Ancient People
Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley Lyrics

Now greetings to the world
The song begins with a salutation to the world.

The accumulated intelligence of mankind
Humanity's collective intellect enhances their uniqueness.

Is what makes us special
The accumulation of knowledge and wisdom makes humans special.

Among all other species
In comparison to other living beings.

Everything is built upon the
All inventions and creations are founded on the following.

Foundation before it
The basis created before a new idea or creation.

These ancient thoughts this ancient love
This refers to age-old ideas and emotions.

These ancient hearts these ancient souls
This refers to the age-old love, emotions, and beliefs of humans.

These ancient songs these ancient people
This refers to the old traditional music and the people who sang those melodies.

Like the earth, and the sky
Drawing a comparison to the natural world.

And the sea, and the birds
Referring to the vastness and beauty of nature.

And the trees, and the sun melody
Making a comparison to elements of nature and music.

Like a mountain, like a valley
This line compares the vast differences present in nature.

Like the river, like the lake
Making a comparison between types of water bodies.

Like the earth, when it quakes space and sea
Comparing the massive upheavals of the earth to the vastness of space and sea.

This is rock and roll meets aristotle
Bringing together two seemingly different genres - rock and roll and ancient Greek philosophy.

I fly those G5's through the skies to Cabbo
The artist refers to his luxurious, jet-setting lifestyle.

Martial arts more ancient than Tae Bo
Tae Bo, a popular workout regime, is nothing compared to the longevity of martial arts.

Swordsman, more ancient than Zorro
Zorro, the fictional swordsman, is nothing compared to the long history of true swordsmen.

Ancient like the pharohs or priests of Yoruba
Making a comparison to the ancient rulers and priests of historically significant cultures.

Or Obeah euphobia you peril
Using two words to name a scary concept in African and Caribbean cultures.

Your paths narrow like
Referring to the difficult paths encountered in life.

Climbing mount Kilimanjaro
An analogy for overcoming life's obstacles.

Ancient men traded cattle
Historical fact about the transactions of ancient humans.

Before columbus was lost in travel
This line explains the timing of the ancient cattle trade in relation to Columbus's travels.

Ancient canoes got paddeled
Referring to ancient water transportation.

Before the horse saddle there was camel
Historically, camels were used before the development of the horse saddle.

Spears before arrow, arrow before ammo
The timeline of weaponry in ancient times.

Tribal paint before camo-flage
A historical comparison of ancient and modern-day camouflage.

Chief before sarge, or lieutenant
Explaining the hierarchy of ancient military rankings.

Village elders before the senate
Comparing the wise village elders to modern-day senators.

Used to sail the seas before
Referring to ancient means of transportation.

The compass was invented
A historical point in the development of modern-day navigation.

Ancient people spoke free
Referring to the freedom of speech among ancient societies.

They didn't need a 1st amendment
An implication that the right to free speech wasn't codified in ancient times.

In the beginning
Referring to the start of time.

The drum was the text sending
Historically, the drum was used to send messages across distances.

There was moons before months
A fact regarding the original way of measuring time.

And time before minutes
Implying that minutes are a modern human invention.

From love, onto language, onto hieroglyphics
Referring to the evolution of ideas from love to sophisticated forms of language and writing.

The Invention of the wheel, onto mathematics
Referring to the age-old invention of the wheel and its relation to the development of math concepts.

The almanac, the calender, onto geographics
The three concepts described are all age-old ways of measuring time and space.

Herbal medicine
Historical method of healing using natural herbs.

To anti-biotic Ginseng to acetonic
Ginseng and acetonic are modern-day medicines compared to the herbal remedies used in ancient times.

Water pump, water pump, to onto hydrolics
Referring to the development of machines for transportation and energy creation.

Moonlight, candle light, onto electronics
Comparing ancient forms of light to modern-day electronic light sources.

Instinct to knowledge, classroom to college
Referring to the evolution of learning, from basic instincts to the highly-structured educational system of colleges.

Oh, all of These ancient thoughts
The lyrics coming before this line are a compilation of age-old ideas, inventions, and knowledge.

Man a Bust the earth, man a Bust the sky
This refers to humankind's devastating effects on the earth and sky.

Junior Gong
Referring to Damian Marley's nickname.

And Junior Reid we meditation it so high
Referring to meditative practices and using the nickname of Junior Reid, another reggae artist.

Man a trod the gravel, it dirty and it dry
Using imagery to describe humankind's determination to thrive in desolate conditions.

Oh, dem no see no wings, but man a fly
Implying that humans are able to fly despite the lack of wings.

Babylon fi splurt
The singer is directing disdain towards societal norms he regards as oppressive.

Dem no know what life is worth
Society does not fully recognize the true value of life.

Oh, tell dem stop polluting mother earth
The artist wishes for people to stop harming the environment.

Man a make a trot, me robe
The artist describes his own lifestyle.

Me sandles and me rod dem shouldve known
Referring to his own unique way of living and traveling.

Hear say man this man a God
Humorous line implying overexaggerated praise and adulation for a person.