Get Up Stand Up
Bob Marley and The Wailers Lyrics


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Get up, stand up, stand up for your right (3 times)
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight

Preacher man don't tell me heaven is under the earth
I know you don't know what life is really worth
Is not all that glitters in gold and
Half the story has never been told
So now you see the light, aay
Stand up for your right. Come on

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
(Repeat)

Most people think great God will come from the sky
Take away ev'rything, and make ev'rybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
You stand up for your right, yeah!

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
Get up, stand up. Life is your right
So we can't give up the fight
Stand up for your right, Lord, Lord
Get up, stand up. Keep on struggling on
Don't give up the fight

We're sick and tired of your ism and skism game
Die and go to heaven in Jesus' name, Lord
We know when we understand
Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can't fool all the people all the time
So now we see the light
We gonna stand up for our right

So you'd better get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight




Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight

Overall Meaning

Bob Marley and the Wailers’ song “Get Up Stand Up” is a powerful call to action for people to stand up and fight for their rights. The opening lines of the song emphasize this message as Marley repeats “Get up, stand up, stand up for your right” three times, urging listeners to take action. He addresses religious figures like the “preacher man” who promise afterlife rewards but ignore the struggles of people on earth. Marley also critiques society’s focus on material wealth and reminds listeners that “half the story has never been told.”


The lyrics also suggest that change won’t come from a divine figure, but rather from individuals who fight for their rights here on earth. Marley declares that “life is your right” and encourages listeners to keep struggling and not give up the fight, as he declares “we’re sick and tired of your ism and skism game.” He reminds listeners that although some people may be fooled at times, they can’t be fooled all the time.


Overall, “Get Up Stand Up” is a powerful anthem for social justice and encourages listeners to take action and fight for their rights.


Line by Line Meaning

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right (3 times)
Encouraging everyone to rise up and fight for their rights.


Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
Don't stop fighting for your rights.


Preacher man don't tell me heaven is under the earth
Don't try to deceive me with your religious teachings.


I know you don't know what life is really worth
I don't believe you know the true value of life.


Is not all that glitters in gold and
Not everything that appears valuable is truly so.


Half the story has never been told
Much of the truth has been hidden from us.


So now you see the light, aay
You now understand the truth.


Stand up for your right. Come on
You must fight for your right.


Most people think great God will come from the sky
Many believe that God will come from above to save us.


Take away ev'rything, and make ev'rybody feel high
God will take away our problems and make us feel good.


But if you know what life is worth
If you understand the value of life.


You would look for yours on earth
You would seek to improve your life on this earth.


You stand up for your right, yeah!
You must fight for your rights.


Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Encouraging everyone to rise up and fight for their rights.


Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
Don't stop fighting for your rights.


Life is your right
You have the right to live a good life.


So we can't give up the fight
We must keep fighting for our rights.


Stand up for your right, Lord, Lord
We must fight for our rights, with God's help.


Get up, stand up. Keep on struggling on
Keep fighting for your rights.


Don't give up the fight
Don't stop fighting for your rights.


We're sick and tired of your ism and skism game
We're fed up with your divisive tricks.


Die and go to heaven in Jesus' name, Lord
Don't tell us to wait for death to find happiness with God.


We know when we understand
We know the truth when we discover it.


Almighty God is a living man
God lives within all of us.


You can fool some people sometimes
You can deceive some people, at least for a while.


But you can't fool all the people all the time
You can't deceive everyone all of the time.


We gonna stand up for our right
We will fight for our rights.


So you'd better get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Encouraging everyone to rise up and fight for their rights.


Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
Don't stop fighting for your rights.


Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Encouraging everyone to rise up and fight for their rights.


Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
Don't stop fighting for your rights.




Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BOB MARLEY, PETER TOSH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@qlpqbbhdqz6509

His live singing is way much better than the records..what a legend!

@sweetpotato908

It is unreal that he was able to do that

@bienvvo

Today more than ever: get up, stand up! Stand up for your rights!!

@dagmaraelfman576

For much of the time, Bob sang with his eyes closed, which showed to me that he wasn't singing to boost his ego with audience adulation, he was writing and singing his words with absolute deep sincerity and genuine emotion. Jah bless him.

@anotherway5846

That's what weed does. Check out the others in the band, all fkucd as well.

@triniberto_

Absolutly... wordless, he was a channel, a path not a person, not a mind

@BeatzByArpeggio

@@anotherway5846 close ur mouth. you take weed and i'm sure ur eyes are not closed and even if your'e blind folded you still wont be able to address your immediate family

@BeatzByArpeggio

Did you think of him being a shy person

@martinnew5618

I was lucky enough to be at that Rainbow concert. One of the best live performances I've ever been to.

@markrhedae5399

I wanted to go but I was 15 and my mum wouldn't let me travel from Bristol to London and stay over night. One of the biggest regrets of my life. One love from Spain.

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