His stagename stemmed from his large ears, which led to the nickname Dumbo in his youth. "Ele" started out his musical career as a member of the Scare Dem Crew, later continuing as a solo artist. He was later characterized for several trademarks, such as his yellow-orange hair, his unique low-key voice, or his stage performance, which included excessive jumping and running, or even climbing on stage props and monitors. His acoustic trademark is marked by a light lisp.
The first international recognition came when Elephant Man and Puma settled a contract for using his single "All Out" for their Olympics commercial campaign in 2004.
Elephant Man has been widely criticised for his lyrics calling for violence against gay people. In 2003 British LBGT group OutRage! called for the arrest and prosecution of several dancehall stars including Elephant Man, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man for violation of hate crimes statutes [1]
Elephant Man also had a song called "Willie Bounce" that appeared on several Mixtapes in early 2006. It borrowed the first few bars from I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.
Recently, the Jamaican star has been signed to New York-based label Bad Boy Entertainment.
Wild Wild West
Elephant Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me love my kids and me love my wife
(mi naaah!) naah go mek dem tek my stripe
Think a likkle bit a youth dem roll like dice?!
To how the world ah run trust me it's ironic
Dem ya youth nuh know bout fear nor panic
Have dem gun and see police car, nah run from it
Dem a move so demonic!
Tek on ratty, shoot the engine from out the bonnet!
A old woman hold har head and seh god dammit!
Dem padlock har house and fire-bomb it!
People a bawl out seh dem cya stand it
Talk too hard, dem will sink like the titanic
Wah mek di youths dem a move so saton-ic?!
A mussi coke dem a smoke cause a cunu chronic, yeah!
Is like a Iraq, this a cunu Kingston (Kingston)
Crime a escalate, it need fi bring dung (bring dung)
Nuh wah Jamaica tun bearing ground, wid di baga gun weh dem a ship dung
Deh ina the wild, wild west
Dem ride by and den drive by next
Everyday another morrow fly like jet
Me affi ask God fi guide my step
Yeaaah, inna di wild, wild west
A man dead every time I check
That's why me affi draw my vest
Fi stay alive inna di wild, wild westyeeeah!
Two youth pull up on a yeng-yeng
One a dem hop and pop off and go beng-beng
Mi sure know seh a neva killa, but people killa wonder a who send dem
Nuh shell nuh faith wen dem a spend dem
Nuh care a who wah defend dem
Nuh lawyer nah go represent dem
Clerk a court shout guilty, the judge end dem
Deh ina the wild, wild west
Dem ride by and den drive by next
Everyday another morrow fly like jet
Me affi ask God fi guide my step
Yeaaah, inna di wild, wild west
A man dead every time I check
That's why me affi draw my vest
Fi stay alive inna di wild, wild westyeeeah!
To how the world ah run trust me it's ironic
Dem ya youth nuh know bout fear nor panic
Have dem gun and see police car, nah run from it
If a one time, badman dem woulda vanish, yeah!
Dem a move so demonic!
Tek on ratty, shoot the engine from out the bonnet!
A old woman hold har head and seh god dammit!
Dem padlock har house and fire-bomb it!
People a bawl out seh dem cya stand it
Talk too hard, dem will sink like the titanic
Wah mek di youths dem a move so saton-ic?!
A mussi coke dem a smoke cause a cunu chronic, yeah!
Is like a Iraq, this a cunu Kingston (Kingston)
Crime a escalate, it need fi bring dung (bring dung)
Nuh wah Jamaica tun bearing ground, wid di baga gun weh dem a ship dung
Deh ina the wild, wild west
Dem ride by and den drive by next
Everyday another morrow fly like jet
Me affi ask God fi guide my step
Yeaaah, inna di wild, wild west
A man dead every time I check
That's why me affi draw my vest
Fi stay alive inna di wild, wild westyeeeah!
Deh ina the wild, wild west
Dem ride by and den drive by next
Everyday another morrow fly like jet
Me affi ask God fi guide my step
Yeaaah, inna di wild, wild west
A man dead every time I check
That's why me affi draw my vest
Fi stay alive inna di wild, wild westyeeeah!
