Jason Hershey, aka O-shen

From 1994 through 1997, the young man late… Read Full Bio ↴Jason Hershey, aka O-shen

From 1994 through 1997, the young man later to call himself O-shen, was in the Washington State Prison at Walla Walla serving time for a burglary. It was there that he taught himself Tahitian. He carries a PNG passport, and a U.S. one.

Until age 15,O-shen was raised in the village of Butaweng in northern Papua New Guinea by his American medical missionary parents. There, living among the Yabim people, he learned the language, customs and hard, gardening work that was expected of any young Yabim man. He knows how to plant, and when to harvest, sweet potatoes, taro and kava. He did not speak English as his daily language until moving back to the U.S. at age 15.

Music was always a presence in his life. From the age of 4, he says, "I was beating on boxes with the other village kids while we pretended we were rock stars." This pattern continued at his high school in Spokane, Washington, where he was a drummer in the school band.

After serving his time in Washington, he moved to Hawai‘i, where he found work as a beach boy in Waikiki and began developing his music. "I was tired of bubble gum reggae and the ‘ooh, baby I love you’ songs that everyone was doing," he says. One day, he looked up the address of the record company producing CDs for recording artist Fiji.

"I sent Fiji a demo tape and a four-page letter telling him what I was trying to do with my music. A few days later, he called me up." O-shen’s first break was doing a Niugini pidgin rap introduction to a cut on Fiji’s album, Gratitude. His own first album, O-shen’s Iron Youth, won the Hawaiian musicians’ coveted Hoku award in 2001. His music is hard to characterize, but he likes to call it "urban Island music." His lyrics are serious. "I like to hit issues in my lyrics. I want people in the Islands to be proud of their cultures and languages and lifestyles."

O-shen loves and worries about Papua New Guinea. "There’re too many guns and robberies there. The kids get Western-style educations, then they drift to the cities where there are no jobs for them and they feel useless."

O-shen has done concerts in Tahiti and Guam—as well as on the U.S. mainland and in Papua New Guinea, where he is virtually mobbed by fans whenever he arrives at the airport. A concert he did in Palau drew the largest gathering of humans ever on that island.

Girls
O-Shen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah
Me haf' a give this up for my island girls, ya know
And yo', right now we are showcase two of me bad boys
Me dread Pati and me dread Oshen, natty man, watch
Now we've been lovin' from the dark until dawnin'
And now I'm lookin' in your eyes in the mornin'
And then you look at me girl and smile
'Cause you know I treat you right all the while

No where else in the world I've been
No more beautiful women I've seen
When the sky's clear and the grass is green
Island girls, you are a man's best dream

Island girls
I love the way you move me, move me (Move me)
Island girls
I love the way you soothe me, soothe me (I love the way you soothe me, soothe me)

Now everywhere that I go and every time I do a show
Got a bunch of local girls all in the front row
They knowin' all the words and the way the song goes
Bodies bouncin' all around like they playin' a bongo
And you know they wanna come to the party
Kick it up with the Who Two Crew and get naughty
Turn up the stereo so she can shake her body
Baby girl, I love it when you call me big Pati

Island girls
I love the way you move me, move me
(I love the way you move me, I love the way you move me)
Island girls (All the pretty island girls, island girls)
I love the way you soothe me, soothe me (Come on and groove me tonight, tonight)

Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady
Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady

If I and I had one weakness it would be island woman
Without the beauty all around, what are you gonna do, mon
When I cruise against the world and lookin' all around the globe
Exotic island girls movin' in a rub-a-dub
I say if I had one of these girls as my companion
We'd be looking at all the stars under the banyan
Been all around the world and see what them countries got to offer
Love what I see, but it don't impress me 'cause island girls is lookin' more proper
So ? talkin' you, you number one
Favorite common island, mon
So I be sendin' all my love to the princess of the sea
Melanesian, Micronesian, Polynesian beauty

Island girls (Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady)
I love the way you move me, move me (Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady)

Island girls (Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady)
I love the way you move me, move me (Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of O-Shen's "Girls" express his love and admiration for island girls. The song speaks about the unique charm of these women, whom O-Shen considers the most beautiful in the world. He has been loving these girls from dawn to dusk, and he enjoys looking into their eyes and seeing their smiles. O-Shen believes that island girls are a man's best dream, and he loves the way they move and soothe him. He finds their rhythmic bodies bouncing to the beat of his music quite enchanting.

