Born in the garden parish of St Ann, Busy Signal - born Reanno Gordon - sta… Read Full Bio ↴Born in the garden parish of St Ann, Busy Signal - born Reanno Gordon - started singing hymns at his Mother's church, which is where he received his first encore. When church was over, Reanno would sit on the corner with his friends and flip the devotional lyrics, until his Mother's guiding hand cautioned him for altering the Lord's songs. Reanno continued performing at school, beating his fists in time on his desk and deejaying Bounty Killer's songs (he claims to know all of Bounty's lyrics) before progressing to his own material.

Since stepping out onto the dancehall scene in 2003, Busy Signal's undeniable talent and lyrical dexterity has taken him quickly to the front of the pack. Busy's breakout hit single - "Step Out" - was one of dancehall's hottest songs for 2005 and with a thugged-out video to match, it signalled the arrival of dancehall's next superstar.

Busy Signal, an alias given to him by a friend because of his constantly busy persona, has always approached his craft from a different perspective, not trodding the usual road of trying to voice on every rhythm out there to try and catch a break. Instead, Busy chose to record songs with concepts attached to them on purpose-built rhythms. The first such track to catch the attention of a wider audience was "Born and Raised", a song in which Busy Signal reps his birthplace and narrates the gritty realities of Jamaica.

"Even though I was an unknown artist and there was no-one else on the riddim," says Busy, "the track got good airtime which encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. Producers don't want to give young artists a break more time, so young artists can get stifled. I just work hard on putting creative flows and melodies together and so far people have been feeling it." Already with a big following worldwide, Busy doesn't see his music as stopping in Jamaica. A slew of Busy Signal mix CDs flooded the streets from Halfway Tree to Brixton to Flatbush and beyond, creating and spreading the hype that lead to Busy being the strongest young artist to emerge from 2005.

Busy's self-production and businesslike approach to the industry has seen him already launch his own label, Network Records. The first releases, "Tell Santa Dis" and "Where I'm From" are distributed worldwide and are selling well.

Although Busy didn't rely on familiar rhythms and producers for a break, he has no problem recording for other labels, such as Renaissance, for whom Busy recorded "Not Going Down," showcasing his singing and deejaying abilities. Other tracks from Busy include "Because of You," with Tami Chin on the Throwback Giggy beat, "That Bad," and "Pharmacy" for Don Corleon, "Fade Away" for John John and "Too Much Gun," which sees Busy in explosive form, delivering rapid fire lyrics atop the reworked Man Fi Dead (Petty Thief) soundbed.

The end of 2005 saw Busy Signal garner immense critical success from show-stealing appearances on all the major stage shows across Jamaica, including the Smirnoff Experience alongside Sean Paul, Bobby Valentino and others, as well as Island Explosion, Camp Fire and West Kingston Jamboree. And of course there was the already-legendary debut appearance at 6.45am on the toughest stage in the world - the infamous Sting reggae concert. Busy stepped out in the rising sun adorned in full black and underlined why he is here to stay.

2006 has seen no ease up in Busy's momentum, with a headline grabbing performance at Reggae Sumfest 2006, where he performed solo on Dancehall Night and was also called up by G Unit on International Night. With successful tours of the UK, the Caribbean and Japan already knocked down and with Step Out breaking new ground on the esteemed Billboard chart, Busy is already being heralded as a new icon in the business.

Not Going Down
Busy Signal Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Intro:]
Mek dem know this, Jamaica!

[Chorus]

We not going down,and dem huff an
Dem a puff and dem a frown.
Can't tek di getto youth dem fi clown; cause what goes around, comes all the way around.

Too much man a get slue.
You betta watch what u say or do.
Cause it just might happen to u.
When u work hard but chosen a few.
(I)
Got some news today
(I)
How much getto youths dem slay.
(I)
Got some things to say
(I)
There must be a britter way.
[Verse 1]

Tell dem fi stop from, bus up di glac and put down the mac. some a gawn like dem can't do without it. To how the time a go nah, thank god for the life for the life weh we have, cause we can't live without it.

[Chorus]
We not going down,and dem huff an
Dem a puff and dem a frown. Can't tek di getto youth dem fi clown; cause what goes around, comes all the way around.

Too much man a get slue.
You betta watch what u say or do. cause it just might happen to u. when u work hard but chosen a few.

