Most of Johnson's poetry is political, dealing mainly with the experiences of being an African-Caribbean in Britain. However, he has also shown himself more than capable of writing about other issues, such as British foreign policy or the death of anti-racist marcher Blair Peach. His most celebrated poems were written during the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The poems contain graphic accounts of the often racist police brutality occurring at the time.
Johnson's best known albums include his debut "Dread Beat An' Blood", "Forces of Victory", "Bass Culture" and "Making History". Across these albums are spread classics of the dub poetry school of performance - and, indeed, of reggae itself - such as "Dread Beat An' Blood", "Sonny's Lettah, "Inglan Is A Bitch" and "Independant Intavenshan".
When written, Johnson's poetry makes clever use of the unstandardised transcription of Jamaican Creole.
Of late, Johnson has only performed live on an intermittent basis.
Johnson's record label LKJ Records is home to other reggae artists, some of whom made up The Dub Band, with whom Johnson mostly recorded, and other Dub Poets, such as Jean Binta Breeze.
www.lintonkwesijohnson.com
Five Nights Of Bleeding
Linton Kwesi Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Madness tight on the heads of the rebels
The bitterness erup's like a heart blas'
Broke glass, ritual of blood an' a-burnin'
Served by a cruelin' fighting
Five nights of horror and of bleeding
Broke glass, cold blades as sharp as the eyes of hate
And the stabbin', it's
Madness, madness, war
Night number one was in Brixton
Sofrano B sound system
I'm was a-beatin' up the riddim with a fire
I'm comin' down his reggae reggae wire
It was a sound checkin' down your spinal column
A bad music tearin' up your flesh
And the rebels dem start a fighting
De youth dem just tun wild, it's
War amongs' the rebels
Madness, madness, war
Night number two down at Sheppard's
Right up Railton road
It was a night name friday when ev'ryone was high on brew or drew (?)
A pound or two worth of Kali
Sound comin' down of the king's music iron
The riddim just bubblin' an' backfirin'
Ragin' an' risin'
When suddenly the music cut -
Steelblade drinkin' blood in darkness, it's
War amongs' the rebels
Madness, madness, war
Night number three, over the river
Right outside the Rainbow
Inside James Brown was screamin soul
Outside the rebels were freezin' cold
Babylonian tyrants descended
Bounced on the brothers who were bold
So with a flick of the wris', a jab and a stab
The song of hate was sounded
The pile of oppression was vomited
And two policemen wounded
Righteous, righteous war
Night number four at the blues dance, abuse dance
Two rooms packed and the pressure pushin' up
Hot, hotheads
Ritual of blood
"Five Nights of Bleeding" is a powerful reggae anthem by Linton Kwesi Johnson that paints a picture of the madness, war, and rebellion in the streets of London during the late 1970s. The song starts with the description of the rebels who are suffering from bitterness and madness, which erupts in the form of violence and rebellion against the oppressive authorities. The use of "broke glass" and "ritual of blood" to describe the rebellion's actions is a metaphorical reference to the destruction and bloodshed witnessed on the streets.
The song is divided into four stanzas, each representing a particular night in a different location in London. The first night was in Brixton, where "Sofrano B sound system" was playing reggae music that pumped up the crowd. The rebels suddenly turned wild and started fighting, which turned into a war among themselves. The second night was in Sheppard's, where the crowd was high on brew or drew, and when the music suddenly stopped, steel blades entered the scene, and war broke out.
The third night took place outside the Rainbow in North London while James Brown performed inside. The rebels were freezing cold when Babylonian tyrants descended upon them. In response, they struck back with violence, and two policemen got wounded. The fourth night occurred at a blues dance, packed with hot-headed individuals, and turned into a ritual of blood.
