Nasio was the youngest of seven children born to a Carib Indian mother and father of African descent, in the village of Carte-Bois, Dominica. The family lived in a one room wooden country house without running water or electricity. Before heading off to school, Nasio and his brothers and sisters walked miles to the Gwiyo River to fetch fresh water for the household.
When he was eight years old, Nasio began singing in the Bagatelle school and the village Catholic church. Nasio had a habit of making instruments out of everything he could find. "My Dad, Atto, made my very first instrument, a piece of board with fishing lines for strings; it meant everything to me." According to the village residents, Nasio was often the highlight of the annual school talent shows, and "a blessing to listen to".
Nasio’s musical inspiration comes from Rastafari but on the earthly plane, reggae greats such as Culture’s Joseph Hill, Burning Spear, Jacob Miller and of course Bob Marley. He is also influenced by Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, Curtis Mayfield, and Dominican Cadence music, like Chubby and the Midnight Groovers. He is very focused on what his music is saying, the message he wants to portray.
In the mid-1980s, Nasio moved from Dominica to the hustle and bustle of the island of St. Maarten where he recorded his first 12" single Born to Be Free (1986) and EP Babylon is Falling (1990). His first full length CD Reggae Power (1994) was followed by Wolf Catcher (1997) and Revolution (1999). He soon became a sensation by the power of the music and word of mouth alone.
Lovers of reggae music throughout the world know Nasio’s name, his voice and his conscious lyrics. He speaks of revolution, of waking up the sleeping consciousness of oppressed and freedom loving people across the Earth. In his own words, “the music is important; I want my music to be my contribution to the people of the world.” The world of Reggae and indeed the world of music needs a new voice, get ready to be "Living in the Positive" with Nasio Fontaine.
Jah Calling
Nasio Fontaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
see some true oh na ohou
Ohu nan children, oh children
come see some true oh na
say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Lord,
Say that I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
Jah is calling on among ()
for blessing it is for I AND I to (purl)in perfect harmony
he tried
we must abandon we all know that no solution
taking sharper the calling now, oh children are you listen?
say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Lord, Lord, Lord
Say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Tell you what?
Rastafara is calling from the four common of the earth
Beloved stiffness children
let the true come find the wise
Celaty ()is the solution
Behold Jah is calling now oh children are u listen?
say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Lord, Lord, Lord say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in willingness
proula pah eh yi
humm humm humh hum
Proula pan pan pan
say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Lord, Lord, Lord
Say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Ho yes
Did you heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And he is calling in the willingness
Lord nan clear
And I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
And he is calling the willingness
hum hum hum
The lyrics of "Jah Calling" by Nasio Fontaine is a representation of the artist's deep spiritual connection to Jah, also known as God or Yahweh. The chorus of the song begins with the repetition of "Oh na children, oh children, see some true oh na ohou" which seems like a call to attention to children to pay attention to the message that Jah has for them. The artist declares that he has heard the voice of Jah calling and that he is calling in willingness. This calling is a spiritual one that the artist has chosen to follow with open arms as he believes that Jah's calling is a blessing to him.
The artist goes on to declare that Jah is calling among all for everyone to live in perfect harmony. He believes that abandoning division amongst each other is the only way to move forward as a community. The artist also mentions that Rastafara is calling from the four corners of the earth and is beckoning his people to listen to Jah's calling. An interesting point to note is that the artist mentions that "celaty" is the solution to solving problems. It is unclear what this word means, but it is possible that it is a Jamaican word or a Rastafarian term.
In summary, "Jah Calling" by Nasio Fontaine is a song that emphasizes the artist's strong spiritual connection to Jah and his willingness to follow Jah's calling. He urges everyone to listen to Jah's message and live in harmony with each other. The song has a strong reggae beat and rhythm, which adds to its powerful message.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh na children, oh children
Addressing the audience as children
see some true oh na ohou
Come and witness something true
Ohu nan children, oh children
Addressing the audience as children again
come see some true oh na
Come and witness something true again
say I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
The singer heard Jah's voice calling
And He is calling in the willingness
Jah is calling for willingness from the listener
Lord,
Addressing Jah as Lord
Jah is calling on among ()
Jah is calling from everywhere
for blessing it is for I AND I to (purl)in perfect harmony
We must unite in perfect harmony to receive Jah's blessings
he tried
Jah has tried to call us before
we must abandon we all know that no solution
We must abandon false solutions that we all know don't work
taking sharper the calling now, oh children are you listen?
Jah's calling has become clearer and more urgent, are the children listening?
Tell you what?
Asking for attention
Rastafara is calling from the four common of the earth
Jah is calling through the Rastafarian movement from all corners of the earth
Beloved stiffness children
Addressing the audience as beloved stiff children
let the true come find the wise
Let the true message come to those who are wise
Celaty ()is the solution
Spirituality is the solution
Behold Jah is calling now oh children are u listen?
Jah is calling urgently, are the children listening?
proula pah eh yi
Singing without a clear meaning
humm humm humh hum
Singing without a clear meaning
Proula pan pan pan
Singing without a clear meaning
Did you heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
Asking if the listener heard Jah's calling
And he is calling in the willingness
Jah is still calling for willingness
Lord nan clear
Saying Jah's message is clear
And I heard the voice of Jah Jah calling
The singer heard Jah's voice calling again
And he is calling the willingness
Jah is still calling for willingness
hum hum hum
Continuing to sing without a clear meaning
Contributed by Madelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Love Hates
I close my eyes when listening to this song.
@ajibolaabiodun8725
Blessed love Nasio.Great tune. Always deep. Jah guide!