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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)
Victims
Lucky Dube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until now as she turns to look at me
She said boy oh boy
You bring tears to my eyes
I said what
She said boy oh boy
You bring tears to my eyes
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look
But little did he know that eventually
The enemy will stand aside and look
While we slash and kill our own brothers
Knowing that already
They are the victims of the situation
Still licking wounds from brutality
Still licking wounds from humiliation
She said these words
And the wrinkles on her face
Became perfect trails for the tears and she said
We are the victims every time
We got double trouble every time
We are the victims every time
We got double trouble every time
We are the victims every time
We got double trouble every time
She took me outside to the churchyard
Showed me graves on the ground and she said
There lies a man who fought for equality
There lies a boy who died in his struggle
Can all these heroes die in vain
While we slash and
Kill our own brothers
Knowing that already they are the victims of the situation
Still licking wounds from brutality
Still licking wounds from humiliation
We are the victims every time
We got double trouble every time
We are the victims every time
We got double trouble every time
We are the victims every time
Lucky Dube’s song, Victims, is a powerful social commentary that reflects on the ongoing issues of oppression, injustice, and discrimination that have plagued the African continent for centuries. The song highlights the deep-rooted problems in society and draws a link between our inability to learn from history and our future prospects. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who is crying because she has realized the magnitude of the problem at hand, and she is helpless to change the situation. As Dube’s lyrics suggest, we are all victims of the cycle of violence, and until we recognize this, we will never be able to break free from our bonds of slavery.
The song draws a comparison between the situation in the African continent and Bob Marley’s “How long shall they kill our prophets” lyrics. Dube suggests that while Marley’s lyrics were significant in pointing out the problem of oppression, the problem goes beyond just killing prophets. Instead, the enemy often stands aside and looks while we kill our own brothers. The enemies are us, and we are our victims. We continue to slash and kill our own brothers and sisters, knowing very well that they are already victims of the situation, still licking their wounds from brutality and humiliation.
Dube highlights the violence and death that have plagued our continent for far too long. The song’s lyrics say that we have heroes who fought for equality, but they are now dead, and we are killing our own brothers and sisters. Can the heroes die in vain? Will we ever learn from history and break free from our bonds of slavery? As Dube says, we are our own victims every time, and we have double trouble every time. Victims is a cry for help, a call to action for social change and justice.
Line by Line Meaning
Didn't know she was crying
I was unaware that she was in emotional distress
Until now as she turns to look at me
I only noticed her distress when she looked at me
She said boy oh boy
She addressed me in exasperation
You bring tears to my eyes
My actions have upset her to the point of tears
Bob Marley said
The singer now references a quote from Bob Marley
How long shall they kill our prophets
Bob Marley speaks about the persecution of prophets
While we stand aside and look
While we do nothing to prevent this injustice
But little did he know that eventually
However, he did not anticipate that
The enemy will stand aside and look
Eventually, the oppressor will do nothing to stop us
While we slash and kill our own brothers
We, however, will continue to harm our own
Knowing that already
Aware that
They are the victims of the situation
Those we harm are only further victims of the oppressive environment
Still licking wounds from brutality
The pain of violence and cruelty still persists
Still licking wounds from humiliation
The shame of the situation continually affects them
She said these words
The woman returned to speaking
And the wrinkles on her face
As she spoke, her tired face revealed the struggles she had endured
Became perfect trails for the tears and she said
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke
We are the victims every time
She expressed how they are continually harmed by the oppressive forces at play
We got double trouble every time
The effects of their oppression double down on them
She took me outside to the churchyard
To further illustrate her point, she led me to the cemetery
Showed me graves on the ground and she said
In front of the graves, she spoke once more
There lies a man who fought for equality
She highlighted the burial site of a man who dedicated his life to justice
There lies a boy who died in his struggle
She pointed out the resting place of a young activist who perished in the fight
Can all these heroes die in vain
She questioned the purpose of their sacrifice
While we slash and kill our own brothers
Their in-fighting only diminishes the legacy of those who came before
Knowing that already they are the victims of the situation
The oppressed only continue to harm one another, even though they should understand the impact of the oppressive environment
Still licking wounds from brutality
The brutality they experienced continues to impact them
Still licking wounds from humiliation
They are still ashamed of their subjugation
We are the victims every time
The woman reiterates their role as victims
We got double trouble every time
The effects of their oppression multiply
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LUCKY PHILLIP DUBE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@r-ankoma7531
This song is a piece of art; the true words of a poet.
At one instance, you see the shadowy flag (A symbolism) of the West (America) at the background and swiftly proceeding it is a whiteman soldier who eventually points his gun down.
The interpretation; First the west and the white are the cause of the plight of Africa and the Black race as a whole.
In the past, with their own bullets and strategies they did away with our black freedom fighters whilst taking away our raw materials to Europe and the Americas, but today by proxy, they've succeeded in getting our fellow blacks to do that dirty work of silencing our freedom fighters like they did to Ghedaffi, etc.
Today, African leaders and presidents are given away our natural resources to the white for free, current example is the newly discovered Lithium deposits in GHANA. The government of the day is given AWAY almost all to the whiteman, the Ghanaians themselves only get 10% of the proceeds. Sad!!
The West using the Black's themselves to create wars and instability in Africa making it possible to smuggle the resources of Africa to the Americas and Europe. Women and children suffer the most in such wickedness by the West and his allies.
My INTERPRETATION. AD 22/12/2023🙏🙏
@NicholasKilonzo-zg7uu
who else here in 2024?
@bahabdoulaye3584
❤🎉😢 his songs sometimes bring tears to my eyes 😪
@NicholasKilonzo-zg7uu
😢very emotional
@@bahabdoulaye3584
@daounakeita5225
😰😰😭😭😭😰😢
@sylverkizinna7547
Here i am..❤...march 2024...
@inacioaugusto5206
I'm here
@saintcharisofficiel
who are there in 2024??? ❤❤
@user-fy9lw3yf4x
Yes I
@markmalaka4747
If you still watching this, you are a legend
@berdosyemeli3099
Salut le grand !!! 🙏🙏🙏