During 1974 and 1975 Big Youth continued to record for other producers, as Glen Brown, The Abyssinians ('I Pay Thee', 'Dreader Than Dread'), Yabby You ('Yabby Youth' – later known as 'Lightning Flash (Weak Heart Drop)'), Bunny Wailer ('Bide'/'Black on Black') and Joe Gibbs ('Medecine Doctor'). His LP, Dread Locks Dread, was released 1975 and produced by Prince Tony Robinson.
However, Big Youth had also started releasing his own self-produced recordings on the "Negusa Nagast" and "Augustus Buchanan" labels in Jamaica. His first self-produced LP was Reggae Phenomemnon in 1974. His self-productions continued with the 1976 albums Natty Cultural Dread and Hit The Road Jack, using his own musicians, usually the Soul Syndicate band. Now Big Youth changed his deejay style to be more of a singjay than a toaster; even if his vocal range was never the greatest, his singing sides continued to improve in musical quality, and began to become as common as his DJ tunes. He signed to Virgin Records' Frontline label in 1977, and his first release on the label was the Isaiah First Prophet of Old album, and he also appeared in the feature movie Rockers. Together with U-Roy, I-Roy, Dennis Alcapone, Prince FarI, and Dillinger, Big Youth is one of the immortal early Jamaican reggae toasters which have inspired generations of following Jamaican dancehall deejays and American rappers.
The name of the band Sonic Youth is in part a tribute to Big Youth.
"Yes, me come inna de music as Rasta, me a de original rastaman who enter it." Big Youth, Italy, 2001
"Deejays were closest to the people because there wasn't any kind of establishment control on the sound systems". Big Youth in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music
Discography
* Chi Chi Run - Fab 1972 (including just three Big Youth songs)
* Screaming Target - Trojan 1973
* Reggae Phenomenon - Augustus Buchanen 1975
* Dreadlocks Dread - Klick 1975
* Natty Cultural Dread - Trojan 1976
* Hit the Road Jack - Trojan 1976
* Isiah First Prohphet of Old - Nicola Delita, Caroline 1978
* Progress - Nocola Delita 1979
* Rock Holy - Negusa Negast 1980
* Some Great Big Youth - Heartbeat 1981
* Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style - Heartbeat 1982
* Live at Reggae Sunsplash - Genes 1984
* A Luta Continua (The Struggle Continue) - Heartbeat 1986
* Manifestation - Heartbeat 1988
* Jamming in the House of Dread - Danceteria 1990
* Higher Grounds - JR, VP Records 1995
* Save the children - Declic 1995
* Reggae Gi Dem Dub - Nicola Delita
* Natty Universal Dread 1973–1979 - a 3-CD-Box-set with Big Youth's major works during the 70's, released in 2001.
Touch Me in the Morning
Big Youth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then just walk away
We don't have tomorrow
But we had yesterday
(Hey!)
Wasn't it me who said that
Nothing good's gonna last forever?
Let's just be glad for the time together?
It must've been hard to tell me
That you've given all you had to give
I can understand you're feeling that way
Everybody's got their life to live
Well, I can say goodbye in the cold morning light
But I can't watch love die in the warmth of the night
If I've got to be strong
Don't you know I need to have tonight when you're gone?
'Till you go I need to lie here and think about
The last time that you'll touch me in the morning
Then just close the door
Leave me as you found me, empty like before
(Hey!)
Wasn't it yesterday
We used to laugh at the wind behind us?
Didn't we run away and hope
That time wouldn't try to find us (Didn't we run)
Didn't we take each other
To a place where no one's ever been?
Yeah, I really need you near me tonight
'Cause you'll never take me there again
Let me watch you go
With the sun in my eyes
We've seen how love can grow
Now we'll see how it dies
If I've got to be strong
Don't you know I need to have tonight when you're gone?
'Till you go I need to hold you until the time
Your hands reach out and touch me in the morning
(Mornings where blue and gold and we could feel one another living)
Then just walk away
(We walked with a dream to hold and we could take what the world was giving)
We don't have tomorrow,
(There's no tomorrow here, there's only love and the time to chase it)
But we had yesterday
(But yesterday's gone my love, there's only now and it's time to face it)
Touch me in the morning...
"Touch Me in the Morning" is a heartbreaking and poignant song about a love affair that has run its course. The lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and melancholy as the singer reminisces about the relationship and the moments they shared. The first verse establishes the transience of their love affair, with the singer explicitly saying that they don't have tomorrow. The second verse, through a series of rhetorical questions, highlights the fleeting nature of love and how even the best of relationships eventually come to an end.
