Gregory Anthony Isaacs ⋆ 15 July 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica ⋆ 25 Oct 2010 in… Read Full Bio ↴Gregory Anthony Isaacs ⋆ 15 July 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica ⋆ 25 Oct 2010 in London UK ⋆ was a Jamaican singer and songwriter. He recorded an enormous amount of songs in the genres (regular) reggae, lovers rock, roots reggae. His nickname was the Cool Ruler. By the late 1970s, Isaacs was one of the biggest reggae performers, regularly touring the US and the UK. Well-known songs are Night Nurse, Mr Cop, My Only Lover, Tune In, and Love Is Overdue. He became an international star 1978 after signed to Virgin Record's Front Line, and appeared in the movie Rockers with the song Slave Master. The two Front Line albums Cool Ruler and Soon Forward did, however, not sell as good as expected from someone regarded to be the third or fourth reggae artist in the world after Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, and maybe Jacob Miller (singer in the band Inner Circle). Drug problems with cocaine and crack cocaine in the early 80s decelerated Isaacs carrier substantially, but not completely. He released 73 studio albums with original material, and over 500 compilation or remix albums. He worked together with almost all big Jamaican music producers of the 70s, 80s and 90s.

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Gregory Isaacs (born on 15 July 1951 in Fletchers Land, Kingston, Jamaica and died on 25 October 2010 in London) was a Reggae singer and songwriter. Gregory Anthony Isaacs is known as "The Cool Ruler" for his seductive crooning vocal style. Gregory attributed his greatest musical influences to R&B greats Sam Cooke and Percy Sledge, in addition to Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis and Ken Boothe.

In the late 1960s, Gregory first performed in a vocal trio called The Concords, after being encouraged by Byron Lee. By 1970 the group had split up. He subsequently formed his own label, African Museum.

In the late 1970s he emerged as one of the most prolific and popular recording artists in Jamaica. He released a number of self-produced singles on his own African Museum (JA) label with Errol Dunkley. Much of Isaacs' output reflected the 'conscious' themes of Roots Reggae, but Isaacs was equally adept at interpreting more mainstream Lovers Rock material. Early hits include "My Only Lover", "Sinner Man" and "Mr. Cop", recorded at Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio.

A period in the 1970s with the GG's label and its producer Alvin Ranglin produced hits like "Border" and "Number One".

Personal problems affected him, particularly battles with a cocaine addiction and a possession charge, which prevented him from touring in North America for a significant part of his career, until a pardon could eventually be secured.

Isaacs recorded with a number of producers, including the Riddim Twin's (Sly & Robbie) Taxi Records, who gave them their first hit with 1979's "Soon Forward" , After a series of releases with Sly & Robbie, Gregory built a strong relationship with Gussie Clarke of the Music Works label. In addition to these local Jamaican labels, The Cool Ruler had had releases on Trojan, VP, Virgin's Front Line and English producer Tad A. Dawkin's Tad's Records. Isaacs would would eventually sign with Chris Blackwell's Island Records which resulted in the international release of Night Nurse (1982) and Out Deh! (1983).

Perhaps his most popular recordings in his native Jamaica are "All I Have Is Love", "Mr. Brown" and "Hard Drugs", the latter being an anti-drug anthem that dominated radio in the late 1980s and was released as a hidden track on England's Tad Records All I Have Is Love, Love Love LP.

In the 1990s Gregory's African Museum label continued to release all of Gregory Isaacs' music, and that of artists he produced. He continued to record and perform live in the 2000s, and it has been estimated that Isaacs has released over 500 records in his career, which includes singles and compilations.

Isaacs, who was 59 years old, died of lung cancer on 25 October 2010 at his home in London where he spent part of his time. A sad loss to the world.

Long Sentence
Gregory Isaacs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Long, long sentence
Ooh

Ah

Ya bus' a gun jus' for fun
Eeh
And then you hit and run

You play with fire and get burned
Just because you wouldn't learn
Ooh

A cup of trouble you fetch
And now you servin' a stretch
Just because you grudge
No no
And now you're crying
To the judge
Oh

No-one needn't try your behaviour
Yeah
And now you doin' nine years hard labor

Ooh
Jah won't save ya
What you gonna do?
Now the tribulation comes to you

Heard ya cryin' out
Long long sentence
Wonder where we do ya?
Just because, just because
Your trouble runna through ya
Oh
Oh I
Ooh

