Perry began his career in the late 1950s working with Clement Coxsone Dodd's sound system. He eventually performed a variety of important tasks at Studio One as well as recording about thirty songs, but the pair eventually stopped working together due to personality and financial conflicts.
Working with Joe Gibbs, Perry continued his recording career, but once again, financial problems caused conflict. Perry broke ranks with Gibbs and formed his own label, Upsetter, in 1968. His first single "People Funny Boy", which was an insult directed at Gibbs, sold very well. It is notable for its innovative use of a sample (a crying baby) as well as a fast, chugging beat that would soon become identifiable as "reggae" (the new sound did not really have a name at this time). During the 1970s, Perry released numerous recordings on a variety of record labels that he controlled, and many of his songs were popular in both Jamaica and the U.K. He soon became known for his innovative production techniques as well as his eccentric character.
In the early 1970s, Perry was one of the producers whose mixing board experiments resulted in the creation of dub. In 1973, Perry built a studio in his back yard, The Black Ark, to have more control over his productions and continued to produce notable musicians such as Bob Marley & the Wailers, Junior Byles, The Heptones, and Max Romeo. With his own studio at his disposal, Perry's productions became more lavish, as the energetic producer was able to spend as much time as he wanted on the music he produced. It is important to note that virtually everything Perry recorded in The Black Ark was done using rather basic recording equipment; through sonic sleight-of-hand, Perry made it sound completely unique. Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history. By 1978, stress and unwanted outside influences began to take their toll: both Perry and The Black Ark quickly fell into a state of disrepair. Eventually, the studio burned to the ground. Perry has constantly insisted that he burned the Black Ark himself in a fit of rage, but it was most likely an accident caused by faulty wiring. After the demise of the Black Ark in the early 1980s, Perry spent time in England and the United States, performing live and making erratic records with a variety of collaborators. It was not until the late 1980s that Perry's career began to get back on solid ground again, after working with British producers Adrian Sherwood and Neil Fraser, better known as Mad Professor.
Perry lived in Switzerland for a while with his wife Mireille Campbell-Rüegg and two children. He continued to record and perform to enthusiastic audiences in Europe and North America late into his life. His later music is a far cry from his reggae days in Jamaica; many saw this part of Perry's career as more of a performance artist in several respects. In 2003, Perry won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album with the album Jamaican ET. He teamed up with a group of Swiss musicians and perform under the name Lee Perry and the White Belly Rats. in 2015, Perry’s recording studio in Switzerland was damaged by a fire that destroyed various unreleased recordings and some of his stage gear. In 2020 Perry moved with his wife to Jamaica, where he died on 29 August 2021.
Rightful ruler
Lee "Scratch" Perry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qedamawi ras fetari
Qedamawi iyesus kristos
Lebdama mabrak isad
Tenayistilgn
Kings of kings, lords of lords
Conquering lion of the tribe of judah
Elect of god, mighty god
Blessed be the man that walk'eth not
In the counsel of the ungodly
Nor stand'eth in the ways of sinners
Nor sitt'eth in the seat of the scornful
For I delight is in the law of the lord god, Selassie I
In his laws do I meditate day and night
Therefore I must be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water
And bring'eth forth fruit in due season
I locks also shall not wither
And whatsoever I do'eth shall prosper
The weak heart are not so, oh no!
They are like the chaff that the wind driv'eth away
Therefore no weak heart shall stand in the judgment
Nor no sinners in the congregation of the righteous
For the lord god so high
That he know'eth the way of the righteous
And know that the way of the weak heart
Shall crumble, paralyze and burn
Jah Rastafari!
But he delight in earthquake, brimstone and fiyah
To kill, crum
Jah! mighty god! everliving god!
And do away with all weak heart
Conception to my creation continually
And let our righteousness cover this earth
As the waters cover the sea Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain:
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
He reigns from that iwa until this iwa
Hailful I, so high and so mighty
Jah Rastafari!
I am the earth rightful ruler
The lyrics of Lee "Scratch" Perry's song Rightful Ruler carry a deep spiritual meaning. The song talks about the power of God, his greatness, and how he is the rightful ruler of the earth. The opening lines of the song refer to the holy trinity of Christianity, Kibir Amlak, Qedamawi Ras Fetari, Qedamawi Iyesus Kristos, which means God Almighty, King or Emperor of Kings, and Christ Jesus, the son of God. Then the song acknowledges the power and legitimacy of the Earth's ruler, who is mighty and ever-living. The verses that follow urge people to lead a righteous life, to avoid evil and immorality, and to follow the laws of God. The man who follows this path shall prosper and be blessed by the Almighty.
The chorus repeatedly mentions the name Jah Rastafari, which is the name given to God by the Rastafari movement. The last verse declares that the Earth rightful ruler is Jah Rastafari, indicating that the earthly and heavenly kingdoms are in unison and subject to each other’s laws.
In essence, the song expresses the quest for spiritual coherence and acknowledges the eternal rule of Jah Rastafari over the universe.
Line by Line Meaning
Kibir amlak
Kings of kings, lords of lords
Qedamawi ras fetari
Conquering lion of the tribe of judah
Qedamawi iyesus kristos
Elect of god, mighty god
Lebdama mabrak isad
Everliving god, earth's rightul ruler
Tenayistilgn
Blessed be the man that walk'eth not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand'eth in the ways of sinners, nor sitt'eth in the seat of the scornful
For I delight is in the law of the lord god, Selassie I
My joy comes from following the laws of the Lord God, Selassie I
In his laws do I meditate day and night
I constantly contemplate his laws day and night
Therefore I must be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water And bring'eth forth fruit in due season I locks also shall not wither
By following his laws, I will be like a tree planted next to water that will never wither and will bear fruit in its season
And whatsoever I do'eth shall prosper The weak heart are not so, oh no! They are like the chaff that the wind driv'eth away
I will prosper in everything I do, but the weak-hearted are like chaff that will be blown away by the wind
Therefore no weak heart shall stand in the judgment Nor no sinners in the congregation of the righteous
No weak-hearted person or sinner will be present among the righteous during judgment
For the lord god so high That he know'eth the way of the righteous And know that the way of the weak heart Shall crumble, paralyze and burn
The Lord God is so high that he knows the way of the righteous and understands that the way of the weak-hearted will crumble, paralyze, and burn
Jah! mighty god! everliving god!
Praise Jah, the mighty and everliving God
But he delight in earthquake, brimstone and fiyah To kill, crum
He delights in natural disasters and fire to destroy his enemies
And do away with all weak heart Conception to my creation continually
He will eliminate all weak-hearted people and continually create
And let our righteousness cover this earth As the waters cover the sea Isaiah 11:9
Our righteousness should cover the earth like the waters cover the sea, as stated in Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the lord, As the waters cover the sea.
In my holy mountain, nobody shall hurt or destroy because the earth is full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea
He reigns from that iwa until this iwa Hailful I, so high and so mighty
He reigns from the past until the present, high and mighty
I am the earth rightful ruler
I am the rightful ruler of the earth
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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