forty three years of work everything overcome
Now Emmanuel dead, everything tumble down
The hill divided in a three
Separated bu three sons
Middle sects, priest Donovan rule the daughters and the sons
Over surrey, priest Lennon a pure fire him bun
Priest mallard gone a prison fi nearly bun di hill dung
Right now a one million bobo deh a jamdown
[Chorus]
Sellasi seh before one a him word shall pass
Heaven and earth shall bun up like a ball
Tell mi whey di hell a gwaan a dancehall
Build more brisge and bruck dung all wall (repeat)
Who a di prophet fi Selassie army
Guardsman
Who start the dance hall business
Guardsman
Who mek brigadier di general
Guardsman
So mi seh hail king sellasi and nuh exalt the flag
How some bwoy outta road a galang so bad
A more buff baff a cuss god
Mi siddown and mi wonda
Tell dat to the son and dem daughter
But mi sing alog
[Chorus]
All people whey know seh man affi free
And man nuffi go round and have bad mind fi other one
Rasta fi know dem fi live togedda
And fi organise and centralism
And know sey everyman will be strong in this time
So everyman waan stand up pon a next man foot
Why a next man cyan help a next man which is down
Meck mi tell yuh something man
If yuh bredda a say something wrong
An' yuh see day you can change him
It's up to you to teach him that he can learn
To say the right in three times
So let's cut out all the fight and bad mind living
And everyone sing
[Chorus]
The song Heaven on Earth is a powerful reflection of the culture, history, and social issues surrounding the Jamaican Rastafarian community. The lyrics mention Ras Moses, one of the founding members of the Bobo Ashanti order, who built a camp for the Rastafarian community at Bull Bay in the late 1950s. The lyrics reflect on the struggle and hardship that the community has gone through, from near independence to the death of Emmanuel, the leader of the Bobo Ashanti, which led to the division of the community. The song highlights the importance of unity, freedom, and equality in the Rastafarian way of life, emphasizing that every member should come together to organize and build a central community.
The lyrics also tackle the issue of dancehall music, a hugely popular Jamaican music genre that faced criticism for its explicit lyrics and violent themes. Beenie Man questions why dancehall music is so popular when the world is supposed to be moving towards peace and unity. The song is a call to action for people to build bridges and break down walls, both literal and metaphorical. The chorus speaks of the belief that if one word of Selassie passes, heaven and earth will burn like a ball, an apocalyptic warning of the consequences of not coming together as a community.
Line by Line Meaning
This is ras Moses
Introducing the singer, who identifies himself as Ras Moses.
Dreadlocks, well before one selassi words shall
Ras Moses has had dreadlocks for a long time and believes in Emperor Selassie's words.
Pass Zion and earth shall boom like ball
According to Selassie's prophecy, when he passes away, the world will experience chaos.
Tell me whey di hell a gwaan a dance hall
Questioning the negative activities happening in dance halls.
Inna 1957 wen tings just a settle down
Recalling the year 1957, a time of relative calm.
When a near independence and Selassie never come
Despite independence being near, Emperor Selassie did not come to Jamaica.
Outa back a wall a whey di bobo camp did settle down
The Bobo Shanti community settled behind a wall.
Housing sheme did all a build up
There were many housing schemes being developed at that time.
Tings a bulldozer dung
Destruction was happening rapidly.
Emmanuel mek a wall and a bull bay di man tun
Emperor Emmanuel constructed a wall, and everyone flocked to the Bobo Shanti community.
Whey him build a di bobo camp and everyone was welcome
The Bobo Shanti community was open and welcoming to all.
Outa Marcus Garvey a tun him eyes pon Kingston
Referencing Marcus Garvey, who was the inspiration for the Bobo Shanti community in Kingston.
Bobo camp an institution for the old and yound for historical fact
The Bobo Shanti community is an institution for people of all ages, with a rich history.
Go deh go siddom
Encouraging people to keep going and not give up.
Forty three years of work everything overcome
Despite the challenges faced, the Bobo Shanti community has persevered for over 43 years.
Now Emmanuel dead, everything tumble down
After Emperor Emmanuel's death, the community faced many difficulties.
The hill divided in a three
The community was divided into three sections.
Separated bu three sons
The three sections were each led by one of Emmanuel's sons.
Middle sects, priest Donovan rule the daughters and the sons
Priest Donovan led the middle section of the Bobo Shanti community.
Over surrey, priest Lennon a pure fire him bun
Priest Lennon is a powerful priest in the Surrey area.
Priest mallard gone a prison fi nearly bun di hill dung
Priest Mallard is in prison for nearly destroying the community.
Right now a one million bobo deh a jamdown
Despite the community's struggles, it remains a thriving and significant movement.
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus.
Sellasi seh before one a him word shall pass
Emperor Selassie believes that when he dies, the world will experience chaos.
Heaven and earth shall bun up like a ball
Selassie's death will bring about great destruction.
Tell mi whey di hell a gwaan a dancehall
Questioning the negative activities happening in dance halls.
Build more brisge and bruck dung all wall (repeat)
Calling for unity and the building of bridges to tear down barriers of division.
Who a di prophet fi Selassie army
Who will lead the followers of Emperor Selassie?
Guardsman
Answering the above question: a guardsman.
Who start the dance hall business
Asking who started the negative activities in dance halls.
Guardsman
Answering the above question: a guardsman.
Who mek brigadier di general
Asking who paved the way for General Brigadier.
Guardsman
Answering the above question: a guardsman.
So mi seh hail king sellasi and nuh exalt the flag
Acknowledging Selassie as king without overemphasizing symbols of the country.
How some bwoy outta road a galang so bad
Expressing disapproval of negative behavior in the community.
A more buff baff a cuss god
People are using profanity excessively.
Mi siddown and mi wonda
Ras Moses is pondering the situation.
Tell dat to the son and dem daughter
Encouraging people to teach their children well.
But mi sing alog
Despite the negativity, Ras Moses will continue to sing a positive song.
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus.
All people whey know seh man affi free
People who understand that all humans deserve freedom.
And man nuffi go round and have bad mind fi other one
People should not be envious or resentful of each other.
Rasta fi know dem fi live togedda
Rastafarians should live together and support each other.
And fi organise and centralism
Encouraging organization and centralization within the Rastafarian community.
And know sey everyman will be strong in this time
People should be strong during difficult times.
So everyman waan stand up pon a next man foot
People should help uplift their fellow men.
Why a next man cyan help a next man which is down
There's no reason why someone can't help someone else who's struggling.
Meck mi tell yuh something man
Let me tell you something.
If yuh bredda a say something wrong
If your brother says something incorrect.
An' yuh see day you can change him
And you can help him see the truth.
It's up to you to teach him that he can learn
It's your responsibility to help him see that he can improve.
To say the right in three times
To promote saying and doing what's right.
So let's cut out all the fight and bad mind living
Encouraging people to stop fighting and being envious of each other.
And everyone sing
Urging everyone to come together and sing.
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MOSES ANTHONY DAVIS, STEPHEN JOHN MARSDEN, SLY DUNBAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind