Junior Kelly (born Keith Morgan 23 September 1969 in Jamaica) is a reggae s… Read Full Bio ↴Junior Kelly (born Keith Morgan 23 September 1969 in Jamaica) is a reggae singer known for his strong commitment to the faith of the Rastafari movement and its Bobo Shanti mansion. This was a message of the hit song 'Rasta Should Be Deeper'. His 2001 song 'If Love So Nice' (...tell me why it hurts so bad) took a detour through Europe along its route to the top of the Jamaican charts, a position which it securely held for 15 weeks. Junior Kelly started to record in the mid 90s, and his first albums Rise and Juvenile was released in 2000. The album Love So Nice was released 2001. His 15th album Urban Poet was released 2015.
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Tall, dreadlocked Junior Kelly is a devout Rastafarian and its Bobo Shanti mansion, on a serious musical mission which is manifested through the quality of his contemplative lyrics, the diversity of his substantial subject matter and his inspirational delivery. "Rasta Should Be Deeper". His “If love So Nice (Why Do It Hurt So Bad)” took a detour through Europe along its route to the top of the Jamaican charts, a position which it securely held for 15 weeks, Born in St Thomas, Jamaica 1970, Junior was raised in nearby Spanish Town. Throughout his childhood, he was surrounded by music, his grandfather and father both played banjo, his mother sang in the Church and his oldest brother Jim was a popular Deejay[rapper] with the Kilamanjaro Sound
There was a sense of comfort and security within the family; Despite their poor economic status they were rich in other ways. “If it’s soup today, we’re happy, if it’s crackers tomorrow, we’re still happy,” relates Junior, “because we knew we had each other to lean on.”

The family was plummeted into depression with the murder of junior’s oldest brother Jim. A part time caterer, Jim was the family’s principal breadwinner and a role model for Junior ; Jim regularly practiced his lyrical toasts in the family living room, greatly influencing the career path of his youngest brother.

After Jim’s death, to help support his family Junior followed soundsystems all over the island just for the opportunity to demonstrate his vocal and lyrical talents. He also began auditioning for several of the Producers comprising Kingston’s crowded music circuit, attempting to record songs. Adhering to his principled Rastafarian lifestyle, he refused to compromise his lyrical content by writing lewd lyrics or songs disrespecting women.

Junior’s career pace accelerated in late 1995 with appearances at major Jamaican stage shows including Reggae Sunsplash and Sting as well as shows in several northeastern American cities. While in America, he also recorded two songs, “Hungry Days” and “Good Tidings” for Willie Carson’s Front Page label. He returned to Jamaica to concentrate on his song writing and met Michael Stanford of M Rush Records for whom he recorded several singles including “Black Woman” and “If Love So Nice”.

“If love So Nice” took a detour through Europe along its route to the top of the Jamaican charts, a position which it securely held for 15 weeks, making it the longest charting number one tune on the island for the year 2000.

“If love so Nice”, one of, if not the most impressive Reggae song, impacted upon Jamaica with a force not experienced since hurricane Gilbert, posing a question every man and woman has asked at least once in a lifetime: “If love so nice, tell me why it hurt so bad?” Utilizing the forceful bass line played by Aston “Familyman” Barrett” on Bob Marley’s timeless tune “Stir It Up” gave “If Love So Nice” a familiar underpinning even though the vocalist Junior Kelly, delivering classic Jamaican blend of precision deejay timing and lovers rock crooning, was unknown to most Reggae fans.

Despite his seemingly sudden rise to success, Junior Kelly, also the writer of “If Love So Nice”, has been assiduously toiling in the music industry since 1985. “Some say this is a lucky break, I say no, it’s a result of hard work,” explains the affable sing-jay Kelly who cut his first single “Over Her Body” in 1985 for Neco Records. “Some say that culture in the music is a dying art form but it’s not. You have artists like myself who try to uplift the nation with words you can live by, there’s just less attention given to us by radio disc jockeys.”

Despite the attention ‘ IF LOVE SO NICE” has deservingly received, Junior Kelly is more than a one hit wonder ; A listen to his Jet Star albums ‘Rise” and “Juvenile”, not to mention his VP Records debut album of the same name “If love so nice”

Dem Story
Junior Kelly Lyrics

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Fire with the bless from a long time
Every one Burn fire burn Babylon we come from passion
thing
Fire with the bless from a long time
We Burn all hypocrites and the parasites design

Now we Sick a dem story, me sick a dem story

Promises, promises is all them giving
Say them break inno to help us on their willing
But all I see is just your senseless feeling
And the youth them all yeah ! Creeping for dem shilling
You then graduate and can't no get employment
No one inno inna them pocket them can't get no
enjoyment
But it's easier for a dry tee to be at our throat
Them for them ya hidden ya to tell me you get old