O-Shen reveals that island girls always come through for him whenever he performs. They know the lyrics of his songs, and they enjoy dancing to his music. Whenever he steps on stage, local girls fill the front row, and they move their bodies like they are playing a bongo. O-Shen appreciates how the girls want to party with him and his crew and get naughty. He finds it stimulating, and he gets excited when the girls call him big Pati.

The song gets romantic towards the end, suggesting that O-Shen has a weakness for island women. He thinks they are the most beautiful in the world, and he cannot imagine life without their beauty. He has been to every corner of the world and seen different countries' offerings, but nothing compares to the beauty of island girls. O-Shen thinks that if he had one of these girls as his companion, they would look at all the stars under the banyan tree. He expresses his love for the women of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, whom he describes as his favorite common island.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah
Expressing enthusiasm and agreement with what has been said

Me haf' a give this up for my island girls, ya know
I am dedicated to my island girls and will always prioritize them

And yo', right now we are showcase two of me bad boys
We are currently featuring two of our talented individuals

Me dread Pati and me dread Oshen, natty man, watch
Pati and I are both Rastafarians and are here to represent the culture

Now we've been lovin' from the dark until dawnin'
We have been enjoying each other's company all night long

And now I'm lookin' in your eyes in the mornin'
I am enjoying the sight of your beautiful eyes in the morning

And then you look at me girl and smile
Your smile is contagious and makes me happy

'Cause you know I treat you right all the while
I always treat you with respect and love

No where else in the world I've been
I have not been anywhere else in the world

No more beautiful women I've seen
I have not seen any women more beautiful than island girls

When the sky's clear and the grass is green
In the beautiful surroundings of clear skies and green grass

Island girls, you are a man's best dream
Island girls are the epitome of a man's dream

I love the way you move me, move me (Move me)
I am in awe of how gracefully you move

I love the way you soothe me, soothe me (I love the way you soothe me, soothe me)
You make me feel calm and relaxed with your presence

Now everywhere that I go and every time I do a show
No matter where I go and what I do

Got a bunch of local girls all in the front row
I always have local girls who support me in the front row of my shows

They knowin' all the words and the way the song goes
They know all the lyrics and are familiar with my music

Bodies bouncin' all around like they playin' a bongo
They dance energetically and happily

And you know they wanna come to the party
They want to be a part of the fun

Kick it up with the Who Two Crew and get naughty
They want to party and have fun with us

Turn up the stereo so she can shake her body
We turn up the music to get everyone dancing

Baby girl, I love it when you call me big Pati
I am fond of when you address me as 'big Pati'

If I and I had one weakness it would be island woman
If I had to admit one weakness, it would be my attraction to island women

Without the beauty all around, what are you gonna do, mon
Life would be dull without the beauty of these women

When I cruise against the world and lookin' all around the globe
As I travel around the world

Exotic island girls movin' in a rub-a-dub
There is something special and unique about island girls dancing to rub-a-dub music

I say if I had one of these girls as my companion
If I had the opportunity to be with an island girl

We'd be looking at all the stars under the banyan
We would stargaze under a banyan tree

Been all around the world and see what them countries got to offer
I have traveled extensively to see what the countries have to offer

Love what I see, but it don't impress me 'cause island girls is lookin' more proper
I appreciate the beauty of other countries, but they don't compare to the allure of island women

So ? talkin' you, you number one
I am addressing you and saying that you are my number one

Favorite common island, mon
You are my favorite island girl

So I be sendin' all my love to the princess of the sea
I am expressing my love for the most beautiful island girl

Melanesian, Micronesian, Polynesian beauty
The collective beauty of Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian women

Ooh, ooh, ooh, island lady
An expression of admiration for island women

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROB MULLINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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