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.
Tell Me Remix
Beenie Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some gal a move like dem a Killa
But dem have fi sekkle pon di Tarantula
Yes Nyah!
A Beenie Man and Two Thousand Crew deh yah...
But wah...
Hey!
Put up yuh hand deh high
From anuh Suzzette or Antoinette dem really want fi tek yuh guy
Woman yuh neva bow
Put up yuh hand dem now
You got di loot and di man dem a shoot and di man dem got di wicked si now
And...
Woman yuh ever hot
'Cause yuh run di spot
Yuh bass a bus' out
Yuh treble a top
Yuh yeye dem nuh cross
Yuh knee dem nuh knock and..
Yuh n'ave fi use contacts
Because yuh private phat
yuh pack up and gone
yuh man haffi bawl
and den him have fi call yuh back
Suh....
[Chorus]
Tell me what you want...Please!
Tell me what you need....Denise!
Tell me if I'm good enough for you babe, good enough for you babe...baby, baby....
Chuh!
Nuh gal nuh want nuh man weh stuck
No, No, No
Dem want a man weh know di wuk
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Shi want a man fi hold her up, drape her up, ina bed and gi her pure bed wuk
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Nuh want no man who a Jerk
No, no, no
Shi want a man weh know di work
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Shi want a man fi wuk her hard, mek shi run up ina di yard and migrate from di
herd
But just di other day me and Patsy a work
Mi bus' off her blouse and draw dung her skirt
di gal she a gwaan like shi don't really want turn on likkle more di gal bus
mi silk shirt
But...
[Chorus]
But...
True mi tell dem seh Simma Simma
Heh! Dem buy a brand new Bima Bima
Den mi guh check dung a Salla-Salla
And him guh tell mi bout a gal name Angela
Bout she a walk and a bawl seh shi nuh want no fruitella
Fus' wuk shi get di gal a bawl seh a Beva
True mi know a volcano this bwoy live ina, gal... dis yah DJ a Lava
In Beenie Man's song "Tell Me", he addresses women who act like they are killers but should worry about settling down first. He praises women who are confident and independent and do not need to rely on contacts or any other means to succeed. He sings about women who are not satisfied with a man who is not good enough or a jerk, but instead, they want a man who knows how to handle them in bed. In the second verse, Beenie Man tells a story where he had been with a woman who acted like she did not want him, but she was lying to herself and eventually got turned on.
The song is essentially about Beenie Man wanting to know what a woman wants and needs from him. He asks Denise to tell him what she wants and if he is good enough for her. The song features a more upbeat and uptempo dancehall rhythm that is common in Jamaican music. The lyrics represent how Jamaican men talk about women and relationships, and the song is a representation of Jamaican culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes Iyah!
I am here and ready to start.
Some gal a move like dem a Killa
Some women act like they are ruthless killers.
But dem have fi sekkle pon di Tarantula
But they need to calm down and settle on the tarantula dance move.
Yes Nyah!
I am still here and ready to continue.
A Beenie Man and Two Thousand Crew deh yah...
Beenie Man and his crew are present and accounted for.
But wah...
But what's new?
Hey!
Attention grabbing exclamation.
Woman yuh neva shy
Women, you are never shy.
Put up yuh hand deh high
Raise your hand up high.
From anuh Suzzette or Antoinette dem really want fi tek yuh guy
It doesn't matter if it is Suzzette or Antoinette, they really want to take your man.
Woman yuh neva bow
Women, you never back down.
Put up yuh hand dem now
Raise your hands up high right now.
You got di loot and di man dem a shoot and di man dem got di wicked si now
You have the money and the men are chasing you, which is causing jealousy and anger.
And...
Plus...
Woman yuh ever hot
Women, you are always looking great.
'Cause yuh run di spot
Because you run the scene.
Yuh bass a bus' out
Your bass is bursting out.
Yuh treble a top
Your high pitch is perfect.
Yuh yeye dem nuh cross
You do not have a wandering eye.
Yuh knee dem nuh knock and..
Your knees do not buckle.
Yuh n'ave fi use contacts
You don't need glasses.
Because yuh private phat
Because your body is perfect.
Yuh pack up and gone
You've left and moved on.
yuh man haffi bawl
Your man has to cry.
and den him have fi call yuh back
And then he has to call you back.
Tell me what you want...Please!
Please tell me what you want.
Tell me what you need....Denise!
Denise, tell me what you need.
Tell me if I'm good enough for you babe, good enough for you babe...baby, baby....
Let me know if I am good enough for you, baby.
Nuh gal nuh want nuh man weh stuck
No woman wants a man who is stuck in his ways.
Dem want a man weh know di wuk
They want a man who knows what he is doing.
Shi want a man fi hold her up, drape her up, ina bed and gi her pure bed wuk
She wants a man to hold her and make love to her in bed.
Nuh want no man who a Jerk
She doesn't want a man who is a jerk.
Shi want a man weh know di work
She wants a man who knows how to please her sexually.
Shi want a man fi wuk her hard, mek shi run up ina di yard and migrate from di herd
She wants a man to work hard at pleasing her and make her feel good.
But just di other day me and Patsy a work
But just the other day, Patsy and I were working.
Mi bus' off her blouse and draw dung her skirt
I took off her blouse and pulled down her skirt.
di gal she a gwaan like shi don't really want turn on likkle more di gal bus mi silk shirt
The woman acted like she didn't want to have sex, but then she ripped my silk shirt.
True mi tell dem seh Simma Simma
When I tell them about Simma Simma...
Heh! Dem buy a brand new Bima Bima
They bought a brand new BMW.
Den mi guh check dung a Salla-Salla
Then I went to check down at Salla-Salla.
And him guh tell mi bout a gal name Angela
And he tells me about a woman named Angela.
Bout she a walk and a bawl seh shi nuh want no fruitella
She complains and cries, saying she doesn't want any fruit snacks.
Fus' wuk shi get di gal a bawl seh a Beva
After the first time they had sex, she cried out a different name.
True mi know a volcano this bwoy live ina, gal... dis yah DJ a Lava
I know that this guy is living with a volatile situation, and I am warning the ladies that I am also a volcano.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRYCE P. WILSON, EDIE ARLISA BRICKELL, KENNETH NEIL WITHROW, JOHN BRADLEY HOUSER, BRANDON ALY, JOHN WALTER BUSH, AMEL E. LARRIEUX, DARRYL BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sharaya Smith
Still a banger! Takes me back to like 99'!
Allan G Miringu
Beenie bad man.....
LJ Jackson
Sorry Beenie Man you're stealing from Dru Hill!