Sick a dem story me a dem story

Babylon he takes away holy on to sub tracks
Yes we seek up we seek up they say we're praying our
doubts
Mister fat cat, mister fat rat
Only come take the people to Armageddon
Dem a curse
Cause everything them say would get better, get worse
Enough of slavery we now get them burst
Rastafari come ya sooner big on earth
Babylon no put Rastafari first

Sick a dem story me a dem story

No Built no hospital and no build no training school
No build up no fortye for the young Governor rules
Nuclear bomb moment is what they invest in
Up the young they're stressing from the stadium of the
early beginning
No rock, no light, not a water inna me bribe
I ear the hard attack, Columbia assault me Tribe
Babylon rule when them divide
So I 'm running for my life
Me nah go stay a umpire the price

Sick a dem story me a dem story

Overall Meaning

The song "Dem Story" by Junior Kelly discusses the struggles and frustrations of the youth living in a society where promises are broken, opportunities are limited or non-existent, and corruption runs rampant. The recurring line "Fire with the bless from a long time" suggests a deep-rooted desire for change and justice that has been present for a while. The line "We Burn all hypocrites and the parasites design" calls for the destruction of those who take advantage of and exploit others. These powerful words highlight the anger and disappointment of those who have been let down by authorities and society as a whole.

The song also touches on issues related to education, healthcare, and the environment. The line "No Built no hospital and no build no training school" points to the inadequacy of these fundamental services, which should be accessible to all. In contrast, the government invests in destructive weapons, as seen in "Nuclear bomb moment is what they invest in." Additionally, the lack of basic resources, such as water and light, shows that even basic human rights are absent.

Overall, "Dem Story" describes a society that is plagued with inequality and injustice, and it highlights the desire for change and accountability.

Line by Line Meaning

Fire with the bless from a long time
We have been gifted with the power to stand up for what is right and just for a long time now.

Every one Burn fire burn Babylon we come from passion thing
We are united in our mission to bring down Babylon, and our passion and deep belief fuels our fight.

We Burn all hypocrites and the parasites design
We will not tolerate any hypocritical or parasitic behaviors from anyone, and we will hold them accountable.

Now we Sick a dem story, me sick a dem story
We are tired of hearing lies and empty promises. We will no longer stand for a system that fails to deliver on its words.

Promises, promises is all them giving
All we ever hear are empty promises from those in power or those who seek to keep the status quo.

Say them break inno to help us on their willing
They make grand promises to help us, but they always break them when it suits them.

But all I see is just your senseless feeling
Their words and actions are devoid of any true meaning or sense of purpose.

And the youth them all yeah ! Creeping for dem shilling
The young people in our society are forced to resort to unethical means just to survive and make a living.

You then graduate and can't no get employment
Even after investing time and resources in education, many young people struggle to find employment.

No one inno inna them pocket them can't get no enjoyment
The socioeconomic system fails to provide equal opportunities for all, and those in power only care about their own interests.

But it's easier for a dry tee to be at our throat
The system makes it easier for the weak and marginalized to be oppressed and mistreated.

Them for them ya hidden ya to tell me you get old
Those in power try to hide the truth about their system, but it will eventually be exposed and they will grow old trying to maintain their lies.

Babylon he takes away holy on to sub tracks
The Babylon system corrupts and takes away the goodness from all aspects of life.

Yes we seek up we seek up they say we're praying our doubts
Our society judges and criticizes us for questioning the system and demanding change.

Mister fat cat, mister fat rat
Those in power and the wealthy only care about their own interests and oppress the people.

Only come take the people to Armageddon
Their actions will eventually lead to a catastrophic end for all.

Dem a curse
The system and those in power are a curse upon our society.

Cause everything them say would get better, get worse
Their promises to improve our society only make it worse.

Enough of slavery we now get them burst
We will no longer tolerate being enslaved by the oppressive system and will overthrow it.

Rastafari come ya sooner big on earth
The divine power of Rastafari will soon come to earth and guide us towards a better future.

Babylon no put Rastafari first
The Babylon system fails to respect and prioritize the power of Rastafari and righteousness.

No Built no hospital and no build no training school
The system fails to invest in important public services like healthcare and education.

No build up no fortye for the young Governor rules
There are no opportunities for the young to rise up and become leaders because the system is rigged in favor of those in power.

Nuclear bomb moment is what they invest in
Those in power invest in destructive weapons and technologies rather than working towards peace and prosperity for all.

Up the young they're stressing from the stadium of the early beginning
The young are burdened and oppressed from a very young age, and the system offers them no support or respite.

No rock, no light, not a water inna me bribe
We will not compromise our values and integrity for personal gain or wealth.

I ear the hard attack, Columbia assault me Tribe
We face constant attacks and oppression from those in power and from the system itself.

Babylon rule when them divide
The Babylon system maintains its rule by creating divisions and conflicts among the people.

So I 'm running for my life
We are forced to run and fight for our lives in the face of oppression and injustice.

Me nah go stay a umpire the price
We refuse to remain passive and accept the high cost of living under the Babylon system.

Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MORGAN, WHEATLEY, D Wheatley, Keith Morgan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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