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.
Oh Jah Jah
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well this is our prayer to the world
Di system, what a corrupt system
Praise him
Pray for world that is our healing
Woh na na, woh na na, woh
[Chorus]
While I pray for this world to be a better place
Jah hear my cry
While I cry for you and I, again
Oh Jah Jah hear my prayer
While I pray for this world to be a better place
Jah Jah hear my cry
While I cry for you and I
Dis is real situation
Tell dem about
Nation rise against nation
See it
While we live we know who who we are
Bad mind want to kill I
Through my brand new car
But it seems like total destruction, di only solution
Di only solution but ain't no you-you-S-E
None a dem can't stop us now
So Silver Cat help mi sing sey
[Chorus]
I cry for a better society
Woh na na, woh
And I pray for a better economy
Woh na na
And I cry for the mon and di baby
Woh na na, woh
Economical prices, can't tek di crisis
People unoo blind unoo mus si want glasses
Father beg yuh fill over daily needs, and sing
[Chorus]
Dem beat wi, I'll treat wi dem treat us like dog
Oh Jah Jah
Tek we from Ghana, and bring we come a yard
Oh Jah Jah
Give dem a inch, and dem take a yard
Dem a fraud, give dem a yard dem take a mile
Mi sing, once a man but twice a child
Well every little thing is just for a while
Well it seems like total destruction
Di only solution, so sing a long
Ain't no U-U-U-S-E none a dem caan stop us now
So Beenie Man and Silver Cat
[Chorus]
Fi di world fi run better
We affi send a prayer
Bombs and guns, a weh some rich bwoy a hire
Babes having babies and son a shot copper
Listen to mi words black people and follow
Silver Car and Beenie Man di two a we a brother
Always remember one hand wash di other
[Chorus]
'cause di system, what a corrupt system
Pray for di world Silver Cat I'm preaching
Oh na na
Di systems is a corrupt system cry
For di world is what I'm saying
In Beenie Man's song Oh Jah Jah, he expresses his discontent with the world's corrupt system and advocates for a better place. The chorus serves as a plea to Jah, asking him to hear his prayer and cries for a better world, promising to continue fighting against the oppression and injustices around them.
The lyrics of the song seem to focus on the issues of crime, inequality, and corruption in society. He highlights how different nations rise against other nations, leading to destruction and chaos, and the rich hire killers to advance their interests. Additionally, he stresses the importance of collaboration, unity, and brotherhood in finding solutions to these challenges, stating that "one hand washes the other."
Overall, the song is a message of hope and a call to action for society to come together to achieve a better world. It is a reminder of the power of prayer and the importance of standing up to oppressive and corrupt systems.
Line by Line Meaning
Woh deh yeh
This is a song about prayer
Well this is our prayer to the world
We are praying for the world and asking for peace
Di system, what a corrupt system
The corrupt system is causing problems in the world
Praise him
We are asking for God's help and guidance
Pray for world that is our healing
We believe that prayer can heal the world
Woh na na, woh na na, woh
A repeated refrain that emphasizes the need for prayer
Oh Jah Jah hear my prayer
We are addressing God and asking for his help
While I pray for this world to be a better place
We are asking for the world to be a more peaceful and better place
Jah hear my cry
We are crying out to God for help
While I cry for you and I, again
We are asking for God's help for everyone
Dis is real situation
The world is in a serious situation
Tell dem about
We are sharing our message with others
Nation rise against nation
There are conflicts and wars happening around the world
See it
We are acknowledging the problems in the world
While we live we know who who we are
We know our identity and purpose while we are alive
Bad mind want to kill I
There are people who want to harm us
Through my brand new car
Some people are envious and jealous of our possessions
But it seems like total destruction, di only solution
It feels like the world is falling apart and drastic change is needed
Di only solution but ain't no you-you-S-E
The solution is prayer, but it's not easy
None a dem can't stop us now
Nothing can stop our message of prayer and hope
So Silver Cat help mi sing sey
Silver Cat is joining us in our message
I cry for a better society
We are crying for a better world
And I pray for a better economy
We are asking for a better financial future for everyone
And I cry for the mon and di baby
We are crying out for the future generations
Economical prices, can't tek di crisis
The economy is struggling and it's causing problems
People unoo blind unoo mus si want glasses
People need to see the problems and take action
Father beg yuh fill over daily needs, and sing
We are asking for God's help with our basic needs
Dem beat wi, I'll treat wi dem treat us like dog
Some people are mistreating and oppressing us
Tek we from Ghana, and bring we come a yard
Our ancestors were taken from Africa and brought to other parts of the world
Give dem a inch, and dem take a yard
Some people take advantage of any opportunities given to them
Dem a fraud, give dem a yard dem take a mile
Some people are dishonest and greedy
Mi sing, once a man but twice a child
No matter how old we are, we need to ask for help sometimes
Well every little thing is just for a while
Nothing is eternal and things change
Fi di world fi run better
We want the world to run better
We affi send a prayer
Prayer is necessary to bring positive change
Bombs and guns, a weh some rich bwoy a hire
Some wealthy people are using violence to maintain their power
Babes having babies and son a shot copper
There are social issues that need to be addressed
Listen to mi words black people and follow
We are asking for people to listen to our message and take action
Silver Car and Beenie Man di two a we a brother
We are expressing our solidarity and unity
Always remember one hand wash di other
We need to help each other and work together
Pray for di world Silver Cat I'm preaching
We are asking for prayer and preaching about our beliefs
Di systems is a corrupt system cry
The systems in place have serious problems that need to be addressed
For di world is what I'm saying
We are speaking out about the problems in the world and asking for change
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DONALD DENNIS, MELBOURNE MILLER, MOSES DAVIS, NEIL MCDONALD, PATRICK ROBERTS, PAUL CROSDALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind