Michael Prophet grew up in the western Kingston ghetto of Greenwich Farm, Jamaica. He began his recording career in 1977 when he was discovered by the legendary producer Vivian Jackson, better known as Yabby You. Yabby You took Michael to Channel One where he voiced his debut song "Praise You Jah Jah".
Michael recorded many tunes for Yabby You and scored his first hit with a cover version of the Heptones' "Fight It To The Top". However, it was the deeper, more rootsy material that began to hit with an international reggae audience. Cuts like "Gates Of Zion", "Mash Down Rome", "Turn Me Loose", "Warn Them Jah" and "Creation Rock" were massive sound system tunes in the UK and staple food for the likes of Jah Shaka, Quaker City, Sir Coxsone, Fatman and Moa Ambessa - the ruling UK sounds of the era. "Turn Me Loose" was even featured in the classic movie "Babylon". Island Records released Michael's debut album "Serious Reasoning" in 1980 and this set remains a reggae classic, with its heavyweight backing was provided by The Gladiators band and his unique wailing vocals singing songs with mystical vibes.
After working with Yabby You, he also recorded for Henry "Junjo" Lawes, adapting to the prevailing dancehall sound and having his biggest hit with "Gunman". During the first half of the 1980s he recorded for producers such as Don Mais, Al Campbell, Sugar Minott, Winston "Niney" Holness, and Winston Riley, cementing his status as one of Jamaica's most popular singers. After living in Miami for a time, he moved to England, where he recorded "Your Love" which reached number one in the UK reggae chart in 1990. It was followed in 1991 by the album Get Ready, which also sold well.
Rootsman first met Michael Prophet in 1992 and they hooked up to record a number of dubplates in 2001. These tunes have rocked every single Rootsman dance since then. Finally, in January 2003 Rootsman got the opportunity to produce Michael in his Third Eye Studio. Two deep songs "Praises" and "Cry Of A Family" were voiced and will see release on Third Eye Music in the future. The tracks were deeply emotional performances as Michael travelled 200 miles from London for the session after being badly beaten by the police just 3 days earlier. Despite being cut, bruised and in considerable pain, Michael's voice and vibes were intact as he delivered two more tracks that will be added to his other numerous classics in his repertoire.
Prophet died 16 December 2017. He had been battling lung cancer and was suffering from a brain tumor.
Evil Doers
Michael Prophet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And There Will Be No Time for You to Run Anymore
For the Meek Shall Inherit The Earth,
Yeah, They, I Know, Shall Reap the Sweet;
It is Best When You Deal With Righteous
Works, Yeah, and Yes, I know It Will Occur, Yeah
Me Vexxed,
Cause Lightning and Thunder Shall Crack
the Wicked Over Yonder; They Must Surrender
Oh Yeah, Jah Know It
Dilligently, I Can See That, and I Know the Wicked Shall Wither,
For The Arms Of The Wicked, Yes I Know, It Gonna Be Broken,
That's What Jah Has Spoken
You See, and Criticize Jah People,
and Build in Their Mind Lots of Fever,
But I Know One Day To Come, Your Evil Works Shall Go Down
Jah Vexxed,
And We Vexxed"
The lyrics of Michael Prophet's song "Evil Doers" speak to the idea of karma and divine justice. The song warns evildoers that they will be "cut off" and there will be no escape from their wickedness. The meek, on the other hand, will inherit the earth and reap its rewards. The singer urges listeners to deal with righteous works and have faith that justice will ultimately prevail.
The lyrics are delivered with a sense of urgency, conveying the message that time is running out for those who continue to do evil. The refrain of "Me Vexxed" and "Jah Vexxed" adds to the sense of frustration and anger at those who persist in wrongdoing.
The imagery of lightning and thunder cracking over the wicked emphasizes the power and inevitability of divine justice. The line, "I know the wicked shall wither," suggests that those who do evil will ultimately be weakened and defeated.
Overall, the lyrics of "Evil Doers" encourage listeners to choose the path of righteousness, and warn of the consequences of deviating from it.
Line by Line Meaning
For Evildoers, You Shall Be Cut Off, Of The Wickedness You Have Done,
If you are an evildoer, you will be punished for your wickedness and face consequences for your actions.
And There Will Be No Time for You to Run Anymore
You will not be able to escape once you face the punishment for your evil deeds.
For the Meek Shall Inherit The Earth,
The humble and righteous people will inherit the earth and live a peaceful life.
Yeah, They, I Know, Shall Reap the Sweet;
Those who live with integrity will be rewarded and have a good life.
It is Best When You Deal With Righteous Works,
It is always better to do good deeds and work with righteousness.
Yeah, and Yes, I know It Will Occur, Yeah
I have faith that doing good will ultimately result in positive outcomes.
Me Vexxed,
I am angry.
Me Vexxed
I am really angry.
Cause Lightning and Thunder Shall Crack the Wicked Over Yonder;
Nature will express its anger towards the wicked.
They Must Surrender
The wicked must face the consequences and surrender.
Oh Yeah, Jah Know It
God is aware of everything that is happening.
Dilligently, I Can See That, and I Know the Wicked Shall Wither,
I am confident that wicked people will suffer the consequences for their actions.
For The Arms Of The Wicked, Yes I Know, It Gonna Be Broken,
The power and control of wicked people will be destroyed and taken away from them.
That's What Jah Has Spoken
This is what God has spoken through his teachings.
You See, and Criticize Jah People,
You criticize good people who follow God's teachings.
and Build in Their Mind Lots of Fever,
You try to create anger and hate towards good people in other people's minds.
But I Know One Day To Come, Your Evil Works Shall Go Down
I am confident that one day, the evil things you do will catch up to you.
Jah Vexxed,
God is angry.
And We Vexxed
We are all angry.
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nicholasgool963
Michael Prophet has a very special, distinctive voice, like Horace Andy and Tristan Palmer he always sounds good. Here he is spot on like the riddim track - he's a mighty lion of the golden age of Reggae.
@peterbrown3944
Wow that a beautiful and sensitive
reggae artist
Michael Prophet was!
This tune is surely Michael Prophet, at his most heart felt sincerety!
R I P . Legend.
@SDwhipeout
I love it when my ears hear new roots reggae. All the time searching each of my fav artist pays off when i stumble across gold like this.
@AlainCarAudioManiac
Very true
@Mika-El-
This is extraordinary roots!!
@exposingtheamericanstasitr3579
Before YT We would spend countless hours pouring through garage sales and record stores to find these old Jamaican and UK 45 demos only to take it home and realize the good stuff is really hard to find. those discoveries are so much easier now than it was back then. Lol
@carlosporras4951
Leyenda reggae roots musica para rasta Selassie.REMEMBER FOREVER...❤🇪🇸❤❤❤❤❤
@musicaldisc4664
...Yes!!!....Jah Know R.I.P.
@reggaeone
crucial bassline...Michael Prophet is riding di riddim perfectly
@bsadewitz
You hear how the strongest drum/bass hit in the whole song immediately follows "Jah spoken"? Truly crucial. I have been in love with this music for 20 years, and only recently have I felt that I've even scratched the surface. I read a paper a couple years ago about the Jamaican music industry from which I learned that, if one stacked all Jamaican vinyl releases one on top of another, the resulting tower would be well over 100 stories tall. Think about that.