Born in Trench Town, Kingston, Jamaica, Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen. His early years with Coxsone yielded a number of ska hits, the biggest of which, the Lee Perry-written "Joe Liges" was an attack on rival producer and former Dodd employee Prince Buster. This was followed by another Perry-written attack on Buster, "Spit in the Sky". Further singles followed, including "One Two Three", "I Shall Not Remove", "Look Who Is Back Again" (a duet with Slim Smith), and another anti-Buster song, "Prince Pharaoh", notably the only record featuring the voice of Dodd himself.
His voice matured as he left his teens, around the time of ska's transition to rocksteady and this period in the late 1960s produced many hits including one of the first rocksteady records, "Dancing Mood", "Jerk in Time" (with the Wailers), "Feel Good All Over", "I'm Not a King", "True Believer in Love", "Rain From the Skies", "Conquer Me" and "Riding For A Fall". "Won't You Come Home", a duet with Ken Boothe on a rhythm originally cut by The Conquerors for Sonia Pottinger has become one of the most-versioned Jamaican tracks ever.[citation needed] After leaving Studio One he recorded for numerous other producers, with varying degrees of success, and set up his own short-lived W&C label along with Wilburn Cole, and the similarly-fated Links label with Ken Boothe, The Gaylads and The Melodians. He enjoyed success with Bunny Lee in the late 1960s and early 1970s with tracks such as "This Old Heart of Mine", "Footsteps of Another Man", and "Better Must Come". His double A-side "It Hurts"/"Put Yourself in My Place" was a skinhead favourite and narrowly missed UK chart success. He recorded a version of "Run Run", a song he had originally recorded for Dodd, for maverick producer Keith Hudson.
1970 saw Wilson's first tour of the UK, where he also recorded a number of songs for the Trojan record label.
In 1972, Michael Manley's People's National Party chose Wilson's "Better Must Come" as their election campaign song. The same year saw the release of one of his most popular songs, "Cool Operator", which became his nickname. He worked with a string of producers in the years that followed, including Joe Gibbs ("Mash Up Illiteracy", "Pretty Girl"), Gussie Clarke ("Love"), Winston "Niney" Holness ("Rascal Man"), Harry J ("Ask The Lonely"), and Joseph Hoo Kim ("It's a Shame").
In 1976, he recorded a cover of The Wailers' "I'm Still Waiting" for Lloyd Charmers, which was hugely popular, and enjoyed some cross-over success, and was followed by the album Sarge, which is considered one of his strongest. Also a Bob Andy produced song, "The Last Thing On My Mind" rose to number one in Jamaica. Wilson continued the run of success until the end of the decade, but his career floundered during the early 1980s, with releases less common. His fortunes revived in the digital age with releases for King Jammy ("Don't Put The Blame On Me") and Bunny Lee ("Ease Up"), with new albums following, but he again drifted out of the limelight, with his health declining, and is best remembered for his earlier work.
In 1994, Wilson's enduring legacy to Jamaican music was recognized by a special plaque awarded him by the Jamaican government, and presented by the then Prime Minister, Patterson.
Delroy Wilson died on 6 March 1995 at Kingston's UWI hospital, of complications from cirrhosis of the liver. He was 46 years old.
Delroy is referenced by The Clash, in "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais".
In 2013 Wilson was posthumously awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government.
In the 1960s he sang duo with Paulette Williams as Delroy & Paulette.
He was not a part of the duo Higgs and Wilson with Joe Higgs and Roy Wilson(no relation)
He released his first solo single "If I Had a Beautiful Baby" in 1962 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen. His follow-up single "Joe Liges" was written by Lee Perry, then working as a talent spotter/songwriter/singer for Dodd, and was a lyrical attack on former Coxsone employee and now rival, Prince Buster. The record was so popular that his follow-up, "Spit In The Sky", another Perry penned barb aimed at the Prince, was actually credited to Joe Liges when it was released in th UK on the Bluebeat and Black Swan labels.
