Lady Saw (born Marion Hall on 12 July 1972) is the stage name of Jamaican r… Read Full Bio ↴Lady Saw (born Marion Hall on 12 July 1972) is the stage name of Jamaican reggae artist, known as "the First Lady of Dancehall". She is the first female deejay to win a Grammy Award and to be certified a triple -platinum artist. She is also the first woman to headline dancehall shows outside her native Jamaica.

Marion Hall was born in the summer of 1972 in Galina, parish of Saint Mary. As a child she was a tomboy, sold fruits, and raced wooden karts. At the age of 15, she took the name Lady Saw after the famous Jamaican Deejay Tenor Saw, whose style she was said to emulate. She quit a sewing job at The Free Zone on the outskirts of Kingston;“That job wasn't for me”, she says. “I would deejay at work during the day.” to pursue music fulltime. She was soon signed to the then small Jamaican label VP Records (now a major label for many reggae artists). She debuted in 1994 with "Lover Girl". She was a guest vocalist on the Jermaine Fagan track, "Life" and it was this track that brought her vocals to the attention of a wider audience.

Hall is mother to three adopted children, two sons and one daughter.She touches on the issue in the lyrics of "No Less Than a Woman (Infertility)", a song from her 2007 album "Walk Out".

Lady Saw's first success began at the beginning of the 1990s. While lyrics about guns and masculine themes dominated the dancehalls of West Kingston, she sang sexually explicit lyrics, known as "slackness", from her perspective as a female. Recording for the local Diamond label, she released early hits like "If Him Lef" and "Stab Out de Meat", which was often met with mixed reaction by audiences. At that time, she also became known for her raucous stage shows, which usually included picking men from the audience (or sometimes her own band members) to pull on stage and to simulate sex acts with.

Due to her penchant for outspokeness and what was considered vulgarity, she was banned from many events due to her lyrics. Male contemporaries of Lady Saw were performing similar lyrics and stage shows, but as a female, Lady Saw endured censorship and even outright banning in more than a few Jamaican parishes. She continued to be outspoken though, and often addressed controversial topics such as unfaithful lovers, female degradation, and safe sex in the wake of the emergence of AIDS (with her single "Condom"). This song was featured on her second album "Give Me The Reason." Subsequent hits like "No Long Talking", "Sycamore Tree", and "Find a Good Man" further fueled her success as Jamaica's most prominent female deejay. These also were the first songs to gain exposure in the United States, especially in cities with large with Caribbean populations such as New York City and Miami.

Lady Saw has also collaborated with her male and female peers on several tracks: with Beenie Man on tracks such as "Healing"; with Sean Paul on "Bossman"; with her protege Dancehall vocalist Ce'Cile on "Loser"; and with long-time friend and peer, Tanya Stephens on "Bruck Dem Up"; as a guest on Papa Dee's "Hottie Hottie Girls". Two singles, "Still Convinced" and "Too Abusive", were mixed by music producers Soundism.[3] She has also worked with artists outside of the dancehall genre: Missy Elliott, Eve (rapper), Lil' Kim, Vitamin C and Foxy Brown. In 1999, Lady Saw released the album "99 Ways." The album features such popular songs as "Don't Even Stress Dat", "Hardcore Lover", "Money Money" & "99 Ways."

After a 6 year hiatus, in late 2004, she released Strip Tease. It has been called her most balanced and well-written album yet. "I've Got Your Man" had significant video and radio airplay in the U.S and peaked at #85 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart. The albums' second hit was "Loser" feat. Ce'Cile.

In 2005 she produced a version of Gregory Isaacs' Night Nurse with her toasting over the original lyrics.

In 2007, she released "Walk Out". The album debuted at number 8 on the Reggae Albums chart. The singles "Infertility" and "Chat To Mi Back" were well received. In 2010, Lady Saw released her eighth studio album, "My Way." The album was her first release on her own record label, Divas Records in partnership with Toasting Music. The albums' single was entitled "Party Til December."

In November 2012, Lady Saw announced that she was turning her back on dancehall and would be concentrating on Gospel music in future.

Hardcore
Lady Saw Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dis ya one yah hard hard
Anyway you want it baby
Gymnastic, acrobatic,
Slide dat buggy any style yuh want
Mi have it
What mi say...
Its raining my body′s calling
I'm in need of my darling