[verse 2]

Some can't find food, to how the place a run.
Some can't go a school, to how the place a run.
Man a broke all the rule, to how the place a run.
Tell dem nuh badda pick up the gun, put it down.

Palitition trick we, then turn round kick we. Wham to the education me pick'ne.
Reality check, when di bills dem lick me, mi call pan the fada quickly busy (busy)

[Chorus]
We not going down,and dem huff an
Dem a puff and dem a frown. Can't tek di getto youth dem fi clown; cause what goes around, comes all the way around.

Too much man a get slue.
You betta watch what u say or do. cause it just might happen to u. when u work hard but chosen a few.
(beat goin.....)
Let dem know this

We not going down,and dem huff an
Dem a puff and dem a frown. Can't tek di getto youth dem fi clown; cause what goes around, comes all the way around.

Too much man a get slue.
You betta watch what u say or do. cause it just might happen to u. when u work hard but chosen a few.

Too much man a get slue.
You betta watch what u say or do.
Cause it just might happen to u.
When u work hard but chosen a few.
(I)
Got some news today
(I)
How much getto youths dem slay.
(I)
Got some things to say
(I) there must be a britter way.

[Verse 1]

Tell dem fi stop from, bus up di glac and put down the mac. Some a gawn like dem can't do without it. To how the time a go nah, thank god for the life for the life weh we have, cause we can't live without it.

[Chorus]
We not going down,and dem huff an
Dem a puff and dem a frown. Can't tek di getto youth dem fi clown; cause what goes around, comes all the way around.

Too much man a get slue.
You betta watch what u say or do.
Cause it just might happen to u.

When u work hard but chosen a few.
[Repeat.... until song ends]

Overall Meaning

The song "Not Going Down" by Busy Signal sends a message of hope and strength to the youth in Jamaica who are facing poverty, violence and struggles on a daily basis. The chorus emphasizes the idea that they will not be defeated and will not allow themselves to be treated as clown or subjected to violence, because they know that what goes around, comes all the way around. The lyrics also comment on the challenges that the youth face in finding food, going to school, and being safe from gun violence. The song encourages them to work hard and to stay away from violence and criminal activities because it just might result in negative consequences for them.

The verses present a strong message of unity and hope. Busy Signal urges people to "stop from bus up di glac and put down the mac" which translates to "stop destroying the community and put down the guns." He also emphasizes the importance of education and calls on people to pick themselves up after difficult times. The song is a powerful social commentary on the challenges of life in Jamaica's inner cities.

Line by Line Meaning

Mek dem know this, Jamaica!
Let Jamaica know what is important.

We not going down,and dem huff an Dem a puff and dem a frown. Can't tek di getto youth dem fi clown; cause what goes around, comes all the way around.
We won't be defeated by the negativity of others, and they can try to bring us down, but ultimately what they give out will come back to them. Don't make fun of people from the ghetto because it will come back to you one day.

Too much man a get slue. You betta watch what u say or do. Cause it just might happen to u. When u work hard but chosen a few.
Many people are being killed, so be careful what you say and do. It may just happen to you. It is not fair when you work hard, but only a select few get chosen for success.

(I) Got some news today (I) How much getto youths dem slay. (I) Got some things to say (I) There must be a britter way.
I received some news today about the number of ghetto youths being killed. I have something to say about it, and there must be a better way to handle this.

Tell dem fi stop from, bus up di glac and put down the mac. Some a gawn like dem can't do without it. To how the time a go nah, thank god for the life for the life weh we have, cause we can't live without it.
Stop destroying the streets and putting down weapons. Some people act like they can't live without it, but we should be grateful for the lives we have because our lives matter.

Some can't find food, to how the place a run. Some can't go a school, to how the place a run. Man a broke all the rule, to how the place a run. Tell dem nuh badda pick up the gun, put it down.
Some people can't even afford food or go to school because of how society is. Some people are breaking the rules because of how tough things are. Don't pick up a gun; put it down.

Palitition trick we, then turn round kick we. Wham to the education me pick'ne. Reality check, when di bills dem lick me, mi call pan the fada quickly busy (busy)
Politicians trick us, then they turn around and kick us. The education system has failed. When bills start piling up, I quickly call on God.

Contributed by Andrew P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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