Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and regg… Read Full Bio ↴Buju Banton (born Mark Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He was born in a slum near Kingston, Jamaica called Salt Lane. "Buju" is a nickname which is of Breadfruit. The name is ironic in light of Mark Myrie's slim frame and large head, but it is, nevertheless, the nickname his mother gave him as a child. "Banton" is a Jamaican word referring to someone with a superior attitude and a gift with speech, but it was also the name of a local artist Burro Banton that Buju admired as a child. It was Burro's rough gravelly vocals that Buju emulated and ultimately made his own. Buju's mother was a higgler, or street vendor while his father worked as a labourer at a tile factory. He was one of fifteen children born into a family which was directly descended from the Maroons, a group of escaped slaves who proudly fought off the British colonialists.

As a youngster, Buju would often watch his favourite artists perform at outdoor shows and local dancehalls. At the tender age of 13 he picked up the microphone for himself and began toasting under the monicker of "Gargamel". His first single, "The Ruler" was released not long afterwards in 1987 under the production of Robert French at Penthouse Studios.

In 1991, Buju joined Donovan Germain's Penthouse Label and began a fruitful partnership with producer Dave Kelly. Buju is one of the most popular musicians in Jamaican history, having burst onto the charts there suddenly in 1992, with "Bogle" and "Love Me Browning/Love Black Woman", both massive hits in Jamaica. Controversy erupted over Love Me Browning which spoke of Banton's preference for light-skinned women: "Mi love mi car mi love mi house mi love mi money and ting, but most of all mi love mi browning." Some accused Banton of promoting a colonialist attitude and denigrating the beauty of black women. In response, he released "Black Woman" which spoke of his love for dark-skinned beauties: "Stop cry, fi all black woman, respect all the gyals with dark complexion." 1992 was an explosive year for Buju as he broke the great Bob Marley's record for the greatest number of number one singles in a year. Beginning with "Man fi Dead", Buju's gruff voice dominated the Jamaican airwaves for the duration of the year. Banton's debut album, Mr. Mention, includes his greatest hits from that year.

1992 was also the year in which the controversy over Buju's homophobic "Boom Bye Bye" exploded. The media in Great Britain picked up on Buju's less than admirable promotion of violence against homosexuals. Myrie, who had recently signed with Mercury records, refused to back down from his stance against homosexuals, claiming his religious beliefs prevented him from accepting homosexuality. Banton downplayed the violent content of his song, claiming that it was metaphorical. Gay Rights groups campaigned against Buju as well as Shabba Ranks who, when asked about the controversy on the British show The Word, stated, "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." Shabba later apologized, but Buju refused to back down which drew the ire of various homosexual advocacy groups who continue to campaign against him.

Banton released the hard-hitting Voice of Jamaica in 1993. The album included a number of conscious tracks. These tracks included "Deportees" a song which criticized those Jamaicans who went abroad but never sent money home, a remix of Little Roy's "Tribal War", a sharp condemnation of political violence, and "Willy, Don't Be Silly" which promoted condom use. The conscious spin of this disc did little to stop the attacks of gay rights groups who felt that his continued performance of "Boom Bye Bye" was a slap in their faces. Some dancehall fans felt that Banton could have exploded onto the American scene if his homophobic song hadn't held him back. Nevertheless, Buju was adopted by many new fans who appreciated his gravelly vocals and cared little about his homophobia.

Til Shiloh (1995) was a very influential album, using a studio band instead of synthesized music, and marking a slight shift away from dancehall towards roots reggae for Banton. Buju turned Rasta and his new album reflected his new beliefs. Til Shiloh is one of the greatest dancehall albums of all time and successfully blended conscious lyrics with a hard-hitting dancehall vibe. The album included a single called "Murderer" which condemned the violence in Jamaican dancehall music, inspired by the murders of dancehall musicians Panhead and Dirtsman. The song inspired several clubs to stop playing songs with excessively violent subject matter. This conscious album had a large impact on dancehall music and showed the hunger the dancehall massive had for conscious lyrics. Dancehall music did not move away from slack and violent lyrics, but the album did pave the way for a greater spirituality within the music.

Inna Heights (1997) substantially increased Banton's international audience as Buju explored his singing ability and recorded a number of roots-tinged tracks. Banton covered The Silvertones' "Destiny" and recorded songs with such artists as Beres Hammond and the legendary Toots Hibbert. The album was well-received but had distribution problems. Also, some fans were disappointed, having hoped for another ground-breaking album like "Til Shiloh." Still, Buju's experimentation and soaring vocals impressed many fans and this album remains a highly regarded work.

In 1998, Buju met the punk band Rancid and recorded two tracks with them: "Misty Days" and "Life Won't Wait." The latter became the title track of Rancid's 1999 album, Life Won't Wait. Subsequently, Buju signed with Rancid's eclectic Anti, a subsidiary of Epitaph and released Unchained Spirit in 2000.

In March 2003 he released Friends for Life, which featured more sharply political songs, including "Mr. Nine", an anti-gun song that further verified his status as one of reggae's most anti-confrontational artists.

Banton's 2006 album Too Bad got him nominated for a second Grammy but despite the album's brilliance and artistic excellence "Too Bad" did not garner the award. "Too Bad" brings us back to the Buju of the nineties with his rough phenomenal voice backed by hypnotic beats and conscious lyrics that seem to stay on repeat in your head. "Too Bad" is a complete listen from start to finish and is an extra success because the Gargamel executive produced the album on his own label.

On April 21, 2009, Buju released the often delayed album Rasta Got Soul. This is Banton's ninth album and features the hit single Magic City. This release sees Buju returning to roots and culture reggae. The album received a Grammy nomination in the Best Reggae Album category.