The chorus expresses the singer's desire to hold on to the last moments they have together, to experience the warmth and the intimacy of the night before they part ways. The bridge sets up a contrast between the cold light of the morning and the warmth of the night, suggesting that it is easier to say goodbye when there is distance and detachment. The last section of the song brings the relationship and the song full circle, with the singer acknowledging that yesterday is gone and that they are left with only memories of love lost.
Overall, "Touch Me in the Morning" is a beautifully crafted song that captures the bittersweet emotions surrounding a breakup. Big Youth delivers the lyrics with a depth and emotion that make the song unforgettable.
Line by Line Meaning
Touch me in the morning
Let's make love one last time in the morning
Then just walk away
Afterward, you'll leave me alone
We don't have tomorrow
There's no future for us
But we had yesterday
We had the past, memories of our love
(Hey!) Wasn't it me who said that
Hey, remember I told you before
Nothing good's gonna last forever?
That nothing lasts forever
And wasn't it me who said
And do you remember I said
Let's just be glad for the time together?
We should be thankful for the time we've had
It must've been hard to tell me
It wasn't easy for you to tell me
That you've given all you had to give
That you have nothing left to give to our relationship
I can understand you're feeling that way
I know that's how you feel
Everybody's got their life to live
Everyone's got their own path to take
Well, I can say goodbye in the cold morning light
I can accept that we're over in the morning light
But I can't watch love die in the warmth of the night
But I can't bear to witness our love die in the night
If I've got to be strong
If I have to be strong
Don't you know I need to have tonight when you're gone?
I need to have one last night with you before you leave
'Till you go I need to lie here and think about
Until you leave, I need to lie here and reminisce about
The last time that you'll touch me in the morning
The last time we'll make love in the morning
Then just close the door
And then you can go and leave me alone
Leave me as you found me, empty like before
Leave me alone, the way you found me, brokenhearted and empty
(Hey!) Wasn't it yesterday
Hey, remember yesterday
We used to laugh at the wind behind us?
We laughed at everything and anything
Didn't we run away and hope
We would run away and hope
That time wouldn't try to find us (Didn't we run)
That time wouldn't find us
Didn't we take each other
And didn't we stick together
To a place where no one's ever been?
We went to a place where no one had ever been before
Yeah, I really need you near me tonight
I need you to be close to me tonight
'Cause you'll never take me there again
Because we'll never go there again
Let me watch you go
Let me see you leave
With the sun in my eyes
And the sunrise in my eyes
We've seen how love can grow
We've experienced how love can flourish
Now we'll see how it dies
Now we'll see how it crumbles
If I've got to be strong
If I have to be strong
Don't you know I need to have tonight when you're gone?
I need to have one last night with you before you leave
'Till you go I need to hold you until the time
Until you leave, I need to hold you and cherish you
Your hands reach out and touch me in the morning
When you touch me in the morning
(Mornings where blue and gold and we could feel one another living)
When the mornings were blue and gold, and we could feel each other's existence
Then just walk away
Then you can leave me alone
(We walked with a dream to hold and we could take what the world was giving)
When we walked with hope, knowing we can conquer anything
We don't have tomorrow,
We don't have a future anymore
(There's no tomorrow here, there's only love and the time to chase it)
There's no tomorrow for us, only love we could've chased
But we had yesterday
We had the past, memories of our love
(But yesterday's gone my love, there's only now and it's time to face it)
But yesterday is gone for good, and it's time to move on
Touch me in the morning...
Make love to me in the morning, one last time
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Michael Masser, Ron Miller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@suzanneaylieff-phillips2822
Married my Rasta man and danced to this at our wedding rastafari for ever im 60 now
@yvewilliams3735
Choooooon. Listen good, The Crown Prince comes in n out🎤👑🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@rebelchatbout8499
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥, CHUNE, FIRE, speaker box in kitchen BUSS now, 🤣
@johnduncan513
I would pay amiilli for this tune........black power
@Davep-fb9rq
One of his greatest love it
@nevillethompson2928
Strangely hypnotic, like the first time I saw Jack Charlton live on a football pitch in 1968 at Highbury, funny gait, gangly uncoordinated stride, but when he broke into full gallop it was a sight to behold.
@MrAlistar99
Fantastic comparisson.....hope you were supporting leeds that day😂
@christinewilson4215
Love this, miss these tunes. Memory lane, classic👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽
@Davep-fb9rq
Quality the 2 best together
@michaelgayle68
Wah baby, Big Youth taking me back to the days when dances and parties were nice as I would tell you!!!!