Mi well want di fire under mi airing
Baby. come and bake mi puddin′
Under piña colada
I get laid in the rain
And di way how it sweet me
A dare not complain
My baby got mi bawling
Bawling out from pain
But that's the way I want it
Because mi body must get...
What mi say...
A nuff gal loose dem man thru dem nuh know style
A cover up dem body and a gwaan like dem shy
When mi want mi man, mi just fling on di ride
Tek out di whip an like a jockie mi a glide
Sometime mi buss weh like a big baigey kite
Float pon di top and dilly dally two side
Mi have it hardcore, gente or mild
Inna slow motion or acrobatic style
Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Inna di rain or di brawlin sun
So me will slide back buggy cau mi bone dem no old
Rock to di blues, get outta control
Bogle dance, butterfly and wet up him soul
Get aggressive sometime mek him grip and moan
Me will do it pon di bed and bounce it pon di floor
Lady Saw mi want it hardcore
You want it hardcore, gente or mild
Inna slow motion or acrobatic style
Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Inna di rain or di brawlin sun
El paso mi le maso... Spanish him a chat
Him get di 50 pound weight weh under mi frock
When mi quint it two time him chat Latin and French
And show mi signal, so mi even do it again
No its so sweet, him start fi cry tears
When mi chip off di top and draw extra gear
You want it hardcore, gente or mild
Inna slow motion or acrobatic style
Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Inna di rain or di brawlin sunshine
Its raining my body's calling
I′m in need of mi darling
Cau mi want di fire under mi airing
Right ya now mi want bake up mi puddin′
Under piña colada
I get laid in the rain
And di way how it sweet me
A dare not complain
My baby got mi bawling
Bawling out from pain
But the sweet good loving
A dat mi haffi gain
You know why...
Seh nuff gal loose dem man thru dem nuh know style
A cover up dem body and a gwaan like dem shy
When mi want mi man, mi just fling on di ride
Tek out di whip an like a jockie mi a glide
Sometime mi buss weh like a big baigey kite
Float pon di top and dilly dally two side
You want it hardcore, gente or mild
Inna slow motion or acrobatic style
Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Inna di rain or di brawlin sun
El paso mi de maso... Spanish him a chat
Him get di 50 pound weight weh under mi frock
When mi quint it two time him chat Latin and French
And show mi signal, so mi even do it again
No its so sweet, him start fi cry tears
When mi chip off di top and draw extra gear
Mi have it hardcore, gente or mild
Inna slow motion or acrobatic style
Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Inna di rain or di brawlin sunshine
Its raining my body's calling
I′m in need of mi darling
Cau mi want di fire under mi airing
Right ya now mi want bake up mi puddin'

You want it hardcore, gente or mild
Inna slow motion or acrobatic style

Overall Meaning

Lady Saw's song "Hardcore" is a sexually explicit, yet playful song in which the singer brags about her sexual prowess and demands satisfaction from her lover. The lyrics use a lot of metaphors and innuendos to describe sexual acts, using phrases like "slide dat buggy any style yuh want" and "fling on di ride." The singer talks about enjoying sex in different positions and under different circumstances, whether "inna slow motion or acrobatic style" or "inna di rain or di brawlin sun." Lady Saw even includes a verse in which she talks about her ability to please her lover with strings of Spanish, French and Latin words.

In the chorus, Lady Saw sings about how other women lose their men because they don't know how to satisfy them, but Lady Saw knows what she's doing and can give her man what he wants. She demands that her lover "come and bake mi puddin'" and even implies that she likes it when he makes her "bawling out from pain."

Line by Line Meaning

Dis ya one yah hard hard
This song is bold and adventurous

Anyway you want it baby
I'm up for anything and everything

Gymnastic, acrobatic, Slide dat buggy any style yuh want
I'm flexible and can perform any position you desire

Mi have it
I got the skills and moves to satisfy you

Its raining my body′s calling
I'm horny and ready for some action

I'm in need of my darling
I want my lover to come and fulfill my desires

Mi well want di fire under mi airing
I want to feel the heat and passion in the moment

Baby. come and bake mi puddin′
Come and pleasure me

Under piña colada
Let's enjoy each other's company in a relaxed atmosphere

I get laid in the rain
I'm adventurous and don't mind being intimate in unconventional places

And di way how it sweet me, A dare not complain
Sex with my lover is so pleasurable that I have no complaints

My baby got mi bawling, Bawling out from pain
My lover's sexual prowess is so intense that I cry out in pleasure and satisfaction

But that's the way I want it, Because mi body must get...
I enjoy rough and intense sex because it fulfills me physically

A nuff gal loose dem man thru dem nuh know style
Many women lose their partners because they lack sexual prowess

A cover up dem body and a gwaan like dem shy
They hide their bodies and act shy despite wanting to be sensual

When mi want mi man, mi just fling on di ride
When I desire my lover, I'm quickly ready for sex

Tek out di whip an like a jockie mi a glide
I actively participate in sex and take charge

Sometime mi buss weh like a big baigey kite
Sometimes I go wild and free during sex

Float pon di top and dilly dally two side
I enjoy trying different positions and moves during sex

Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Sex with me is a smooth and pleasurable experience

Inna di rain or di brawlin sun
I'm open to having sex in any weather or location

So me will slide back buggy cau mi bone dem no old
My body is still young and flexible, allowing me to try new things

Rock to di blues, get outta control
I get lost in the moment when having sex

Bogle dance, butterfly and wet up him soul
Different sensual movements bring me and my partner pleasure

Get aggressive sometime mek him grip and moan
I can be aggressive during sex, bringing my partner pleasure

Me will do it pon di bed and bounce it pon di floor
I'm adventurous and open to trying different locations for sex

El paso mi le maso... Spanish him a chat
My lover speaks Spanish during sex

Him get di 50 pound weight weh under mi frock
My lover is impressed with my curvy figure

When mi quint it two time him chat Latin and French
My lover is impressed with my sexual prowess and skills

And show mi signal, so mi even do it again
My lover is so satisfied with my performance that he wants more

No its so sweet, him start fi cry tears
My lover is emotionally moved by our sexual encounter

You want it hardcore, gente or mild
I can cater to any level of intensity during sex

Inna slow motion or acrobatic style
I can perform sex in a slow and sensual manner or in a more adventurous way

Smooth sailing pon a boat road
Having sex with me is a smooth and pleasurable experience

Inna di rain or di brawlin sun
I'm open to having sex in any weather or location

Writer(s): Browne Richard Anthony, Hall Marion Marie, Alistaire Mc Calla, Craig Thompson, Roshaun Clarke, Xavier Davidson

Contributed by Elijah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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