Line by Line Meaning
Madness, madness
Senseless mayhem, chaos
Madness tight on the heads of the rebels
The rebels were overwhelmed with the craziness around them
The bitterness erup's like a heart blas'
The anger was overflowing like a bursting heart
Broke glass, ritual of blood an' a-burnin'
Breaking glass and violence is a ritual associated with the clashes
Served by a cruelin' fighting
The conflict was served by cruel fighting
Five nights of horror and of bleeding
The events took place over five terrifying nights in which people were wounded and killed
Broke glass, cold blades as sharp as the eyes of hate
The weapons used, such as sharp and cold blades, were as hateful as the intentions behind them
And the stabbin', it's
The stabbing was a common occurrence
War amongs' the rebels
There was a battle between the rebels
Madness, madness, war
The atmosphere was one of complete chaos, this was a senseless war
Night number one was in Brixton
The first night of the events happened in Brixton
Sofrano B sound system
The sound system used for the music was Sofrano B
I'm was a-beatin' up the riddim with a fire
The music trembled in the air with a fierce energy
I'm comin' down his reggae reggae wire
The singers were blasting the reggae music through the airwaves
It was a sound checkin' down your spinal column
The bass rhythm penetrated your very being like a sonic vibration
A bad music tearin' up your flesh
The loud and aggressive music shook the room and stirred up conflicting emotions
And the rebels dem start a fighting
The rebels began to fight amongst themselves
De youth dem just tun wild, it's
The young people became reckless and wild
War amongs' the rebels
The rebellion turned into a battle with one another
Madness, madness, war
The fighting was senseless and chaotic
Night number two down at Sheppard's
The second night of events took place at Sheppard's
Right up Railton road
The road was filled with people and chaos
It was a night name friday when ev'ryone was high on brew or drew (?)
It was a Friday night when many people were drinking alcohol or taking drugs
A pound or two worth of Kali
A few pounds worth of a drug called Kali was consumed
Sound comin' down of the king's music iron
The loud and powerful music echoed down the street like the clash of iron weapons
The riddim just bubblin' an' backfirin'
The rhythm of the music was unsteady and unpredictable
Ragin' an' risin'
The emotions were escalating to uncontainable levels
When suddenly the music cut -
The music came to a sudden stop
Steelblade drinkin' blood in darkness, it's
The darkness and confusion gave way to cold steel blades and bloodshed
Night number three, over the river
The third night of events took place on the other side of the river
Right outside the Rainbow
The events took place outside of a club called The Rainbow
Inside James Brown was screamin soul
Inside the club, James Brown's music was playing loudly
Outside the rebels were freezin' cold
Outside, the rebels were cold from the night air
Babylonian tyrants descended
The authorities and police came down to control the situation
Bounced on the brothers who were bold
The authorities came down hard on the rebellious people
So with a flick of the wris', a jab and a stab
With swift and violent action, the fighting continued
The song of hate was sounded
The anger and hatred was proclaimed by those fighting
The pile of oppression was vomited
The people unleashed all of their frustrations and anger at their oppressors
And two policemen wounded
Two police officers were injured during the fighting
Righteous, righteous war
The people felt that their rebellion was a just and necessary war
Night number four at the blues dance, abuse dance
The fourth night of the events took place at a blues dance
Two rooms packed and the pressure pushin' up
The people were crammed into two rooms and the pressure was building
Hot, hotheads
The people were hot-headed and ready to fight
Ritual of blood
The fighting and violence became a ritualistic part of their rebellion
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LINTON KWESI JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Samir Dave
This poem has inspired me for years now. Now I feel its going to be an account of what happened to the world after the social unrest from the scrounge coronavirus.
123gogary
Reggae Poet
Petter Berthelsen
<3 have this only on the lp - the dub... lovly to heare it here also, whit a melody, and pictures
fofopisa297
Rockers (Y)!!
Petter Berthelsen
<3 Have this song only in dub. <3 to hear it also whit som sound <3
Al H
fire
Petter Berthelsen
this one was better, than the dub
hathechewed
;-)
MALLEK Chafik
what's that movie ?
will
Rockers 1978