As of December 2009, Buju allegedly attempted to buy cocaine from an undercover officer in Miami and faces up to life in prison if convicted. The trial of Banton began on September 20, 2010 in Tampa, Florida.

It's All Over
Buju Banton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Girls in supply, Buju Banton expressing his feelings
Look at the action of the girls
Lord have mercy, I am getting excited

Woman are mashing up to town
From the head to the ground
And the men are rejoicing
It's all over

She's on the starting line
Now they're off

If you stop to look you will see everyone at last
It is the sweetness of your body that makes you excel
The girl up front, she won't last
Flourishing, nourishing, everything else
The ragamuffin could ever want
Men are craving for your body
They think it must be some glue
They tell their girlfriends they have left them

Woman are mashing up to town
From the head to the ground
And the men are rejoicing
It's all over
She's on the starting line
Now they're off

I can't tell you how much I want you, right now
I'm coming to get you, serious talk now
You could barricade the door or your father could
Be guarding you with a 404 rifle
The rest of my life I will devote
Let's go make a martimonal house
Woman every groove and every angle fit
It must be aerobic class
I can imagine what it would be like with you

Woman are mashing up to town
From the head to the ground
And the men are rejoicing
It's all over
She's on the starting line
Now they're off

Do it when you're young, you can't wait til you're older
Tell the girl to move, get out of the way
All the things you have expensive
Buju Banton is speaking and the world is crowed
The girl is being used and not seen any results after
Men using women like how they use plaster
Look how the girls wrecking the corner
What Buju Banton say...hea hea

Woman are mashing up to town
From the head to the ground
And the men are rejoicing
It's all over
She's on the starting line
Now they're off

Look at the girl moving in the center
Wiggling, jiggling all over
Men are after you body like termite to lumber
The amount of men you want is more than number
Sho Buju us here and it's a Drama

Woman are mashing up to town
From the head to the ground
And the men are rejoicing
It's all over

She's on the starting line
Now they're off

Overall Meaning

In Buju Banton's "It's All Over," the artist is expressing his appreciation and admiration for the female form. He observes the girls around him and notes their movements, expressing that he is getting excited. He notes that men around are rejoicing in the presence of the women, and he appreciates the beauty of their bodies.

Banton notes that the women are heading to town, and men will crave their bodies. However, he also warns women not to wait until they are older to live their lives and to move out of the way of men who are only using them. Banton is vocal about what he sees regarding the actions of the women around him.

Overall, the lyrics are respectful of women and their beauty, but also savvy about the ways men interact with them. Buju makes it clear that he is not one of those men, as he sings about wanting to devote his life to one woman.

Line by Line Meaning

Girls in supply, Buju Banton expressing his feelings
Buju Banton is observing the women around and expressing his emotions about them.

Look at the action of the girls
He is paying attention to the behavior of the women.

Lord have mercy, I am getting excited
His excitement is increasing.

Woman are mashing up to town
Women are moving energetically to the town.

From the head to the ground
Their movements are from head to ground, covering every part.

And the men are rejoicing
Men are celebrating and showing their happiness.

It's all over
This is the end of something.

She's on the starting line
A woman is ready to start something.

Now they're off
Now they have begun.

If you stop to look you will see everyone at last
If you take a break and look, you will eventually see every person.

It is the sweetness of your body that makes you excel
The sweetness of a woman's body is responsible for her success in attracting men.

The girl up front, she won't last
The woman at the front will not be able to hold the attention of men.

Flourishing, nourishing, everything else
Women are flourishing and nourishing, giving everything else that men could want.

The ragamuffin could ever want
This fulfills the desires of men.

Men are craving for your body
Men are longing for a woman's body.

They think it must be some glue
Some men believe there must be glue that holds men to women's bodies.

They tell their girlfriends they have left them
They break up with their girlfriends to pursue other women.

I can't tell you how much I want you, right now
Buju Banton is expressing how much he desires a particular woman at the moment.

I'm coming to get you, serious talk now
He intends to pursue the woman seriously.

You could barricade the door or your father could
It would be difficult for the woman to block him from reaching her.

Be guarding you with a 404 rifle
Even if her father were to protect her with a strong weapon.

The rest of my life, I will devote
He intends to dedicate the rest of his life to this woman.

Let's go make a martimonal house
They should build a matrimonial house together.

Woman every groove and every angle fit
A woman is very suitable, fitting perfectly in every way.

It must be aerobic class
Their movements must be like those in an aerobics class.

I can imagine what it would be like with you
He is picturing what it would be like to be with the woman.

Do it when you're young, you can't wait til you're older
One should act on their desires while still young, rather than waiting until they are older.

Tell the girl to move, get out of the way
Move aside to make way for the woman he desires.

All the things you have expensive
The woman he is interested in has expensive tastes and possessions.

Buju Banton is speaking and the world is crowed
Buju Banton's words are attracting a large crowd.

The girl is being used and not seen any results after
Women are being used by men and not receiving any benefits in return.

Men using women like how they use plaster
Men use women like how plaster is used for fixing walls.

Look how the girls wrecking the corner
The women are going wild in that corner.

What Buju Banton say...hea hea
Buju Banton is amused by what he is seeing.

Look at the girl moving in the center
He is watching a woman moving in the center and drawing attention to herself.

Wiggling, jiggling all over
She is moving and shaking all over the place.

Men are after you body like termite to lumber
Men are pursuing this woman's body like termites to wood.

The amount of men you want is more than number
The woman has many men after her.

Sho Buju us here and it's a Drama
Buju Banton's presence causes an uproar and excitement.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cleveland Browne, Wycliffe Johnson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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