Lucky Dube, ⋆ 3 Aug 1964 in Eastern Transvaal, South Africa; ₫ 18 Oct 2007 … Read Full Bio ↴Lucky Dube, ⋆ 3 Aug 1964 in Eastern Transvaal, South Africa; ₫ 18 Oct 2007 in Rosettenville, Johannesburg Gauteng (murdered), was South Africa's top reggae artist. He started with local popular music as mbaqanga. He switched to reggae in 1983. He was by then Rastafarian. He played roots reggae, but also love songs like 'I've Got You Babe'. His compilation album Serious Reggae Business 1996 entitled him "Best Selling African Recording Artist" at World Music Awards and "International Artist of the Year" at the Ghana Music Awards. He didn't agree with Roots Reggae's romanticizing of the utopian homeland Africa. stating that for many Africans America and Europe is Utopia as is the song 'The Other Side'.

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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)

Feel Irie
Lucky Dube Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How long shall you carry that burden on your shoulders yeah
How long shall those tears keep running down
Your beautiful face yeah

We all have troubles
Now and again
Know what I'm saying
No matter how hard we try

Trouble will find us
One way or another

People had troubles
Since the Pope was an altar boy
People had worries
From when the Dead Sea was only critical

You see
Hear those drums running and
Listen to those guitars skanking, yeah

Put a smile on your face
Don't let the troubles
Get you down (Shoop shoop doo doo)

Put a smile on your face
Don't let the troubles
Get you down

Let me tell you how we feel
We feel irie (Irie)
We feel irie (Irie)
We feel irie yeah yeah (Irie)
We feel so irie (Irie)
Tell me
Do you feel like we do
Tell me now
Do you feel like we do
I say
Do you feel like we do

No man can hide from his fears
Since they are part of him
They always know where to find him

Come on walk tall and
Keep your head high
I tell you again and again

Put a smile on your face (Keep a smile on your face)
Don't let troubles get you down (Don't let the troubles)
Put a smile on your face
Don't let the troubles
Get you down

We feel irie (Irie)
We feel irie (Irie)
We feel irie (Irie)
We feel irie, yeah (Irie)
Tell me now
Do you feel like we do (Do you feel like we do)
Do you feel like we do (Do you feel like we do)
Tell me now
Do you feel like we do
Cause we feel irie (Irie)
We feel irie yeah (Irie)
We feel irie (Irie)
We feel so irie (Irie)
I'm telling you
Do you feel like we do (Do you feel like we do listen now)

Put a smile on your face
Don't let the troubles get you down

Overall Meaning

In Lucky Dube's song Feel Irie, the artist acknowledges that everyone has their fair share of troubles, and encourages listeners not to let them weigh them down. He questions, "How long shall you carry that burden on your shoulders, yeah?" and highlights the importance of putting on a smile instead of letting troubles wear us down. He reminds us that no one can hide from their fears, as they are a part of us and always know where to find us. The upbeat tempo of the song, the sound of the drums running, and the guitars skanking create a lively atmosphere and evoke positivity.

Lucky Dube's lyrics also take a historical perspective, indicating that people have had troubles since longstanding religious and geographical landmarks like the Pope and the Dead Sea were around. This suggests that troubles are universal and have existed for a really long time, but people have always found ways to cope despite them. Ultimately, the song is a call to action to enjoy life as it is, despite any challenges that may come our way.

Line by Line Meaning

How long shall you carry that burden on your shoulders yeah
How long will you let your troubles weigh you down and affect you?

How long shall those tears keep running down Your beautiful face yeah
How long will you let your troubles make you cry and affect your beauty?

We all have troubles
It's a universal fact that everyone faces problems.

Now and again
It happens from time to time to everyone.

Know what I'm saying
Do you understand what I'm trying to convey?

No matter how hard we try
Despite our best efforts,

Trouble will find us
Problems will always come looking for us,

One way or another
In one form or another.

People had troubles Since the Pope was an altar boy
People have faced problems since time immemorial.

People had worries From when the Dead Sea was only critical
People have had concerns since long before recorded history.

You see Hear those drums running and Listen to those guitars skanking, yeah
Listen to the music and feel its rhythm.

Put a smile on your face Don't let the troubles Get you down (Shoop shoop doo doo)
Try to stay positive and not let your problems affect you.

Let me tell you how we feel We feel irie (Irie) We feel irie (Irie) We feel irie yeah yeah (Irie) We feel so irie (Irie)
This is how we feel when we listen to music and forget our troubles.

Tell me Do you feel like we do
Do you share the same feeling as we do?

Tell me now Do you feel like we do I say Do you feel like we do
Do you feel the same way we do? It's a question that's being asked more than once.

No man can hide from his fears Since they are part of him They always know where to find him
It's impossible to escape our fears because they are a part of us and always present.

Come on walk tall and Keep your head high I tell you again and again
Stand tall and be confident. This advice is being repeated for emphasis.

Put a smile on your face (Keep a smile on your face) Don't let troubles get you down (Don't let the troubles) Put a smile on your face Don't let the troubles Get you down
Be cheerful and don't let life's difficulties affect your mood.

We feel irie (Irie) We feel irie (Irie) We feel irie (Irie) We feel irie, yeah (Irie)
We feel good and at peace with ourselves.

Do you feel like we do (Do you feel like we do) Do you feel like we do (Do you feel like we do) Tell me now Do you feel like we do
Are you feeling the same way as we are?

Cause we feel irie (Irie) We feel irie yeah (Irie) We feel irie (Irie) We feel so irie (Irie)
We feel good and are enjoying the moment.

I'm telling you Do you feel like we do (Do you feel like we do listen now)
I want to know if you are sharing the same feeling with us.

Put a smile on your face Don't let the troubles get you down
Stay positive and don't get bogged down by your problems.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LUCKY PHILLIP DUBE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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