Early music and with the Wailers
Tosh was born in Westmoreland, the westernmost parish of Jamaica. He was abandoned by his parents and "shuffled among relatives". When McIntosh was fifteen, his aunt died and he moved to Trenchtown in Kingston, Jamaica. He first learned guitar after watching a man in the country play a song that captivated him. He watched the man play the same song for half a day, memorizing everything his fingers were doing. He then picked up the guitar and played the song back to the man. The man then asked McIntosh who had taught him to play; McIntosh told him that he had. During the early 1960s, as an aspiring musician, Tosh went to vocal teacher Joe Higgs, who gave free music lessons to young people. Through his contact with Higgs, Tosh met Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) and Neville O'Reilly Livingston (Bunny Wailer). He then changed his name to Peter Tosh and the trio started singing together in 1962. Higgs taught the trio to harmonise and while developing their music, they would often play on the street corners of Trenchtown.
In 1964 Tosh helped organise the band the Wailing Wailers, with Junior Braithwaite, a falsetto singer, and backup singers Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith. Initially, Tosh was the only one in the group who could play musical instruments. According to Bunny Wailer, Tosh was critical to the band because he was a self-taught guitarist and keyboardist, and thus became an inspiration for the other band members to learn to play. The Wailing Wailers had a major ska hit with their first single, "Simmer Down", and recorded several more successful singles before Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith left the band in late 1965. Marley spent much of 1966 in Delaware in the United States with his mother, Cedella (née Malcolm) Marley-Booker, and for a brief time was working at a nearby Chrysler factory. He returned to Jamaica in early 1967 with a renewed interest in music and a new spirituality. Tosh and Bunny were already Rastafarians when Marley returned from the US, and the three became very involved with the Rastafari faith. Soon afterwards, they renamed the musical group the Wailers. Tosh would explain later that they chose the name Wailers because to "wail" means to mourn or to, as he put it, "...express one's feelings vocally". He also claims that he was the beginning of the group, and that it was he who first taught Bob Marley the guitar. Also according to Bunny Wailer, the early Wailers learned to play instruments from Tosh.
During the mid-1960s Tosh, along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, were introduced to Danny Sims and Johnny Nash who signed the three artists to an exclusive recording contract on Sims' and Nash's JAD Records label as well as an exclusive publishing agreement through Sims' music publishing company, Cayman Music. Rejecting the up-tempo dance of ska, the band slowed their music to a rocksteady pace, and infused their lyrics with political and social messages inspired by their new-found faith. The Wailers composed several songs for the American-born singer Nash before teaming with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry to record some of the earliest well-known reggae songs, including "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conqueror", and "Small Axe". The collaboration had given birth to reggae music and in 1970 bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and his brother, drummer Carlton Barrett, joined the group. They recorded the album The Best of The Wailers, which was produced by Leslie Kong and released in 1971.[citation needed]
In 1972, Danny Sims assigned the balance of the JAD Records recording contract with the band to Chris Blackwell and Island Records company and released their debut, Catch a Fire, in 1973, following it with Burnin' the same year. The Wailers had moved from many producers after 1970 and there were instances where producers would record rehearsal sessions that Tosh did and release them in England under the name "Peter Touch".
In 1973, Tosh was driving home with his girlfriend Evonne when his car was hit by another car driving on the wrong side of the road. The accident killed Evonne and severely fractured Tosh's skull. After Island Records president Chris Blackwell refused to issue his solo album in 1974, Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers, citing the unfair treatment they received from Blackwell, to whom Tosh often referred with a derogatory play on Blackwell's surname, 'Whiteworst'. Tosh had written many of the Wailers' hit songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up", "400 Years", and "No Sympathy". Tosh began recording and released his solo debut, Legalize It, in 1976 with CBS Records company, and Treasure Isle. The title track soon became popular among endorsers of cannabis legalization, reggae music lovers and Rastafari all over the world, and was a favourite at Tosh's concerts.
