No Woman No Cry
Bob Marley feat. 2Pac Lyrics

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No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry

Said, said, said I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown
Oba observing the hypocrites

As they would mingle with the good people we meet
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we've lost
Along the way (way)
In this great future, you can't forget your past
So dry your tears, I say and

No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
'Ere, little darlin', don't shed no tears
No, woman, no cry

Said, said, said, I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown
And then Georgie would make the fire light
As it was log wood burnin' through the night
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge
Of which I'll share with you
My feet is my only carriage
So I've got to push on through
But while I'm gone, I mean

Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right
Everything's gonna be all right

So woman, no cry
No no woman, no woman, no cry
Oh my little sister, don't shed no tears
No woman, no cry

I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown
And then Georgie would make the fire light
As it was log wood burnin' through the night
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge
Of which I'll share with you
My feet is my only carriage
So I've got to push on through
But while I'm gone

No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
Oh my little darlin', say don't shed no tears
No woman, no cry, ay

Little darling, don't shed no tears
No, woman, no cry

Little sister, don't shed no tears
No, woman, no cry

Overall Meaning

The song "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley is often considered an anthem of hope and resilience for the Jamaican people. The refrain "No woman, no cry" might seem like a simple command to not cry to a woman, but in fact, Marley meant something deeper. The phrase "No woman, no cry" is meant to convey a message of encouragement to the women in the world who are struggling with their day-to-day lives. Essentially, the refrain is a call to action for men to treat women better, and also an assertion that women don't need men to survive.

The lyric "In this great future, you can't forget your past" highlights that Marley wants people to remember their pasts, while not allowing them to cloud their present or future lives. The song is further personified through vivid imagery of sitting in the government yard in Trenchtown, reminiscing about good friends lost and watching the hypocrites, yet nothing seems to break the spirit or determination of the singer, as he advises his friend “don’t shed no tears”.

Overall, the song encourages people to be strong and to have courage, even in the face of adversity. Marley's words are a reflection of his deep love for his country and the struggles that the Jamaican people have gone through, but remain hopeful for a brighter future.

Line by Line Meaning

No, woman, no cry
Don't cry, my darling, everything is going to be okay, so please don't shed any tears.

'Cause, 'cause, 'cause I remember when we used to sit In the government yard in Trenchtown
Because I remember the times we spent together in the government yard in Trenchtown.

Oba, observing the hypocrites, yeah
Observing the hypocritical behavior of others.

Mingle with the good people we meet, yeah
Meeting and interacting with good people we came across.

Good friends we have, oh, good friends we've lost Along the way, yeah
We've had good friends, but we've lost some of them along the way.

In this great future, you can't forget your past
In order to move forward in life, one should not forget the past.

So dry your tears, I say, yeah
I advise you to stop crying and cheer up.

Little darlin', don't shed no tears
My sweetheart, please don't cry anymore.

Eh, said, said, said, I remember when we used to sit In the government yard in Trenchtown, yeah
I've told you before, I remember when we spent time together in the government yard in Trenchtown.

And then Georgie would make the fire lights, I say A log wood burnin' through the night, yeah Then we would cook cornmeal porridge, I say Of which I'll share with you, yeah
We used to build fires and cook cornmeal porridge, and I wish to share those moments with you.

My feet is my only carriage And so I've got to push on through
My feet are my only mode of transportation, so I must continue moving forward.

But while I'm gone Everything's gonna be alright
Everything will be alright even in my absence.

No, woman, no, woman, no, woman, no cry
No, my dear, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Vincent Ford

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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