A cup of trouble you fetch
Hey
And now you serving a stretch
Come bus' a gun just for fun
Yeah yeah (ooh)
Now the time for you has come
Ooh

Noone no, like your behavior!
Now you prison, nine years hard labor
Ooh
Why you play with fire?
That is your desire, eh
Now you get
Burned, burned, burned
Ooh
Because you wouldn't learn
Oh
Bus' you gun just for fun
And you really had to learn
Oh
But now your time has come
No more fire
Long long sentence

Leave it now
Long long sentence

Overall Meaning

The song Long Sentence by Gregory Isaacs talks about the consequences of one's actions. The lyrics suggest that the singer of the song chose to live a life of crime by using guns, causing harm and destruction, and playing with fire. Despite warnings, the singer refused to change their behavior and continued to commit crimes, eventually getting caught and serving a long, nine-year sentence.

The song's lyrics carry a strong message about the importance of making responsible choices and taking accountability for one's actions. The lines, "You play with fire and get burned just because you wouldn't learn" and "what you gonna do? Now the tribulation comes to you" suggest that one's actions can have consequences that cannot be avoided.

Additionally, the repetition of the phrase "long, long sentence" emphasizes the gravity of the situation and highlights the serious consequences that can result from one's choices. Overall, the song Long Sentence serves as a warning against living a life of crime and encourages listeners to make responsible choices.

Line by Line Meaning

Long, long sentence
The consequences of your actions have landed you a very long prison sentence, and you cannot escape its judgment.

Ya bus' a gun jus' for fun
You recklessly used a gun for entertainment, without fully understanding the gravity of your actions.

And then you hit and run
After using the gun for fun, you acted recklessly and caused harm to someone, then fled the scene without taking responsibility.

You play with fire and get burned
By engaging in risky and dangerous behaviors without concern for the consequences, you inevitably face the negative outcomes of your actions.

Just because you wouldn't learn
Despite experiencing the negative consequences of your actions in the past, you failed to learn from your mistakes and repeated them again and again.

A cup of trouble you fetch
You have asked for trouble by engaging in reckless and dangerous behaviors that have led to serious repercussions.

And now you servin' a stretch
You are now serving a lengthy prison sentence as a result of your actions, and there is no escaping it.

Just because you grudge
Your actions were driven by hatred and grudges, which clouded your judgment and led to destructive behaviors.

And now you're crying to the judge
After causing harm to others without remorse, you face the judgment of the court and now seek mercy and forgiveness.

No-one needn't try your behaviour
Everyone knew that your behavior was dangerous and reckless, but you refused to listen and continued to endanger yourself and others.

And now you doin' nine years hard labor
As punishment for your destructive actions, you have been sentenced to nine years of hard labor, reflecting the severity of your crimes.

Jah won't save ya
Even divine intervention cannot save you from the consequences of your actions, as you must face the justice system and take accountability for your behavior.

What you gonna do?
Faced with the harsh reality of your actions and their consequences, you must now confront the question of how you will move forward and make amends.

Now the tribulation comes to you
The negative outcomes of your actions have caught up with you, and you are now forced to face their impact on your life and the lives of others.

Heard ya cryin' out
Despite the harm you caused and your refusal to listen to warnings, your cries for help and desperation are still heard and acknowledged.

Wonder where we do ya?
Uncertainty and fear about the future are now prevalent, as you face the daunting task of rebuilding your life after the damage you have caused.

Your trouble runna through ya
The negative consequences of your actions are now an inherent part of your life, and they will continue to impact you for a long time to come.

Why you play with fire?
A question asking why you engaged in such risky and dangerous behaviors despite the likely negative consequences that now affect your life.

That is your desire, eh
Despite the dangers and risks, you were motivated by a desire for adrenaline, excitement, or revenge that led you to engage in these destructive behaviors.

Now you get burned, burned, burned
The negative outcomes of your actions have come to fruition, and you are now facing the repercussions of your decision to engage in dangerous behavior.

But now your time has come
The time has come for you to face the consequences of your actions and take responsibility for their impact on the lives of others.

No more fire
It is time to put an end to the destructive and dangerous behaviors that led to your current situation and move forward in a positive direction.

Leave it now
Let go of the past and the destructive behaviors that brought you to this point, and focus on building a better future for yourself and those around you.

Writer(s): Lloyd James, Gregory Isaacs

Contributed by Taylor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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