The 9-piece band creates an altogether new Reggae sound, featuring swirling horns, stout poly-rhythmics, and soulful harmony vocals. Their concerts utilize live improvisation, in classic jazz fashion, and are renowned for their high energy, communion-type atmosphere.
“Groundation” comes from the Rasta term "Grounation." Grounations were gatherings based on using music to attain common vibration, with the focus on manifesting positive energy to affect social change.
Having toured in over 30 countries on 4 continents, Groundation has truly become a world-wide movement and is the biggest American Reggae band touring the world today...come and find out why.
2. The original Groundation were formed in 1979 in Leicester, UK: http://spectrumleicester.co.uk/singer/groundation/
Suffer The Right
Groundation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What of them? Their hearts they claim were broken
And inside them play, games of you long day
No longer, seeing from the vision
Chanting from the mountain
No longer sitting on the hill, no longer
Shall dem see, and they teach dem, Marcus say
No longer shall dem kill us
"defeating them because they have no purpose"
I, want to be part of the dawning
Don't want to see them in the morning
Mourning for the pure lose of life… Don say so
Oh, over yonder dem chanting oh Jah
Want to hold dem head up high
And if we see dem, they should be rocking
Why have they chosen, suffer the right,
Suffer the right, suffer the right
Suffer the right, suffer the right
Wicked, wicked are them
Wicked, wicked are them
Wicked are them who born for numbers oh
Well inside of them, dwell in the light of Jah
Inside of them, live in the heart of Jah
Remember Jah is the rule of it all, yeah
And in the end their mountain will fall
But music it must come first,
The music it must come first
Oh-oh-Jah-ah
Protect them for them see that they
Should not be weeping, they should be loving
Oh-oh protect them for they should not be weeping,
They should be rejoicing for life
Wo-uh-oh we'll challenge their heart
Wo-uh-oh Look at them a call from
Wo-uh-oh The fittest of the fittest shall remember…
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to know
Wo-uh-oh…dem-haffe find shelter
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to see
Wo-uh-oh…dem-live upon a ah-uh-oh
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to remember
Wo-uh-oh…I-Steven Biko
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to see
That the glory of their hearts
Was put inside dem for a reason
Unto Nations…What happened to communication?
What of the generation,
Who stand in the sinking sands of Babylonian
Oh Babylonian, oh Babylonian…
Oh Babylonian, oh Babylonian prison
Enter in the jungle of the fortre,fortre
Sit upon the ites a de man chant so, lie so
Chant upon the ark, a de my ark,
A de my ark, a de ma yo-yeah
Oh na wanna be chosen,
What to be one of them who were chosen
Oh yeah, oh Lord!!! Yeah
Suffer the right
In "Suffer the Right," Groundation is urging people to take a deeper look at their own hearts and intentions rather than claiming to be chosen or having their hearts broken. They encourage the listener to see a bigger picture and work towards a better tomorrow, chanting from the mountain and not sitting on the hill. As they call for an end to killing and defeating others, Steven Biko, a South African anti-apartheid activist, is mentioned as a symbol of resistance and a call to action. Groundation reminds us that Jah rules us all and in the end, the struggles and mountains we face will fall. The song reminds us of the power of music as they sing "the music it must come first" in order to challenge hearts and evoke change.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was on Groundation's 2002 album, Young Tree, which was produced by legendary reggae producer Don Carlos. The lyrics were written by lead singer Harrison Stafford. "Suffer the Right" speaks to the themes of social justice and resistance that are woven into the fabric of Groundation's music. The band often blends roots reggae, dub, jazz, and funk in their style, incorporating elements from a variety of musical traditions. Another interesting fact is that the band originated from California and formed at Sonoma State University. Groundation has released multiple albums over the years as well as a handful of live albums and DVDs. The band is known for their powerful live performances and thoughtful lyrics that address political and social issues.
Chords: Unfortunately, the chords for "Suffer the Right" are not readily available online.
Line by Line Meaning
What of them? Enough of them claim to be chosen
Many people claim to be chosen, but what of them? Who are they truly serving?
What of them? Their hearts they claim were broken
These people also claim their hearts were broken, but what caused their hearts to break?
And inside them play, games of you long day
Yet, they continue to be deceitful and play games with their own thoughts day after day.
