You Can't Blame The Youth
Bob Marley & The Wailers Lyrics


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Your teachin' youths to learn in school
How a cow flies over the moon
You teachin' youths to learn in school
How a dish run away with a spoon, so

You can't blame the youth
You can't fool the youth
You can't blame the youth of today

You teach the youths about Christopher Colombus
And you said he was a very great man
You teach the youths about Marco Polo
And you said he was a very great man, so

You can't blame the youth
You can't fool the youth
You can't blame the youth, not at all

When every Christmas comes around
You buy the youth a fancy toy gun
When every Christmas comes around
You buy the youth a fancy toy gun, so

You can't blame the youth
You can't fool the youth
You can't blame the youh, not at all

you teach the youths about Pirate Hawkins
you teach the youths about Pirate Morgan
And you said he was a very great man
you teacher usedteach about Christopher Colombus
And you said he was a very great man
you teacher used teach about Marco Polo, so

You can't blame the youth




You can't fool the youth
You can't blame the youh of today

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "You Can't Blame The Youth" by Bob Marley & The Wailers are a commentary on the education system and its impact on the youth. The song is critical of the teachings that the youth are exposed to, which according to the lyrics include stories of cows flying over the moon and dishes running away with spoons. The song highlights the disconnection between what the education system teaches and what is important for the youth to learn. Bob Marley is critical of the fact that children are being taught about historical figures such as Christopher Colombus and Marco Polo, who are portrayed as heroes, without acknowledging their brutal and oppressive actions towards other cultures. The lyrics suggest that the education system is failing to prepare the youth for the realities of the real world by providing a sanitized version of history.


Furthermore, the song highlights the discrepancy between what adults teach children and what they expose them to in their daily lives. The lyrics mention the hypocrisy of buying toy guns for children at Christmas, while at the same time expressing concern about the youth being exposed to violence.


Overall, "You Can't Blame The Youth" is a song that criticizes the education system and societal values that fail to provide an accurate and relevant education to the youth.


Line by Line Meaning

Your teachin' youths to learn in school
You are instructing young people to gain knowledge through education


How a cow flies over the moon
But you are teaching them things that are untrue and impossible, like a cow flying over the moon


You teach the youths about Christopher Colombus
You are educating young people about the man Christopher Columbus


And you said he was a very great man
And you are portraying him as an admirable figure


When every Christmas comes around
During each holiday season


You buy the youth a fancy toy gun
You purchase for young people a sophisticated replica firearm


you teach the youths about Pirate Hawkins
You are teaching young people about the pirate Hawkins


And you said he was a very great man
And you are touting him as a commendable individual


You can't blame the youth
The young should not be held responsible


You can't fool the youth
The young cannot be easily deceived or fooled


You can't blame the youth of today
The current generation of young people should not be criticized or held accountable for the actions of their predecessors


You can't blame the youth, not at all
The young cannot be held responsible in any way




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETER TOSH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

SKWRL HEAD

Excellent song by Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and The Wailers. Thank you for posting!

Álvaro Sánchez

One of the best songs IMO

Leon Smith

Still teaching the Youth of today lots of nonsensical things and are surprise when they Rebel... When every Christmas come come you buy the youth a pretty toy gun... Well played

Anyasodo Kingsley

Yeah man

idiot box

So true ... you can't blame the youth cause they were never told the TRUTH!!!!! this goes back centuries so you also cannot blame all the adults, because as children they were taught bs

Tapha Nyang

You can't blame the youths of today

Yo te Lo dije

You can't blame the 2019 southamerican youths of today, you can't fool the youths of today

Lenny Hamaker {ahtö_léon}

Heavy tune.

Loretta Alvarez

🙌♥️

Azzam Zamzam

"Roots Rock Reggae"

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