Pato Banton is a reggae artist from Birmingham, England who peaked in the e… Read Full Bio ↴Pato Banton is a reggae artist from Birmingham, England who peaked in the early 1990s with the number one hit "Baby Come Back", a cover of the classic The Equals song.

He first began recording in 1982 regularly teaming up with Ranking Roger of The Beat (sometimes referred to outside the UK as The English Beat). Pato also appeared as a guest artist on UB40's 1985 album "Baggariddim".

His solo debut was 1987's "Never Give In". An EP entitled "Visions Of The World" followed in 1988, and in 1990 came "Wize Up (No Compromise)" which featured a cover of The Police's "Spirits In The Material World".

Throughout this time, Banton continued to be known only in reggae circles and it was not until 1994's collaboration with Robin and Ali Campbell of UB40 on "Baby Come Back" that Pato thrust himself into the mainstream. He followed this with a string of hits including "Bubbling Hot" (teaming up with Ranking Roger again), "Groovin", a re-issue of "Spirits in the material world" and a guest appearance on a remixed and re-released version of Sting's "This Cowboy Song".

Following his brief period of mainstream success, Pato returned to his reggae roots and has since released 3 more albums. He continues to be much loved and currently tours in America and all over the world.

Pressure
Pato Banton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pressure

by P. Murray, G. T. Haynes, A. Henry and J. Wisniewski
Now this one is specially dedicated to all people living in poverty.
And directed at all those people in high society.
'Cause when it comes to feeling pressure.
None of them don't feel it like we.

Now dem no know 'bout pressure.
In high society.
Dem no know 'bout pressure.
Dem no feel it like we.

Well now is I man Pato Banton.
And I man Daddy Tippa.
We a chat pon microphone.
Well as two blood brother.
'Cause we born in a the ghetto.
As two sufferer.
With we mother and we father.
We sister and brother.
Well I live in Birmingham.
And I'm a Londoner.
But is how we get together.
Some of them a wonder.
By coach by train.
Or even by car.
Rich man a catch plane.
And them taking helicopter.
'Cause...

Well this lyric ain't no joke.
And it's not funny.
'Cause what we're gonna chat.
Well is reality.
'Cause a whole heap of people.
Dem inna poverty.
And a whole lot of families.
Dem inna agony.
Inna Ethiopia.
Well dem a dead fe hungry.
And inna South Africa.
Dem a fight to be free!
Free like the birds.
Up inna the tree.
And free like the fishes.
Down inna the sea.
We are British citizens.
But this is not our country.
'Cause we're a part of the ethnic minority.
Now we're gonna send this lyric to the Iron Lady.
And the whole of the conservative party.
'Cause...

About 4 million unemployed in our country.
Man a get redundant through machinery.
Now living in the ghettos it don't easy.
We have to try a little hustling to make some money.
That's why we don't blame a man fe sell sensi.
And we can see why certain man dem a commit robbery.
'Cause the dole and (social) security just don't ready.
That's why we feel it for the old and we feel it for the young.
And we feel it for each and every family.
Because dem nar spend no money on the community.
Dem just a spend dem money on nuclear energy.
From my point of view they must be getting ready.
Getting ready for what?
World War Three.
The rich will be safe and also Maggie.
The Queen and the whole of de Royal Family.
Dem a go catch a space ship and leave de country.
Dem a go live on the moon and have space babies.
But what about Pato and Tippa Irie.

And the other 60 million people in the country.
Dem no know 'bout pressure.

Overall Meaning

In "Pressure" by Pato Banton, the singer speaks to the experiences of poverty and the struggles that come with it. He acknowledges that there is a great divide between the wealthy and the poor, and that those in power don't truly understand the pressure and difficulties of living in poverty. The lyrics are a call to action to address the poverty and suffering and to recognize the resilience of those living in impoverished communities. Pato Banton tells the story of his own life, growing up in Birmingham and London as part of an ethnic minority, and the struggles he faced along with his family. Through his lyrics, he highlights the realities of living in poverty, such as desperation, hunger, and limited opportunities.

Line by Line Meaning

Now this one is specially dedicated to all people living in poverty.
This song is specifically aimed at those who live in poverty.

And directed at all those people in high society.
It is also directed at the wealthy elite.

'Cause when it comes to feeling pressure.
Because when it comes to experiencing pressure.

None of them don't feel it like we.
None of them know what it's really like to feel the pressure of poverty like we do.

Now dem no know 'bout pressure.
They do not know what it's like to feel the pressure of poverty.

In high society.
Living a life of luxury and privilege.

Dem no know 'bout pressure.
They do not know what it's like to feel the pressure of poverty.

Dem no feel it like we.
They do not experience it like we do.

Well now is I man Pato Banton.
I am Pato Banton.

And I man Daddy Tippa.
And I am joined by Daddy Tippa.

We a chat pon microphone.
We are speaking into the microphone.

Well as two blood brother.
As two brothers related by blood.

'Cause we born in a the ghetto.
Because we were born in a poor area.

As two sufferer.
As two people who have experienced hardship.

With we mother and we father.
With our mother and father.

We sister and brother.
With our sisters and brothers.

Well I live in Birmingham.
I currently reside in Birmingham.

And I'm a Londoner.
But I am originally from London.

But is how we get together.
This is how we came together.

Some of them a wonder.
Some people may be curious.

By coach by train.
We may have traveled by coach or by train.

Or even by car.
Or we may have used a car.

Rich man a catch plane.
Wealthy individuals may travel by plane.

And them taking helicopter.
And they may even take a helicopter.

Well this lyric ain't no joke.
This song is serious in nature.

And it's not funny.
It is not meant to be taken lightly.

'Cause what we're gonna chat.
Because what we are going to talk about.

Well is reality.
Is the harsh truth of reality.

'Cause a whole heap of people.
Because a lot of people.

Dem inna poverty.
Are living in poverty.

And a whole lot of families.
And many families.

Dem inna agony.
Are experiencing great suffering.

Inna Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia.

Well dem a dead fe hungry.
People are dying of starvation.

And inna South Africa.
And in South Africa.

Dem a fight to be free!
People are struggling and fighting for their freedom.

Free like the birds.
To be free like the birds in the trees.

Up inna the tree.
Who are free to fly and move wherever they please.

And free like the fishes.
To be free like the fishes in the sea.

Down inna the sea.
Who are free to swim and live in their natural habitat.

We are British citizens.
We hold British citizenship.

But this is not our country.
But we still feel that we are not fully accepted as part of the community.

'Cause we're a part of the ethnic minority.
Because we belong to an ethnic minority group.

Now we're gonna send this lyric to the Iron Lady.
We are going to send this song to the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

And the whole of the conservative party.
And to the whole of the UK's Conservative Party.

About 4 million unemployed in our country.
There are approximately 4 million unemployed people in the UK.

Man a get redundant through machinery.
People are being made redundant as a result of increasing mechanization and automation.

Now living in the ghettos it don't easy.
Living in the impoverished areas is not easy.

We have to try a little hustling to make some money.
We have to do some hustling and work hard just to make ends meet.

That's why we don't blame a man fe sell sensi.
That's why we don't blame someone for selling marijuana.

And we can see why certain man dem a commit robbery.
We can understand why some people turn to robbery out of desperation.

'Cause the dole and (social) security just don't ready.
Because government welfare and assistance programs are inadequate and not enough to support people in need.

That's why we feel it for the old and we feel it for the young.
That's why we feel empathy for both the elderly and the young, who are the most vulnerable in society.

And we feel it for each and every family.
We feel for all families who are struggling and trying to make ends meet.

Because dem nar spend no money on the community.
Because the government does not invest enough money into helping and supporting local communities.

Dem just a spend dem money on nuclear energy.
Instead, they are spending money on nuclear energy.

From my point of view they must be getting ready.
From my perspective, they must be preparing for something.

Getting ready for what?
But what are they preparing for?

World War Three.
Potentially, they are getting ready for a third world war.

The rich will be safe and also Maggie.
The wealthy will be protected, including Margaret Thatcher.

The Queen and the whole of de Royal Family.
Even the British Royal Family will be protected.

Dem a go catch a space ship and leave de country.
They might even try to escape on a spaceship and leave the country altogether.

Dem a go live on the moon and have space babies.
They will live on the moon and start a new life, even having babies in space.

But what about Pato and Tippa Irie.
But what about us, Pato and Tippa Irie?

And the other 60 million people in the country.
And what about the other 60 million people in the country?