That was his last album from the Wailers, Island Records. In 2013, a book co-written by French scholar Dr Jeremie Kroubo Dagnini and American Lee Jaffe, his former associate, says Tosh was part of a smuggling operation that raised money to fund this album.
Solo career
Tosh started to make his own albums with Rolling Stones Records and CBS Records Equal Rights followed in 1977, featuring his recording of a song co-written with Marley, "Get Up, Stand Up", and a cover of "Stepping Razor" that would also appear on the soundtrack to the film Rockers.
Tosh organised a backing band, Word, Sound and Power, who were to accompany him on tour for the next few years, and many of whom performed on his albums of this period. In 1978, the Rolling Stones record label Rolling Stones Records contracted with Tosh, on which the album Bush Doctor was released, introducing Tosh to a larger audience. The album featured Rolling Stones frontmen Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the lead single – a cover version of The Temptations song "Don't Look Back" – was performed as a duet with Jagger.
During Bob Marley's free One Love Peace Concert of 1978, Tosh lit a marijuana spliff and lectured about legalising cannabis, lambasting attending dignitaries Michael Manley and Edward Seaga for their failure to enact such legislation. Several months later he was apprehended by police as he left Skateland dance hall in Kingston and was beaten severely while in police custody.
Mystic Man (1979), and Wanted Dread and Alive (1981) followed, both released on Rolling Stones Records. Tosh tried to gain some mainstream success while keeping his militant views, but was only moderately successful, especially when compared to Marley's achievements.
In 1984, after the release of 1983's album Mama Africa, Tosh went into self-imposed exile, seeking the spiritual advice of traditional medicine men in Africa, and trying to free himself from recording agreements that distributed his records in South Africa. Tosh had been at odds for several years with his label, EMI, over a perceived lack of promotion for his music.
Tosh also participated in the international opposition to South African apartheid by appearing at anti-apartheid concerts and by conveying his opinion in various songs like "Apartheid" (1977, re-recorded 1987), "Equal Rights" (1977), "Fight On" (1979), and "Not Gonna Give It Up" (1983). In 1987, Peter Tosh seemed to be having a career revival. He was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Performance in 1987 for No Nuclear War, his last record.
Death
On 11 September 1987, just after Tosh had returned to his home in Jamaica, a three-man gang came to his house on motorcycles demanding money. Tosh replied that he did not have any with him but the gang did not believe him. They stayed at his residence for several hours and tortured Tosh in an attempt to extort money from him. Over the hours, as various associates of Tosh arrived to visit him, they were also taken hostage by the gunmen. The gunmen became more and more frustrated, especially the chief thug, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban, a man whom Tosh had previously befriended and tried to help find work after a long jail sentence. Tosh said he did not have any money in the house, after which Lobban and the fellow gunmen began opening fire in a reckless manner. Tosh was shot twice in the head and killed. Herbalist Wilton "Doc" Brown and disc jockey Jeff 'Free I' Dixon also died as a result of wounds sustained during the robbery. Several others in the house were wounded, including Tosh's common law wife Andrea Marlene Brown, Free I's wife Yvonne ("Joy"); Tosh's drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, and musician Michael Robinson.
According to Police Commissioner Herman Ricketts, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban surrendered and two other men were interrogated but not publicly named. Lobban went on to plead innocent during his trial, telling the court he had been drinking with friends. The trial was held in a closed court due to the involvement of illegal firearms. Lobban was ultimately found guilty by a jury of eight women and four men and sentenced to death by hanging. His sentence was commuted in 1995 and Lobban remains in jail. Another suspect was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The other two gunmen were never identified by name.
Discography
Legalize It (1976)
Equal Rights (1977)
Bush Doctor (1978)
Mystic Man (1979)
Wanted Dread & Alive (1981)
Mama Africa (1983)
No Nuclear War (1987)
400 Years
Peter Tosh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's the same
The same (wo-o-o-o) philosophy
I've said it's four hundred years;
(four hundred years, four hundred years. wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
Look, how long (wo-o-o-o)
And the people they (wo-o-o-o) still can't see.
