Bunny Wailer (born as Neville Livingston on 10 April 1947 in Kingston, Jama… Read Full Bio ↴Bunny Wailer (born as Neville Livingston on 10 April 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica-2 March 2021) was a three-time Grammy Award winner, singer, percussionist and devoted Rastafarian, known for the reggae classic Dreamland. He is founding member of reggae group The Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Bunny, Marley's step brother, toured with the band in England and USA after the success with the 1973 albums Catch A Fire and Burnin', but meant it was against Rastafari to perform for almost only white people and left Wailers 1973. He then made a number of solo reggae albums. Blackheart Man (1976) is a good example of his religious roots reggae, and Rock 'n' Groove (1981) of solid uptempo Sly & Robbie based reggae. He started to tour internationally again and is regarded as one of the most important reggae artists ever. Bunny Wailer has won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1991, 1995 and 1997.
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Bunny Wailer was a singer, songwriter and percussionist, born Neville O'Riley Livingston on April 10, 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was founder and an original member of ska, rocksteady and reggae group The Wailers (formed 1963) along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. The young Livingston spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Mile in St. Ann Parish. It was there that he first met Bob Marley, and the two toddlers became fast friends. The boys both came from one parent families; Livingston was being brought up by his father, Marley by his mother. Later, Bunny's father Thaddeus "Toddy" Livingston lived with Bob Marley's mother Cedella Booker and had a daughter with her named Pearl Livingston. Peter Tosh had a son, Andrew Tosh, with another of Bunny's sisters, Shirley, making Andrew his nephew

Livingston was underused as a writer and lead vocalist in The Wailers compared with Marley and Tosh. When Wailers regularly changed producers during the early reggae years in the late 1960s, Livingston continued to be a key part of the group's distinctive harmonies. He sang however lead on "Dreamland" (a cover of El Tempos' My Dream Island, which soon became Bunny's signature song), "Riding High", "Brainwashing" and on one verse of the Wailers' Impressions-like "Keep On Moving", both produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. In 1971, he recorded the original version of Pass It On

Bunny Wailer toured with the Wailers in England and the United States, but soon became reluctant to leave Jamaica. He and Tosh became more marginalized in the group as the Wailers became an international success, and attention was increasingly focused on Marley. Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh subsequently left the Wailers to pursue solo careers. They were replaced by the I Threes, a move to broaden the base of success for the Wailers in the non-Jamaican market.

After leaving the Wailers, Bunny became more focused on his spiritual faith. He identified with the Rastafari movement, as did the other Wailers. He self-produced a number of his recordings after striking out on his own. He has also written much of his own material as well as re-recording a number of cuts from the Wailers catalogue. Bunny Wailer has recorded primarily in the roots style, in keeping with his often political and spiritual messages. The album "Blackheart Man" is a good example of his roots reggae style and the dub version,Dub d*sco vol 1 equally magnificent if hard to find. "Sings the Wailers" successfully reworks many of The Wailers songs with the backing of top Jamaican musicians, Sly and Robbie. He has also had success recording in the typically apolitical, more pop dancehall style. He has outlived his contemporaries in a culture where death by violence is commonplace.

Bunny Wailer has won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1990, 1994 and 1996.

Bunny Wailer died on 2 March 2021.

ALBUMS WITH ORIGINAL MATERIAL

* ''Blackheart Man'' (1976) [[Island Records|Island]]/Solomonic
* ''Protest'' (1977) Island/Solomonic
* ''Struggle'' (1978) Solomonic
* ''Dubd'sco vol.1'' (1978) Solomonic
* ''In I Father's House'' (1979) Solomonic
* ''Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers'' (1980) Island/Solomonic
* ''Dubd'sco vol.2'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Rock 'n' Groove'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Tribute'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Hook Line & Sinker'' (1982) Solomonic
* ''Roots Radics Rockers Reggae'' (1983) [[Shanachie Records|Shanachie]]
* ''Live!'' (1983) Solomonic
* ''Marketplace'' (1985) Solomonic
* ''Rootsman Skanking'' (1987) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Rock And Groove'' edited version plus 3 extra tracks)
* ''Rule Dance Hall'' (1987) Shanachie
* ''Liberation'' (1989) Shanachie
* ''Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley'' (1990) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Tribute'' + 2 extra tracks)
* ''Gumption'' (1990) Shanachie
* ''The Never Ending Wailers'' (1991)
* ''Dance Massive'' (1992)
* ''Just Be Nice'' (1993) [[RAS Records|RAS]]
* ''Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary'' (1996) RAS
* ''Communication'' (2000) Solomonic/Tuff Gong
* ''World Peace'' (2003) Solomonic
* ''Rub A Dub'' (2007) Solomonic
* ''Cross Culture'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Combinations Vol.1'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Blackheart Man (Remastered & Extended)'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Reincarnated Souls'' (2013), VP - 3CD + 2DVD set

Dash Wey The Vial
Bunny Wailer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey!