No longer, seeing from the vision
We're no longer bound by the same vision.
Chanting from the mountain
We're shouting our message from the mountaintops.
No longer sitting on the hill, no longer
We're no longer complacent, we're taking action.
Wo-uh-wo, no longer
We will no longer tolerate their destructive ways.
Shall dem see, and they teach dem, Marcus say
We want those who follow Marcus Garvey to teach those who are blinded.
No longer shall dem kill us
We will no longer allow them to kill us.
"defeating them because they have no purpose"
"Defeating them because they have no real purpose in life."
I, want to be part of the dawning
I want to be part of the movement that ushers in a new era.
Don't want to see them in the morning
We don't want to wake up to their destruction and chaos.
Mourning for the pure lose of life… Don say so
We mourn the loss of innocent lives due to the actions of the wicked.
Oh, over yonder dem chanting oh Jah
From afar, we hear those who chant to Jah.
Want to hold dem head up high
We want to empower them to stand firm and proud.
Why have they chosen, suffer the right,
Why have they chosen to suffer for what they believe is right?
Suffer the right, suffer the right
They suffer for what is right, and we acknowledge that.
Wicked, wicked are them
We know without a doubt that they are wicked.
Wicked, wicked are them
We reinforce the fact that they truly are wicked.
Wicked are them who born for numbers oh
They were born just to follow orders and not think for themselves.
Well inside of them, dwell in the light of Jah
There is a glimmer of hope, as they have the potential to have Jah in their hearts.
Inside of them, live in the heart of Jah
They may already have Jah in their heart.
Remember Jah is the rule of it all, yeah
We remind everyone that Jah is the ultimate authority.
And in the end their mountain will fall
Their leader's influence will eventually fall apart.
But music it must come first,
Before anything else, we prioritize spreading our music.
Oh-oh-Jah-ah
We acknowledge Jah's presence and power.
Protect them for them see that they
We ask for Jah's protection for those who are not yet enlightened.
Should not be weeping, they should be loving
Instead of despairing, they should embrace love and compassion.
Oh-oh protect them for they should not be weeping,
We repeat our call for Jah's protection for those who are suffering.
They should be rejoicing for life
They should be celebrating life and all its blessings.
Wo-uh-oh we'll challenge their heart
We'll challenge their hearts to open up and let compassion in.
Wo-uh-oh Look at them a call from
We call out to them and ask them to look within themselves.
Wo-uh-oh The fittest of the fittest shall remember…
Only those who are strong and resilient will be able to overcome this trial.
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to know
We want them to understand something important.
Wo-uh-oh…dem-haffe find shelter
They must find shelter and refuge from the chaos around them.
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to see
We want them to see what's truly important in life.
Wo-uh-oh…dem-live upon a ah-uh-oh
They must live on a solid foundation of principles and values.
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to remember
We want them to always remember something.
Wo-uh-oh…I-Steven Biko
We want them to remember the legacy of Steven Biko.
Wo-uh-oh…I-want them to see
We want them to see the truth about life and themselves.
That the glory of their hearts
Their hearts have the potential for greatness.
Was put inside dem for a reason
They were born with a purpose, with something to offer the world.
Unto Nations…What happened to communication?
We reflect on what went wrong with communication between nations.
What of the generation,
What will become of the current generation?
Who stand in the sinking sands of Babylonian
The current generation seems to be sinking in the chaos of Babylonian influence.
Oh Babylonian, oh Babylonian…
We condemn the Babylonian influence for leading people astray.
Oh Babylonian, oh Babylonian prison
We liken the Babylonian influence to a prison that people can't escape from.
Enter in the jungle of the fortre,fortre
We enter the jungle to overcome the obstacles ahead.
Sit upon the ites a de man chant so, lie so
We sit and observe the chanting of those who follow Rastafarianism.
Chant upon the ark, a de my ark,
We chant upon the ark, a symbol of salvation and deliverance.
A de my ark, a de ma yo-yeah
We affirm our belief in salvation and deliverance through the ark.
Oh na wanna be chosen,
We don't want to be chosen for the wrong reasons.
What to be one of them who were chosen
We want to be chosen for the right reasons.
Oh yeah, oh Lord!!! Yeah
We call on the Lord for guidance and strength.
Suffer the right
Suffering for what is right.
Contributed by Brody M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.