Why do they fight against the poor youth of today?
All gone astray
Come on, let's make a move:
(make a move, make a move. wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
I can (wo-o-o-o) see time (wo-o-o-o) - time has come,
And if-a fools don't see
(fools don't see, fools don't see. wo-o-o-o)
I can't save the youth:
The youth (wo-o-o-o) is gonna be strong.
So, won't you come with me;
I'll take you to a land of liberty
Where we can live - live a good, good life
And be free.
Look how long: four hundred years, (four hundred years, four hundred years)
Way too long! (wo-o-o-o)
That's the reason my people (wo-o-o-o) - my people can't see.
Said, it's four hundred long years - (four hundred years, four hundred years. wo-o-o-o)
Give me patience (wo-o-o-o) - same philosophy.
It's been four hundred years, (four hundred years, four hundred years)
Wait so long! wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o.
How long? Four hundred long, long years.
Peter Tosh's song "400 Years" is a powerful call to action on the subject of racial oppression and the struggle for freedom. The lyrics convey Tosh's frustration and anger at the fact that despite the passage of 400 years since the arrival of Africans in America as slaves, little has changed in terms of the inequality and injustice faced by Black people.
Tosh opens the song by repeating the phrase "four hundred years" multiple times, emphasizing how long it has been since the slaves were first brought to America. He then focuses on the fact that despite the passage of so much time, the same philosophy of oppression and domination is still in place, and the people are still unable to see the truth of their situation. Tosh wonders why people continue to fight against the poor youth of today, who are the key to the future, and without whom society would be lost.
In the second half of the song, Tosh shifts his focus to the idea of making a move and taking action. He implores people to join him on a journey to a land of liberty where they can live free and enjoy a good life. He acknowledges that fools will not see the truth, but he believes that the youth will be strong and can lead the way to a better future.
Overall, "400 Years" is a powerful anthem that speaks to the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality for Black people around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Four hundred years (four hundred years, four hundred years. wo-o-o-o)
Peter Tosh is emphasizing the 400 years of oppression that black people have endured.
And it's the same
The same oppressive system of racism and discrimination is still in place today.
The same (wo-o-o-o) philosophy
The philosophy of inequality and injustice towards black people has not changed over time.
I've said it's four hundred years;
Peter Tosh has emphasized multiple times that it's been 400 years of oppression.
(four hundred years, four hundred years. wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
Peter Tosh repeats the years of oppression to emphasize the magnitude of the issue.
Look, how long (wo-o-o-o)
Peter Tosh is asking how much longer black people have to endure this oppression.
And the people they (wo-o-o-o) still can't see.
Despite the obvious nature of the oppressive system, many people fail to recognize and acknowledge it.
Why do they fight against the poor youth of today?
People continue to discriminate against and oppress young black people today.
And without these youths, they would be gone
Oppressors rely on the control and subjugation of young black people to maintain their power.
All gone astray
Without the oppression of black people, the oppressive system would collapse.
Come on, let's make a move:
Peter Tosh is urging people to take action against the oppressive system.
(make a move, make a move. wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
Peter Tosh repeats the call to action for emphasis.
I can (wo-o-o-o) see time (wo-o-o-o) - time has come,
Peter Tosh recognizes that it is time for change and action against the oppressive system.
And if-a fools don't see
If people fail to recognize the oppression and take action, they are foolish.
(fools don't see, fools don't see. wo-o-o-o)
Peter Tosh repeats the idea that failing to take action and recognize oppression is foolish.
I can't save the youth:
Peter Tosh acknowledges that change must come from the younger generation, and he alone cannot save them.
The youth (wo-o-o-o) is gonna be strong.
Despite the oppression, the younger generation will rise up and be strong in the face of adversity.
So, won't you come with me;
Peter Tosh invites people to join him in fighting against oppression.
I'll take you to a land of liberty
Peter Tosh promises a better future where liberty and justice are upheld for all people.
Where we can live - live a good, good life
In this land of liberty, everyone can live a fulfilling and happy life.
And be free.
Freedom from oppression is the ultimate goal of the fight against injustice.
Look how long: four hundred years, (four hundred years, four hundred years)
Peter Tosh once again highlights the length of oppression endured by black people.
Way too long! (wo-o-o-o)
The oppression has gone on for far too many years and needs to end.
That's the reason my people (wo-o-o-o) - my people can't see.
The long history of oppression makes it difficult for some to see a way out.
Said, it's four hundred long years - (four hundred years, four hundred years. wo-o-o-o)
Peter Tosh reminds listeners once again of the 400 years of oppression.
Give me patience (wo-o-o-o) - same philosophy.
Patience is required to continue the fight against oppression, despite its long history and persistence.
It's been four hundred years, (four hundred years, four hundred years)
The longevity of oppression is once again emphasized.
Wait so long! wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o.
The wait for freedom and justice has been long and difficult.
How long? Four hundred long, long years.
Peter Tosh concludes by once again emphasizing the extended time period of oppression experienced by black people.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Peter Tosh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@energimaxxtension
400 years (400 years, 400 years. Wo-o-o-o)
And it's the same -
The same (wo-o-o-o) philosophy
I've said it's four hundred years;
(400 years, 400 years. Wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
Look, how long (wo-o-o-o)
And the people they (wo-o-o-o) still can't see.
Why do they fight against the poor youth of today?
And without these youths, they would be gone -
All gone astray
Come on, let's make a move:
(make a move, make a move. Wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o)
I can (wo-o-o-o) see time (wo-o-o-o) - time has come,
And if-a fools don't see
(fools don't see, fools don't see. Wo-o-o-o)
I can't save the youth:
The youth (wo-o-o-o) is gonna be strong.
So, won't you come with me;
I'll take you to a land of liberty
Where we can live - live a good, good life
And be free.
Look how long: 400 years, (400 years, 400 years) -
Way too long! (wo-o-o-o)
That's the reason my people (wo-o-o-o) - my people can't see.
Said, it's four hundred long years - (400 years, 400 years. Wo-o-o-o)
Give me patience (wo-o-o-o) - same philosophy.
It's been 400 years, (400 years, 400 years)
Wait so long! Wo-o-o-o, wo-o-o-o.
How long? 400 long, long years.
@dreamy-eyes515
peter tosh is such a real revolutionary in is music and as a real rastafarian these days majority of these sell out reggae artist mostly glorify vanity, violence and degration of womb-man so i respect and salute the few true ones who are spreading positive and uplifting reggae music to date just wish to see more musician like him to bring back our music of a positive vibration across the universe his soul forever lives in my heart blessed love.
@TheTiobiloute62
he was a warrior against system ..he s kill frere de combat
@BossSiris
I agree with almost everything you wrote except there is no such thing as Rastafar"IAN." You trying to turn a movement/way of life into a religion. There is no "IAN" or "ISM" when that movement existed. This new thing y'all calling yourself a Rastafarian is totally improper. Go and speak to elders from Jamaica who are true Rasta first to overstand what I write.
@carlodruiff9405
Ye right brother, one of da true Rasta,nowadays you only see sell outs in da newcoming reggae singers.
@abrahampalmer1153
Indeed that's why I stick to my roots reggae artist such as Peter tosh Bob Marley bunny wailer jimmy cliff burning spear Augustus Pablo the congos the Abyssinians Israel vibration culture steel pulse etc.....
@aziahrock8165
Real words.
@DirtyJamesUK
The bass pattern on this tune is NUTS!!!
@chriscam686
400 years and counting and we still trying/begging for acceptance. Bare arms and demand Babylon to give us what belongs to us.#ourlife
@NZSUBZERO
As a young fella my Father would listen to Reggae and ONLY Reggae. I would hear this song alot but just thought of it as just another song. Listening to it now and understanding what he's actually singing about.....dam bro 😥
@brennocalderan2201
Scarface the world is yours