I say you dash wey the vial rasta man!
For thou art royal blood.
You art a prince and son of the dread nyah binghi one.
So remember your blood line
and stick to the roots of mankind.

And nuh follow mystery babylon rasta man!
For she's a drunk already.
Don't pollute your brains with no drugs of cocaine.
Declare yourself a nazarene
and keep Jah Jah imple clean.

For wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging
who is deceived by it isn't wise.
Wine is a mocker drugs make you crazy
listen to reality and open your eyes.

Step upon the dragon rasta man!
For he's the falling angel.
Stand firm rasta dread lock at the gates of Zion.
Don't let the devil get you in a spell.
Just do the Master's will.

Higher One Him a The Higher One!

Jam in a the house of dreadlocks rasta!
This ya house no carry no imposter.
This ya house no carry no vial worshippers.

I said it stands for the nyah binghi order.
Which say death to black and white downpressors.

Overall Meaning

In Bunny Wailer's song "Dash Wey The Vial", he urges his fellow Rastafarians to remember their royal bloodlines and avoid the pitfalls of Babylonian society. He encourages them to resist the temptation of drugs, particularly cocaine, and to declare themselves as Nazarenes, following the ways of Jah Jah. Wailer warns against the dangers of alcohol and drugs, emphasizing that they can have a negative impact on a person's well-being and prevent them from realizing their full potential. He calls on his brothers and sisters to stand firm against the devil and to do the Master's will, following the teachings of the Rastafarian faith to attain higher spiritual heights.

The song "Dash Wey The Vial" was included on Bunny Wailer's 1981 album "Rock 'n' Groove" and is considered a key track in Wailer's discography. The song addresses many of the key tenets of the Rastafari movement, including the importance of resisting Babylonian temptations, the significance of Nyahbinghi drumming, and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Wailer's lyrics are powerful and inspiring, encouraging listeners to be proud of their heritage and to stay true to themselves in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey!
Bunny Wailer starts the song by getting the attention of the listener.

I say you dash wey the vial rasta man!
He advises the listener to get rid of drug addiction and live a clean life.

For thou art royal blood.
He reminds the listener that they are part of a noble lineage.

You art a prince and son of the dread nyah binghi one.
The listener is reminded that they belong to a royal family of Nyah Binghi.

So remember your blood line
He tells the listener to be proud of their heritage.

and stick to the roots of mankind.
He advises the listener to stay true to their roots and not get lost in the modern world's distractions.

And nuh follow mystery babylon rasta man!
He advises the listener not to follow the corrupt ways of Babylon.

For she's a drunk already.
He refers to Babylon as already corrupted, and with no way to salvation.

Don't pollute your brains with no drugs of cocaine.
He warns the listener against the use of drugs and ruining their entire lives.

Declare yourself a nazarene
He advises the listener to declare their faith and belief in the values of Nazarene.

and keep Jah Jah imple clean.
He advises the listener to keep their body free from impurity and uncleanliness.

For wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging
He warns that alcohol is harmful to one's health and can have a destructive impact on the mind and body.

who is deceived by it isn't wise.
He states that anyone who falls prey to the harmful effects of alcohol is not wise in their actions.

Wine is a mocker drugs make you crazy
He warns that drugs are harmful to one's health and can drive a person crazy.

listen to reality and open your eyes.
He advises the listener to look at reality and protect themselves from the hazards of drug addiction.

Step upon the dragon rasta man!
He advises the listener to fight against evil and injustice, represented by the figure of the dragon.

For he's the falling angel.
He refers to the dragon as a fallen angel and an enemy of goodness.

Stand firm rasta dread lock at the gates of Zion.
He advises the listener to stay firm and protect themselves from evil.

Don't let the devil get you in a spell.
He warns the listener against the devil's influence and possession.

Just do the Master's will.
He advises the listener to follow the will of the Almighty and do good.

Higher One Him a The Higher One!
He reminds the listener that there is a Higher Power above all and advises them to trust and have faith in Him.

Jam in a the house of dreadlocks rasta!
He invites the listener to join the Nyah Binghi order and its traditions.

This ya house no carry no imposter.
He assures the listener that the Nyah Binghi order is free from deception and false beliefs.

This ya house no carry no vial worshippers.
He assures the listener that the Nyah Binghi order does not encourage drug addiction.

I said it stands for the nyah binghi order.
He explains that the Nyah Binghi order stands for purity and righteousness.

Which say death to black and white downpressors.
He expresses solidarity with oppressed people worldwide and asserts his stand against injustice and racism.

Contributed by James T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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