The lyrics to Elephant Man's song "Wild Wild West" depict the reality of living in a dangerous and violent environment, specifically in Kingston, Jamaica. The song starts with a declaration of love for his life, his children, and his wife, emphasizing his desire to protect them. Elephant Man then highlights the ironic situation where the youth in his community have become fearless and immune to panic, carrying guns and not running away from the police. He describes their actions as demonic, shooting engines and committing acts of violence without hesitation. The lyrics also touch upon the impact of crime escalating in Kingston, turning it into a war zone similar to Iraq. Elephant Man expresses the constant fear of death, forcing him to always be prepared and wear a bulletproof vest to stay alive.
Overall, "Wild Wild West" sheds light on the harsh reality of living in a crime-ridden community, where violence and fear have become the norm. Elephant Man's lyrics capture the frustration, hopelessness, and constant peril experienced by individuals in such environments, while also questioning the motives and influences that lead the youth to engage in such destructive behaviors.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeaaah, me love my life! (yep)
Yes, I deeply cherish my life.
Me love my kids and me love my wife
I have great affection for my children and my spouse.
(mi naaah!) naah go mek dem tek my stripe
I refuse to let them undermine my reputation.
Think a likkle bit a youth dem roll like dice?!
Do these young individuals gamble with their lives?
To how the world ah run trust me it's ironic
The irony of how the world operates is amusing to me.
Dem ya youth nuh know bout fear nor panic
These young people are unaware of fear or panic.
Have dem gun and see police car, nah run from it
They possess weapons and do not flee when encountering a police car.
If a one time, badman dem woulda vanish, yeah!
If only one event occurred, these criminals would disappear.
Dem a move so demonic!
Their actions are incredibly wicked!
Tek on ratty, shoot the engine from out the bonnet!
They confront a rival, damaging their vehicle by shooting it.
A old woman hold har head and seh god dammit!
An elderly woman holds her head and curses in frustration.
Dem padlock har house and fire-bomb it!
They lock her house and attack it with a firebomb.
People a bawl out seh dem cya stand it
People are crying out because they cannot endure it.
Talk too hard, dem will sink like the titanic
If they speak too boldly, they will face a catastrophic failure.
Wah mek di youths dem a move so saton-ic?!
What causes these young people to behave so wickedly?
A mussi coke dem a smoke cause a cunu chronic, yeah!
They may be smoking cocaine because they appear mentally unstable, yeah!
Is like a Iraq, this a cunu Kingston (Kingston)
This place resembles the chaos of Iraq. It is a cursed Kingston.
Crime a escalate, it need fi bring dung (bring dung)
As crime rises, it must be brought down.
Nuh wah Jamaica tun bearing ground, wid di baga gun weh dem a ship dung
Jamaica doesn't want to become a war zone with the abundance of guns they are smuggling.
Two youth pull up on a yeng-yeng
Two young individuals approach on a motorcycle.
One a dem hop and pop off and go beng-beng
One of them jumps off and begins shooting.
Mi sure know seh a neva killa, but people killa wonder a who send dem
I am certain they are not killers, but people wonder who sent them.
Nuh shell nuh faith wen dem a spend dem
They have no hesitation in using their firearms.
Nuh care a who wah defend dem
They don't care who wants to protect them.
Nuh lawyer nah go represent dem
No lawyer will represent them.
Clerk a court shout guilty, the judge end dem
The court clerk declares them guilty, leading the judge to condemn them.
Deh ina the wild, wild west
They are in the lawless and dangerous west.
Dem ride by and den drive by next
They ride past and then proceed to drive by another location.
Everyday another morrow fly like jet
Every day, another person is killed swiftly.
Me affi ask God fi guide my step
I have to pray to God for guidance and protection.
A man dead every time I check
Every time I check, a man has been killed.
That's why me affi draw my vest
That's why I must put on my bulletproof vest.
Fi stay alive inna di wild, wild westyeeeah!
To stay alive in this lawless west, yeah!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Oneal Bryan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind