As a young boy he grew in a rasta community were he learned techniques of vocal chanting and hand drumming. In the late 1950s, he (with other percussionists) formed the Count Ossie Group. His first sound recordings were made after meeting Prince Buster. One of those was a song "Oh Carolina," is regarded by some music historians as the first-ever ska record. During this period Count Ossie also recorded for Harry Mudie.
He formed a group called "Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari," and during his life issused two albums that he recorded with them. His masterpiece was "Grounation" (Ashanti 1973), 3 LP set, which includes songs as "Oh Carolina", "So Long", and "Grounation" (the latter title with over 30 minutes running time).
Two years later "Tales Of Mozambique" (Dynamic 1975) was issued, continuing the legacy of the first album.
Oh Carolina
Count Ossie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh Carolina, oh Carolina, oh Carolina
Oh Carolina my sweet darling hold me tight
Oh I'm so lonely
Yes I'm so lonely
Oh I'm so lonely
'Cause you left me
Why did you leave last night
Carolina my darling
Oh my love for you
Carolina my honey
Know I love only you
Count Ossie's Oh Carolina is a love song that is deeply emotional and powerful. The song opens with the singer calling out Carolina's name repeatedly, begging for her to hold him tight. He expresses his loneliness and sorrow, asking why she left him the previous night. The singer's intense longing for Carolina emphasizes the pain of separation and the depth of his love for her. Count Ossie's use of "Oh Carolina" at the beginning of each verse and his lamentation over Carolina's departure indicate the profound feeling of loss and the need to hold onto her.
The repetition of the phrase "Oh Carolina" serves as a reminder of the singer's intense love for her. He doesn't want to let her go and expresses the extent of his devotion by telling her that he loves only her. The song's simple melody and repetitive lyrics draw the listener in, emphasizing the singer's feelings of isolation and heartbreak. The pure and unadulterated emotions conveyed in the song make it easy for anyone to relate to the heartache expressed.
Line by Line Meaning
Carolina
Acknowledge the presence of Carolina, calling out its name thrice.
Oh Carolina, oh Carolina, oh Carolina
Express fondness for Carolina, repeating its name thrice with emotion.
Oh Carolina my sweet darling hold me tight
Desire for Carolina to come back, expressing emotional closeness and longing.
Oh I'm so lonely
Express deep feelings of isolation and sadness.
Yes I'm so lonely
Reiterate the expression of isolation and sadness.
Oh I'm so lonely
Further expound on the feeling of isolation and sadness.
'Cause you left me
Attribute the cause of the feelings to the departure of a significant other.
Why did you leave last night
Question the reason for the significant other's departure.
Carolina my darling
Address Carolina with a term of endearment.
Oh my love for you
Express deep affection towards Carolina.
Carolina my honey
Address Carolina with another term of endearment.
Know I love only you
Express exclusivity in emotional attachment towards Carolina.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN FOLKES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@realityshotgun
I know this comment is ancient, but for anyone here in the present let's settle some things.
No, this song doesn't "piss all over Shaggy's effort."
This original version has a lot of things going for it. It's raw, authentic, catchy. You can feel the fun of the performance. You can sense how the guys jamming were into it, feeling each other's rhythms and adding their contribution to the whole to make a wonderful song.
Shaggy's version adds a bunch of fun reggae lyrics. He clearly has love for this original, but brings his attitude to the performance that adds something fresh and fun. The music itself, is a blast to listen to, something that can really get people moving, while also keeping the original at the core with sampling of the piano and great new hand drumming.
But seriously let's be honest. Music evolves and changes. It is possible to be critical of a song and still think it's good. The original doesn't have any sort of audio mixing. The drumming overpowers everyone else in the band. And again, being honest here, the lyrics are super simple, repetitive, and don't bring much to the table as far as finding any meaning. You can't dance to this like Shaggy's version.
Does any of this make it a worse song? Not really. A lot of this is subjective. But to act like this is some masterpiece while Shaggy's is trash... that isn't subjective. It's not true. They are different songs at the end of the day and they are both great.
Did I want to get this deep into reviewing "Oh, Carolina?"
No.
But I see this type of comment on literally EVERY single original song that was later covered. It's bullshit. Does it make you people feel cool? Like you discovered something old and unique? Guess what? The people who covered it found it way before you, and they're popular. Way cooler than you'll ever be.
Is it because "old = better?" Like you can't admit modern music has brought anything good to the art.
Either way, public service announcement to you potential budding hipsters; Don't be a dumb ass hipster like this. Learn what "nuance" means. And realize that you can like both for different reasons.
I can't believe a 7 year old comment triggered me this bad. 🤣
@catboyzee
The hand drumming on this track are PURE LIFE.
@realityshotgun
Yeah it's awesome, it's too bad they didn't have modern audio equipment to level that audio of the drums off. While a part of me loves the rawness and authenticity, a properly mixed version of this would be incredible. Because it sounds like the drums are my eardrums, lol
@stephenmaynard7856
This is Nyabinghi hand drumming from the Count Ossie Group - the genuine article!
@muttleylawman884
@@realityshotgun Should've gotten Bongo Herman!
@ikongchin3088
Exactly
@ikongchin3088
@@stephenmaynard7856truth
@adamreeves2408
This was revolutionary on release... the Rastas were viewed as an outlaw class in the early 1960s and suddenly Count Ossie had a hit record and was all over the radio. Arguably, this is one of the first Roots tunes (along with the Folks Brothers much heavier and rootsier 'Lumumba'.
@howardclark6125
Thanks Adam. Great insights.
@BoomBapProductions
this was the first "ska" tune with autehntic Rasta musician... the first to tie th mainstream and rasta together.. a unification of jamaica through music. sweet... you can hear the nervousness of the singer in this.. it was rebel music in its purist form!!
@deeceeluton
Definitely released in 1963. I bought it in a tiny Jamaican record store on Portobello Road. Just released this week is The Story Of Blue Beat. A double CD that contains the first 24 releases on the Blue Beat label in 1960. Give it a try.