Nothing To Smile About
Morgan Heritage Lyrics


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Nuff people come to Jamaica and nuh know how we live
Think Seh EVERYTHING nice through we full of vibes and think
Dem say want feelin to dem heart when dem get fi overstand di real thing yeaah

Mi deh ya a town one day
A par with a white man weh come all the way from norway
And him turn to mi and say
How comes Jamaica full of so much screwface
Same time mi lift mi head to the sky
And a tear drop fall from mi eye
Mi Say my youth come we go out for a drive
Mek mi show you why mi cry

[Chorus]
Look pon di gully side
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look at that hungry child
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look at the school weh deh youth dem go fi get dem education
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look at the conditions of our police stations
Do you see anything fi smile bout

Same time the bredda say
How can a nation believe in this way
And the next thing him say
How can the government play so many games
Same time mi heart fall to the ground
Cause dis much war where that comes from
Certain place they are worse dan slum
Youth man come

[Chorus]
Look pon di gully side
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look at that hungry child
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look at the school weh deh youth dem go fi get dem education
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look at the conditions of our police stations
Do you see anything fi smile bout

And take a look pon Riverton
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Look pon Payneland
Do you see anything fi smile bout
Flankers, Mobay and Saffras Heights in Nos Spain
Do you see anything fi smile bout




Hope Flats, Kentiyah, Mottom Bay are all the same
Do you see anything fi smile bout

Overall Meaning

The song "Nothing To Smile About" by Morgan Heritage is a commentary on the harsh living conditions of Jamaica and the struggles of its people. The lyrics start off by highlighting the ignorance of tourists who visit Jamaica and fail to acknowledge the poverty and difficult circumstances that many Jamaicans face. The chorus starts with the phrase "Look pon di gully side" which translates to "Look at the ghettos". The lyrics then go on to describe the reality of living in Jamaica - hungry children, inadequate schools, poor police conditions, and rundown neighborhoods. The overall message of the song is a call for people to address the issues happening in Jamaica and bring positive change.


The verses of the song reveal a conversation that Morgan Heritage had with a white man from Norway who expresses surprise at the number of scowling faces he sees in Jamaica. Morgan Heritage then takes the man on a tour of some of the impoverished areas in Jamaica, showing him why it's difficult for people to find reasons to smile. The chorus highlights specific areas in Jamaica that have issues with poverty, crime, and poor living conditions. The song speaks to the reality of Jamaica, and its struggle for improved conditions.


Line by Line Meaning

Nuff people come to Jamaica and nuh know how we live
Many tourists visit Jamaica without understanding the realities of our daily lives.


Think Seh EVERYTHING nice through we full of vibes and think
They assume that everything is perfect and happy because we are full of energy and positive attitude.


Dem say want feelin to dem heart when dem get fi overstand di real thing yeaah
They claim to want to experience an emotional connection when they finally understand the reality of our situation.


Mi deh ya a town one day
One day I was in the city.


A par with a white man weh come all the way from norway
I was hanging out with a white man who had come from Norway.


And him turn to mi and say
He turned to me and said,


How comes Jamaica full of so much screwface
Why are so many people in Jamaica giving unfriendly looks?


Same time mi lift mi head to the sky
At the same time, I looked up to the sky.


And a tear drop fall from mi eye
And a tear rolled down my cheek.


Mi Say my youth come we go out for a drive
I said, my friend, let's take a drive.


Mek mi show you why mi cry
Let me show you why I am so emotional.


[Chorus] Look pon di gully side Do you see anything fi smile bout
Observing the poverty on the outskirts of the city is not something to smile about.


Look at that hungry child Do you see anything fi smile bout
Seeing a child going hungry is not something to smile about.


Look at the school weh deh youth dem go fi get dem education Do you see anything fi smile bout
Looking at the poor conditions of schools where young students receive their education is not something to smile about.


Look at the conditions of our police stations Do you see anything fi smile bout
The inadequate state of our police stations is not something to smile about.


Same time the bredda say How can a nation believe in this way
At the same time, the brother said, how can a nation believe in this way?


And the next thing him say How can the government play so many games
And the next thing he said was, how can the government play so many games?


Same time mi heart fall to the ground
At the same time, my heart sank in despair.


Cause dis much war where that comes from
Because so much conflict stems from these problems.


Certain place they are worse dan slum
In certain areas, things are worse than in a slum.


Youth man come
Young man, come with me.


[Chorus] Look pon di gully side Do you see anything fi smile bout
Observing the poverty on the outskirts of the city is not something to smile about.


Look at that hungry child Do you see anything fi smile bout
Seeing a child going hungry is not something to smile about.


Look at the school weh deh youth dem go fi get dem education Do you see anything fi smile bout
Looking at the poor conditions of schools where young students receive their education is not something to smile about.


Look at the conditions of our police stations Do you see anything fi smile bout
The inadequate state of our police stations is not something to smile about.


And take a look pon Riverton Do you see anything fi smile bout
And if you look at Riverton, there's nothing to smile about.


Look pon Payneland Do you see anything fi smile bout
If you look at Payneland, there's nothing to smile about.


Flankers, Mobay and Saffras Heights in Nos Spain Do you see anything fi smile bout
Flankers, Mobay and Saffras Heights in Nos Spain all have their problems, and there's nothing to smile about.


Hope Flats, Kentiyah, Mottom Bay are all the same
Hope Flats, Kentiyah, Mottom Bay are all facing similar struggles, and there's nothing to smile about.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: LLAMAR BROWN, KEMAR MCGREGOR, PETER MORGAN, ROY MORGAN, UNA MORGAN, MEMMALATEL MORGAN, NAKHAMYAH MORGAN, ROY GRAMPS MORGAN, UNA IYARN MORGAN, L. BROWN, K. MCGREGOR

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Comments from YouTube:

@lewisabunga8884

Rest in peace Peter Morgan , this is my favorite reggae song 😢

@fjerome5958

Its a deep song for real

@pierrefabiola2481

The leader of Morgan heritage 😢

@raniesirpat3179

Rip I grew up listening his song my father was a fan of his song

@brianwille2192

Rip morgan

@avebianca9604

❤❤❤❤❤❤

1 More Replies...

@deejkartell9019

What a legend. RIP Peter Morgan. Your spirit will forever live with us thru your music🙏🏾

@geofreymamboleo7091

Peetah as you go, tell God you left nothing to smile about, Tell him you left Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Hamas playing with missiles like toys, nothing to smile about, Even here in Kenya Bandits seem to have more guns than government, Tell God all these I sent you😭😭😭

@valenejulie4129

Lost my brother on the 31st of January at the age of 38yro we grew up listening to Morgan Heritage and yet you also gone today 💔 ascended home , we will always remember you ❤

@ashleybrown2748

My deepest deepest condolences 2 yu and ur family🥺Jah love❤️💛💚🖤

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