Brown's first recording was "Lips of Wine" recorded for Derrick Harriott (The Musical Chariot), but this was not released initially. He then recorded for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, and Dodd released Brown's first single, "No Man is an Island". Brown recorded two albums for Dodd, No Man is an Island and If I Follow my Heart (the title track penned by Alton Ellis). Around this time, Brown recorded material for Lloyd Daley ("Baby Don't Do It" and "Things in Life") and material for Derrick Hariott, which was eventually released as the Super Reggae and Soul Hits album. He also worked for Earl Hayles and the Charmaine label early in his career. He had a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom in 1977. This led to his contract with A&M Records, and to the formation of his own label, DEB records, which produced several hits, including many by Junior Delgado.
His first big hit was "Money In My Pocket" on the Joe Gibbs label, and by the late 1970s, Brown had recorded and performed chart-toppers such as "Sitting & Watching", "Wolves and Leopards", "Here I Come" and "Revolution"; many featuring Sly and Robbie as the rhythm section. As the dancehall era of the 1980s arrived, Brown frequently recorded with King Jammy and Gussie Clark. His song "Revolution" is featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. According to some sources, Brown became addicted to crack cocaine, which affected his career and may have lead to his premature death. Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson and opposition leader Edward Seaga of the Jamaica Labour Party both spoke at Brown's funeral, which was held on July 17, 1999 in Kingston, Jamaica. The service, which lasted for three hours, also featured live performances by Maxi Priest, Shaggy, and five of Brown's sons. Brown was then buried at Kingston's National Heroes Park.
Sitting And Watching
Dennis Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sitting here watching fools like themselves when
They should all be thinking of getting to know themselves
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no no
Giving your heart and soul to vanity, yeah
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no no, oh no
Whoa yeah
Got to be good to yourself, yeah, whoa yeah
Whoa yeah, whoa yeah, ah
Sitting here watching fools like themselves when
They should all be thinking of getting to know themselves
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no no, whoa
Giving your heart and soul to vanity, yeah
Makes one's life filled with pain and misery
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no, oh no
The lyrics to Dennis Brown's song "Sitting and Watching" speak to the importance of self-reflection and standing strong in the face of adversity. Brown begins by observing others who are "like fools" as they fail to focus on their own inner growth and instead become consumed by the superficiality and vanity of the world around them. He suggests that true strength comes from understanding oneself and refusing to give up in the face of obstacles.
In the second verse, Brown expands upon this idea by warning of the pitfalls of vanity, which ultimately lead to "pain and misery". He urges listeners to avoid becoming ensnared by the trappings of a materialistic society and instead focus on building a strong inner foundation.
Through his use of repetitive phrases such as "you can't surrender" and "everyone's got to stand strong", Brown underscores the importance of perseverance and resilience, even in the face of overwhelming challenges. The song's upbeat reggae rhythm and Brown's soulful vocals combine to create a sense of hope and positivity, even as he acknowledges the difficulties of modern life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting here watching fools like themselves when
Observing people act foolishly, instead of taking time to understand themselves
They should all be thinking of getting to know themselves
People should focus on self-awareness and self-understanding
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
In the face of adversity, one must persevere
You can't surrender, no no no
Determination is necessary to overcome difficulties
Giving your heart and soul to vanity, yeah
Focusing on superficial or unimportant things leads to a life of suffering
Makes your life filled with pain and misery
Focusing on superficial or unimportant things leads to a life of suffering
Got to be good to yourself, yeah, whoa yeah
It is important to treat yourself with kindness and respect
Sitting here watching fools like themselves when
Observing people act foolishly, instead of taking time to understand themselves
They should all be thinking of getting to know themselves
People should focus on self-awareness and self-understanding
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
In the face of adversity, one must persevere
You can't surrender, no no no, whoa
Determination is necessary to overcome difficulties
Giving your heart and soul to vanity, yeah
Focusing on superficial or unimportant things leads to a life of suffering
Makes one's life filled with pain and misery
Focusing on superficial or unimportant things leads to a life of suffering
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
In the face of adversity, one must persevere
You can't surrender, no no, oh no
Determination is necessary to overcome difficulties
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Dennis Brown, Lowell Dunbar, Robert Shakespeare
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pdeportela
Whoa yeah, whoa yeah, yeah, alright
Sitting here watching fools like themselves when
They should all be thinking of getting to know themselves
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no no
Giving your heart and soul to vanity, yeah
Makes your life filled with pain and misery
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no no, oh no
Whoa yeah
Got to be good to yourself, yeah, whoa yeah
Whoa yeah, whoa yeah, ah
Sitting here watching fools like themselves when
They should all be thinking of getting to know themselves
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no no, whoa
Giving your heart and soul to vanity, yeah
Makes one's life filled with pain and misery
While life goes on everyone's got to stand strong
You can't surrender, no no, oh no
@manuelurieta8628
Man this song is so enlightening. It has a great message and a great vibe to it. No other genre can touch the upliftingness of reggae.
@sweetzbaby1
Growing up in Kingston these songs were always playing sort of like a soundtrack/background music to living in Jamaica. My father, uncles and neighbours mostly all yard had music playing. I loved my childhood surrounded by nature, love ,delicious healthy food and music for the soul. As a child i didn't know or understood the lyrics but the sound engraved in my DNA sooth me as a child and help me later in life when i began to pay attention to the lyrics .
@tamisweetie
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful memories... It brightens my eyes <3 Sending lots of Love and Light my friend!~~
@GRTVO
What a brilliant comment. Thanks for sharing.
@EmmyMzz
Yesss
@ruthsmith7758
sweetzbaby1 dfgj,g.dmans,llfawgjk
@ruthsmith7758
sweetzbaby1 xcghksjanlsvj
Dodge,cjcdcubj ,ncGk🌸🐳💦🤓🌔🍇☯️🚑🤓🐳🍇☯️🌪🔳🔳🔳☺️🤣😆🌑😅☯️🏵🚑🍎🍎🍎⛈🔥❄️☄️❄️🌪❄️🔥☀️❄️⚡️🌊🍇🍎🍎🥔
@johnmurphy6556
The song sounds so nice I had to go back to the start and play it twice!!!! Love the wisdom of Dennis in this song and I LOVE REGGAE FOREVER!!!
@jonathanjohnson7636
Lyrics that will PUSH you to do better!! 🇯🇲🔥🔥🔥🙏🏿😢
@sharonburnett2812
This song was number one on the chart summer of 1980.That is almost 40 years ago and it sounds as if it was made yesterday. Sweetness and more.Rest in peace reggae GOD......