babylon
Bob and Omar Lyrics
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What you wanted us to be
We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be, if you don't know
You can't educate I
For no equal opportunity (talkin' 'bout my freedom)
Talkin' 'bout my freedom
People freedom and liberty!
Rebel, rebel!
Yes, we've been trodding on the winepress much too long
Rebel, rebel!
Babylon system is the vampire, yea! (vampire)
Suckin' the children day by day, yeah!
Me say de Babylon system is the vampire, falling empire,
Suckin' the blood of the sufferers, yeah!
Building church and university, wooh, yeah!
Deceiving the people continually, yeah!
Me say them graduatin' thieves and murderers
Look out now they suckin' the blood of the sufferers (sufferers)
Yea! (sufferers)
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth right now!
Come on and tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Come on and tell the children the truth
'Cause, 'cause we've been trodding on ya winepress much too long
Rebel, rebel!
And we've been takin' for granted much too long
Rebel, rebel!
(Trodding on the winepress) Trodding on the winepress (rebel)
Got to rebel, y'all (rebel)
We've been trodding on the winepress much too long, yeah! (rebel)
Yeah! (rebel) Yeah! Yeah!
From the very day we left the shores (trodding on the winepress)
Of our Father's land (rebel)
We've been trampled on (rebel)
Oh now! (takin' for granted) Lord, Lord
The song "Babylon" by Bob Marley and the Wailers is a powerful political statement about oppression, the corrupt Babylonian system, and the struggle for freedom. The lyrics express a deep resistance to the control placed on individuals by those in power. Bob and Omar assert that they will not conform to the expectations of society and that they will remain true to themselves. They refuse to be indoctrinated and will fight for their freedom, analogous to People’s freedom and liberty. The use of the term “winepress” is metaphoric, and it means that the slaves have toiled and sweated enough to make wine for their oppressors, and the Babylonian system rewards them by enslaving them even more. Bob and Omar, therefore, echo their sentiments by saying that they have “been trodding on the winepress much too long and will rebel, rebel!”
The song also questions the motives of the Babylonian system, which builds institutions such as churches and universities but uses them to deceive people continually. They claim that the system graduates thieves and murderers who suck the blood of the sufferers. here, the song is an outcry against the hypocrisy of the elite, who parade themselves and their institutions as agents of change, but in reality, they entrench the very system that oppresses the poor. The song, therefore, calls for a true revolution, one that tells children the truth and brings a genuine change to society.
Line by Line Meaning
We refuse to be
What you wanted us to be
We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be, if you don't know
We won't conform to your expectations. We'll be ourselves, and you need to accept that.
You can't educate I
For no equal opportunity (talkin' 'bout my freedom)
Talkin' 'bout my freedom
People freedom and liberty!
You can't teach me to be like you, because you don't give me the same chances. I'm talking about my right to freedom, and the freedom and rights of all people.
Yeah, we've been trodding on the winepress much too long
Rebel, rebel!
Yes, we've been trodding on the winepress much too long
Rebel, rebel!
We've been oppressed for too long, and we're not going to take it anymore. It's time to rebel against the system that's been holding us down.
Babylon system is the vampire, yea! (vampire)
Suckin' the children day by day, yeah!
Me say de Babylon system is the vampire, falling empire,
Suckin' the blood of the sufferers, yeah!
The Babylon system is draining the life out of us, especially the most vulnerable among us. It's a corrupt and decaying empire, and it's feeding off the blood and suffering of those it oppresses.
Building church and university, wooh, yeah!
Deceiving the people continually, yeah!
Me say them graduatin' thieves and murderers
Look out now they suckin' the blood of the sufferers (sufferers)
Yea! (sufferers)
The system is using institutions like the church and universities as a cover for their deception of the people. Those who graduate from these institutions often become part of the corrupt system, exploiting and oppressing the most vulnerable among us.
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth right now!
Come on and tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Come on and tell the children the truth
We need to educate the next generation about the truth of our situation. We need to tell them the whole story, and not just what the system wants us to believe.
'Cause, 'cause we've been trodding on ya winepress much too long
Rebel, rebel!
And we've been takin' for granted much too long
Rebel, rebel!
We've suffered for far too long at the hands of the system. We've been taken advantage of and taken for granted. It's time to rebel against this oppression.
(Trodding on the winepress) Trodding on the winepress (rebel)
Got to rebel, y'all (rebel)
We've been trodding on the winepress much too long, yeah! (rebel)
Yeah! (rebel) Yeah! Yeah!
We need to rebel against those who have been oppressing us for so long. It's time to take action and fight back against the system.
From the very day we left the shores (trodding on the winepress)
Of our Father's land (rebel)
We've been trampled on (rebel)
Oh now! (takin' for granted) Lord, Lord
Since the day we were taken from our homeland, we've been oppressed and mistreated. It's time to rebel against this treatment and fight for our freedom.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOB MARLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind