Effortlessly combining folk, reggae, soul and blues, the singer/songwriter/guitarist , Patrice, exploded onto the music scene with his phenomenal testimonial debut Lions E.P in 1999 aged just 18. With the deep lyrical content and social conscience resonating within his work, Patrice alludes to his late father (a Sierra Leonian political activist and poet) and Bob Marley as the greatest influences on his music. Lions, with its tales of love and social rhetoric coupled with raw acoustic production, perfectly showcased Patrices distinctive fusion of lyrics, sounds and genres. After supporting Lauryn Hill on her much acclaimed Miseducation of Tour, Patrice released his critically acclaimed first album Ancient Spirits in 2000 (European sales in excess of 150,000)
Since 2001, Patrice has toured relentlessly and wooed audiences at gigs across Europe, USA and Africa. Whether solo, acoustic or with his band Shashamani, a big combination of humour, B-boy stage antics, and incredible musicianship have thus far made Patrices live shows a highlight of his career. Five years on, his reputation has been cemented with show stopping headline performances alongside Youssouf N'Dour in Senegal, Manu Chao and Damon Albarn at The Festival In The Desert and the Tamika Reggae Awards in New York amongst many others.
His second largely self produced album How Do You Call It (released in Europe September 2002) saw Patrice evolving his sound with a rich melange of Hip Hop, Soul and Reggae which underpinned twelve well crafted songs. Recorded over a two-month period in Jamaica and with 3 tracks produced in London with Cameron McVey, Massive Attack, Youssouf N'Dour, Andu Baraganescu and Neneh Cherry, How Do You Call It further cemented his unique niche in todays diverse musical landscape. The LP also spawned the Pan European hit Sunshine.
Nile, Patrice's third and most current album (named after the river Nile, representing Life in the African continent) is truly a bold undertaking and can be described as a work of astounding maturity, sincerity and sensitivity. Whether rocking to the amped guitar, explosive drums and African percussion behind Africanize Dem or soaking up the beautiful rendition of the obscure Wailers track It Hurts To Be Alone it's clear that experimentation has lent his work an undeniable urgency and freshness. The present single Soulstorm has provided Patrice with another European hit. The majority of 2005 was spent performing to sell out audiences throughout Europe which included his first headlined show for all the UK fans at The Borderline, in London, and perhaps the pinnacle of his career so far, playing in front of the 6,000 fans who filled out the Zenith in Paris. In the summer of 2006 Patrice released a live DVD which gives the audience an exclusive look at how Nile was recorded, rehearsed and performed throughout the world.
No Screwface
Patrice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You should make your own thing, create your own things
Need to work for your things, some get hurt for their things
See, we live in a world where things running things
And those that seem to run things get run by their things
So you nyam down my things till you've done everything
And you return not a thing so you don't earn not a thing
You wanna kill all these birds with one stone and one sling
Don't wanna see no screwface, no screwface
Wanna see my people dance, my people dance
I wanna see them smile and join their hands
We're africans and we don't do those things
Again, again
No, this is not our way, it's not the way
Badness is not our way, it's not the way
Slackness is not the way, it's not the way
We're africans and we don't do those things
Everybody owe you things but nobody know nothing
Since you know it all, no one can show you things
You hate the birds for their wings
For the melodies they sing
You want the thoughts that I think
You claim the words from this ink
So you milk and you rinse
Down to the bones and the skin
And then I'm supposed to get fling
To the rest of the have been's
Don't get caught, don't get jinxed
It may not be what one thinks
Not everything is gold 'cause it glitters and blings, so
Don't wanna see no screwface, no screwface
Wanna see my people dance, my people dance
I wanna see them smile and join their hands
We're africans and we don't do those things
Again, again
No, this is not our way, it's not the way
Badness is not our way, it's not the way
Slackness is not the way, it's not the way
We're africans and we don't do those things
Situation is a hell of a thing
In this condition that we are living in
It's not the way, it's not the way
We're human beings, we don't do these things
Don't wanna see no screwface, no screwface
Wanna see my people dance, my people dance
I wanna see them smile and join their hands
We're africans and we don't do those things
Again, again
Don't wanna see no screwface, no screwface
Wanna see my people dance, my people dance
I wanna see them smile and join their hands
We're africans and we don't do those things
In the song "No Screwface," Patrice addresses the issue of jealousy, negativity, and lack of support within society. He urges people to stop tearing others down and instead focus on creating and building their own things. He points out that in today's world, material things seem to run everything and those who have them sometimes get consumed by them. He also mentions how people often want everything without putting in the work, and how they drain others for their own benefit. Patrice then contrasts such behavior with the positive and communal nature of African culture, where people dance, smile, and join hands.
Through the lyrics, Patrice encourages people to resist the temptation of being envious, negative, and selfish, as such actions are not part of their cultural heritage. He emphasizes that badness and slackness are not the way and that the situation in the world may be challenging, but it should not make people forget who they are and where they come from. Instead, people should focus on positivity, unity, and love for one another.
Line by Line Meaning
You always run down my things, other people things
You constantly criticize my belongings and those of others
You should make your own thing, create your own things
Instead of tearing others down, you should focus on creating your own things
Need to work for your things, some get hurt for their things
You need to put in effort to obtain your own possessions, some people even get physically hurt in the process
See, we live in a world where things running things
Our society is heavily influenced by material possessions
And those that seem to run things get run by their things
Even those who seem to have it all can become enslaved by their possessions
So you nyam down my things till you've done everything
You constantly criticize everything I have until there's nothing left
And you return not a thing so you don't earn not a thing
You never give anything back, so you never receive anything in return
You wanna kill all these birds with one stone and one sling
You want to achieve multiple goals with minimal effort
Don't wanna see no screwface, no screwface
I don't want to see anyone with an angry or negative expression
Wanna see my people dance, my people dance
I want to see my community celebrating and having a good time
I wanna see them smile and join their hands
I want to see people happy and united
We're africans and we don't do those things
As Africans, we don't engage in negativity, violence or selfishness
Badness is not our way, it's not the way
Violence and negativity are not a part of our culture
Slackness is not the way, it's not the way
Laziness and carelessness are not acceptable
Everybody owe you things but nobody know nothing
You feel entitled to receive things from others, but no one actually owes you anything
Since you know it all, no one can show you things
Your arrogance prevents you from learning from others
You hate the birds for their wings
You resent others for their successes and possessions
For the melodies they sing
For the beauty and creativity they possess
You want the thoughts that I think
You want to take credit for my ideas and thoughts
You claim the words from this ink
You try to take ownership of my words and work
So you milk and you rinse
You take everything you can and leave nothing behind
Down to the bones and the skin
Taking everything until there's nothing left
And then I'm supposed to get fling
Then you discard me and move on to the next victim
To the rest of the have been's
To those who have also been taken advantage of
Don't get caught, don't get jinxed
You try to get away with your actions and avoid the consequences
It may not be what one thinks
Things aren't always as they seem
Not everything is gold 'cause it glitters and blings, so
Not everything that appears valuable actually is
Situation is a hell of a thing
Situations can be incredibly challenging
In this condition that we are living in
In the current state of the world
We're human beings, we don't do these things
As human beings, we should strive for kindness, compassion and positivity
Contributed by Arianna H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Elias S.
that's greaaaaaaaat!!