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Lucky Dube (born August 3, 1964, died October 18, 2007) was a reggae musician from Johannesburg, South Africa. He was named Lucky because when he was born in poor health, and the doctors thought he would die. But he survived, so was named Lucky. In his youth, Lucky lived with many different family members, singing in bars and in church. He eventually formed a band with some friends, but they could not afford to purchase instruments. Eventually, Lucky wrote a play which he and his bandmates performed, earning enough money to buy a guitar. Their band was then called Skyway, and they played in the mbaqanga style.
Two years after Skyway's formation, Lucky joined Richard Siluma's Love Brothers. He stayed with them for several years, before switching to reggae in the early 1980s. His first major success in that field came at the influential Sunsplash festival in Jamaica.
Lucky's "Together as One" was the first song by a black artist to be played on a white radio station in South Africa. His two most popular albums, Prisoner and Slave, are among the most renowned and best-selling in South Africa's history. One of Lucky's favourite singers was the late Peter Tosh.
On the 18th of October 2007, Lucky was shot dead in an attempted car jacking in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Discography
Rastas Never Dies
Think About The Children
(The Above Two available on 2on1 - Lucky Dube Rastas Never Dies/Think About The Children (2000))
Slave (1989)
Prisoner (1990)
Together as one (1992)
House of exile (1992)
Captured Live (1993)
Victims (1993)
Trinity (1995)
Serious reggae business (1996)
Taxman (1997)
The Way It Is (1999)
The Rough Guide To Lucky Dube (2001)
Soul Taker (2001)
The other side (2005)
Respect (2006)
Crime and Corruption
Lucky Dube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it the high walls where you live
Or is it the men with the guns around you
Twenty four hours a day
That make you ignore
The crying of the people
Farmers get killed every day
Policemen get killed every day
And you say it is not that bad
Maybe if you see it through the eyes of the victims
You will join us and fight this
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
All them a shooting and a shooting and a
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
All them a shooting and a killing and a shooting
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
All them a shooting and a killing and a shooting and a killing
Do you ever worry
About your house being broken into
Do you ever worry
About your car being taken away from you
In broad daylight
Down highway 54
Do you ever worry
About your wife becoming
The woman in black
Do you ever worry
About leaving home and
Coming back in a coffin
With a bullet through your head
So join us and fight
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
All them a shooting and a killing and a shooting
Crime and corruption
In this school of talking dead
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
Shooting and a shooting shooting
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
All them a shooting and a killing
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
In this school of our talking dead
Crime and corruption
All them a shooting and a killing
Crime and corruption
Me know me law
Crime and corruption
All they do is just shooting shooting shooting
In Lucky Dube's song, "Crime and Corruption," the singer critiques the wealthy and powerful individuals in his society who turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. He asks, "Is it the bodyguards around you, is it the high walls where you live, or is it the men with the guns around you, twenty-four hours a day, that make you ignore the crying of the people?" Dube highlights the stark divide between the privileged and the vulnerable in his society, suggesting that the wealthy are insulated from the harms that befall others.
Dube goes on to highlight the common occurrence of violence in his society, stating that farmers and police officers are killed each day, but those in power dismiss these atrocities as "not that bad." He implores those in power to view these acts of violence through the eyes of the victims, and to join the fight against "crime and corruption."
Throughout the song, Dube emphasizes the prevalence of "shooting and killing," and encourages his listeners to join him in combating the corruption and violence that plague their society. The lyrics suggest that the problem is not just the individual acts of violence, but the systemic corruption and disregard for human life that allows them to persist.
Line by Line Meaning
Is it the bodyguards around you
You are surrounded by bodyguards, is that why you ignore the cries of the people?
Is it the high walls where you live
Your house is surrounded by high walls, is that why you ignore the cries of the people?
Or is it the men with the guns around you
The men with guns protect you, is that why you ignore the cries of the people?
Twenty four hours a day
The men with guns protect you every hour of the day, is that why you ignore the cries of the people?
Farmers get killed every day
Farmers are killed every day
You say it is not that bad
You say the situation is not that bad
Policemen get killed every day
Policemen are killed every day
And you say it is not that bad
You say the situation is not that bad
Maybe if you see it through the eyes of the victims
Perhaps if you see the situation from the perspective of the victims
You will join us and fight this
You will join us in fighting crime and corruption
Do you ever worry
Do you ever feel concerned
About your house being broken into
About someone breaking into your house
About your car being taken away from you
About someone stealing your car
In broad daylight
In the middle of the day
Down highway 54
On highway 54
About your wife becoming the woman in black
About your wife becoming a widow
About leaving home and coming back in a coffin
About leaving home and returning in a coffin
With a bullet through your head
With a bullet wound in your head
So join us and fight
Therefore, join us in the fight against crime and corruption
In this school of talking dead
In this society where people talk but do not take action
All they do is just shooting, shooting, shooting
All they do is shoot, shoot, shoot
Crime and corruption
The issues of crime and corruption
Me know me law
I know the law
All them a shooting and a killing and a shooting
They are shooting and killing over and over again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LUCKY DUBE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tyron
on Different Colours (Live)
2024 approves
Sr Kajota
on Peanut Butter (live)
I love that Song. It comes from the gospel group The Thrutless called "peanut butter and jelly" its kind of adpatation, but its amazing the way how Lucky dube could do this.