Delroy's transition to rocksteady in the late 1960s produced many hits including "Conquer Me" and "Riding For A Fall". His classic song "Dancing Mood" remains one of the most popular Jamaican songs from that time. In 1972, Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and his People's National Party chose Wilson's "Better Must Come" as their election campaign song to increase their vote amongst the 'sufferers' in Jamaica. Also a Bob Andy produced song, "The Last Thing On My Mind" rose to number one in Jamaica. Delroy was mainly produced by Bunny Lee throughout the 1970s and continued recording into the early 90s under various producers spanning a career of 30+ years.
Have Some Mercy
Delroy Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't leave me in misery yeah, yeah
Said I feeling I crying
Said I feeling I dying
Since you left me and gone
Since my love been go on
Please come back ho-home
Won't you please come back ho-home?
Since you are gonna kidding
Since you are gonna kiss
Every thing I do seems to go on baby
Little darlin' have some mercy
Every thing I do I say remember you
Won't you come on back
And gimme you say could try
Little darlin' have some mercy
Oh baby have some mercy
Won't you have some mercy?
Since you are gonna kiddin'
Since you are gonna kiss
Every thing I do seems to go on
Little darlin' have some mercy
Every thing I do I say remember you
Won't you come on back
And leave me say "could try"
Little darlin' have some mercy
Oh baby have some mercy
Won't you have some mercy???
Can't you see I'm dying
I'm bending my knees
Came on yeah yeah
The lyrics of Delroy Wilson's "Have Some Mercy" express the pain and desperation of a man whose lover has left him. He pleads with his lover to have mercy and not leave him in misery. He acknowledges that since she left, he has been crying and feeling as if he is dying. He longs for her to come back home so they can start a new life together. He expresses that everything he does seems to remind him of her and his love for her. He begs her to come back and give him a chance to try. The lyrics convey a strong message of love, heartbreak, and the desire for reconciliation.
The lyrics of "Have Some Mercy" are simple but emotionally charged. The repetition of the phrase "have some mercy" emphasizes the singer's pleading and longing for his lover to return. The use of phrases like "since you left me and gone" and "since my love been go on" suggest that the singer has been unable to move on since the departure of his love.
Line by Line Meaning
Have some mercy on me baby
Please show me some compassion, don't be too harsh on me.
Don't leave me in misery yeah, yeah
Please don't abandon me in sadness and despair.
Said I feeling I crying
I am expressing that I am feeling sad and crying.
Said I feeling I dying
I am expressing that I feel like I am dying inside.
Since you left me and gone
Since you left me and went away.
Since my love been go on
Since my love for you has continued.
Please come back ho-home
Please come back home to me.
Won't you please come back ho-home?
Would you please come back to me?
And let to start life new me and you
Let us start a new life together.
Since you are gonna kidding
Since you are going to fool around with others.
Since you are gonna kiss
Since you are going to be kissing someone else.
Every thing I do seems to go on baby
Everything I do reminds me of you, baby.
Little darlin' have some mercy
Please show some mercy, my dear.
Every thing I do I say remember you
Whenever I do anything, I think of you.
Won't you come on back
Please come back.
And gimme you say could try
Give me a chance to try.
Oh baby have some mercy
Oh baby, please be compassionate.
Won't you have some mercy???
Won't you be merciful to me?
Can't you see I'm dying
Can't you see that I am dying inside?
I'm bending my knees
I am pleading with you, begging you.
Came on yeah yeah
Come on, please.
Writer(s): WILSON DELROY GEORGE
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@victoriaward5378
Singers do not sing like this anymore! Itโs all about the gun, money, weed and killing. ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ. Pianist baddddddd and base is Slamming. Dubbing!
@kettlybennett4222
Es8iuhh GB ct DVR btw feature4
@phabebarcelona863
Strenga strenga bad rthydim section Original Classic
@thomasjohn4043
Those days are gone!!!
@beebee3438
I agree. Great song. Reggae will never die. The best music in the world so uplifting
@rashidrashman8018
You know it, reggae before people contaminated it, what went so wrong it didn't need any messing with the poor roots was it. thang god for the old tunes.
@kimoykalinago4154
Who is here because of top boy?
@sinenhlanhlashelembe1683
Me
@mckenziesnow
We're here
@sash_0k
Meeeee๐