Pirate
Ini Kamoze Lyrics

Pirate, pirate, pirate, pi
Repeated line throughout the song, emphasizing the theme of piracy and thievery.

Well, I don't wanna be friendly
The singer is not interested in being friendly with someone who is dishonest and deceitful.

With a man who would tell me
Refers to someone who is not trustworthy and would lie to the singer.

One truth and twenty lie
The artist accuses the other person of telling many more lies than truths, making it difficult to trust them.

Who try to take what I mon' make
The other person is attempting to steal what the artist has earned or created.

Well, I don't respect you guy
The singer has no respect for someone who has acted dishonestly and tried to steal from them.

And now everyday, come around my way
The other person continues to bother the singer by coming around frequently.

And you won't come here I say
The artist is telling the other person not to come around, but they are not listening to the request.

Is a lucky thing I am a strong man
The artist is grateful that they are strong and able to handle the situation without giving in to the other person's demands.

Or I would'a lose my sting
Without their strength and determination, the artist would lose the power to resist the other person's attempts to take what they have.

Well, under ya law, I a outlaw
The singer is considered an outlaw under the law of the person they are speaking to.

My right is made a wrong
The other person has taken away the artist's rights and has turned them into something that is considered wrong.

You take the meat and you eat all the bone
The other person is consuming everything the singer has worked for and leaving them with nothing to show for it.

And said I should run along, boy
The other person has dismissed the singer and told them to leave without offering any compensation for what was taken from them.

And now, when I ask, what's there for me?
The singer is questioning what they will receive in return for what was taken from them.

You say, ?What will be, will be?
The other person is not providing any real answers or solutions to the artist's problems.

Now, you sit down, get fat and round
The other person is benefiting from what was taken from the artist and is growing wealthy while the artist is left with nothing.

Collecting my royalty
The other person is collecting profits from the singer's work without giving them any compensation.

From I was born, they came along
The singer is referencing the history of piracy and thievery that has affected them throughout their life.

And stole my navel string
A metaphor for how the artist's inheritance and rights were taken away from them.

In a broad day light, my birthright
The theft of the artist's inheritance and rights was done openly and without shame, in broad daylight.

Was robbed by your king
The artist holds the ruling class responsible for the theft of their birthright and inheritance.

Now, you want to know
The singer is addressing the other person's attempt to question or challenge them.

How much we know you?
The artist is suggesting that they know more about the other person and their dishonest ways than they might think.

You, you all bunch of crows
The other person and their associates are compared to a flock of crows, which are often associated with thievery and scavenging.

You don't know that we don't know
The singer is suggesting that the other person does not know that they are aware of their dishonest actions.

It's not the bottler or date, it is the Coke
A reference to how the true value of something is not in superficial details like the bottler or date but in the actual contents, in this case the Coke.

Well, I know what ya wanna do
The artist is aware of the other person's intentions and actions.

I won't do what you want me to
The artist is refusing to give in to the other person's demands and attempts to take what they have.

To my own self I must be true
The singer values their own integrity and will not do something that goes against their moral convictions.

So away, away with you
The singer is telling the other person to leave and stay away from them.