Before the ascent of Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker was the best-known Jamaican musician outside of his country, and one of the most popular within it. He was orphaned as a teenager. Dekker began working as a welder, singing around his workplace while his coworkers encouraged him. In 1961, he auditioned for Coxsone Dodd (Studio One) and Duke Reid (Treasure Isle). Neither were impressed by his talents, and the young man moved on to Leslie Kong's Beverley record label, where he auditioned before Derrick Morgan, then the label's biggest star. With Morgan's support, Dekker was signed but did not record until 1963, because Leslie Kong wanted to wait for the perfect song. Dekker's "Honour Your Father and Mother" was to be that song.
Israelites
Desmond Dekker & The Aces Lyrics
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So that every mouth can be fed
Poor me Israelites Aah
Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
So that every mouth can be fed
Poor me Israelite
Darling, she said, I was yours to be seen
Poor me Israelite
Shirt them a-tear up, trousers is gone
I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde
Poor me Israelite
After a storm there must be a calm
They catch me in the farm
You sound your alarm
Poor a-poor a-poor me Israelite
I said I get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
So that every mouth can be fed
Poor me Israelite Aah
I said my wife and my kids, they are packed up and leave me
Darling, she said, I was yours to be seen
Poor me Israelites Aah
Look Me shirts them a-tear up, trousers are gone
I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde
A-poor a-poor me Israelites Aah
After a storm there must be a calm
They catch me in the farm
You sound your alarm
Poor me Israelite
A-poor a-poor a-poor me Israelites Aah
The lyrics of Desmond Dekker's song Israelites speak to the struggles of being a working-class citizen in Jamaica during the mid-1960s. It depicts the daily grind of waking up early to work hard for a living to provide for oneself and their family. The term "slaving for bread" metaphorically represents the hard and tedious work that people must do just to put food on the table. The word "Israelites" was used as a reference to the struggles of the working-class black population who identified with the biblical Israelites' oppression and exodus from Egypt. They were also seeking freedom from colonialism and poverty.
The second stanza tells the story of a man who lost his wife and kids. They left him because he wasn't making enough money to support them, leaving him heartbroken and lonely. The third stanza talks about the man's clothes being torn and gone, similar to the notorious criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde. It represents the fear of becoming a victim of violence or crime while living in poverty. The final stanza speaks of the struggle of living under constant fear and pressure. The metaphorical storm represents the hardships of life, and the calm signifies the hope for a brighter future. But, at the end of the day, life often catches up, and the working-class population is left fighting for survival.
Line by Line Meaning
Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir
I wake up early in the morning to work hard and earn bread, sir.
So that every mouth can be fed
It is my responsibility to work hard so that everyone in my community can have food to eat.
Poor me Israelites Aah
Unfortunately, I am one of the many struggling Israelites.
My wife and my kids, they packed up and leave me
My wife and kids have left me, and it's just me struggling to survive.
Darling, she said, I was yours to be seen
My wife left me with the knowledge that I never truly appreciated her in the way I should have.
Shirt them a-tear up, trousers is gone
My clothes are torn and gone; I have nothing left.
I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde
I don't want to die a violent death like Bonnie and Clyde did.
After a storm there must be a calm
I hope that things will soon calm down and become better for me and my community.
They catch me in the farm
Unfortunately, I have been caught doing something wrong on the farm.
You sound your alarm
You tell others that I have been caught doing something wrong.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Desmond Dekker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind