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)
Glass House
Peter Tosh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you live in a glasshouse
Don't throw stones
And if you can't take blows brother
Don't throw blows
Harm no man
Let no man harm you
Do unto others
And to every baldhead
Respect the Rastaman
Cause he's the only man left on creation
CHORUS
'cause 'cause to see I
Looking so humble
Would you like to try something
But your world would a crumble
Caught behind I back
You lied to grumble
And before I face
You always a fumble
CHORUS
You build your world on lies and illusions
But you never know that
This is the conclusion
No chance no hope for those
Who kept it a goin'
'Cause you never know that
The truth is showing
CHORUS
I'm on this earth
To give Jah praise
And all I ask for
Is longer days
I come to do the things that are right
And if you don't like my do it we're gonna fight
CHORUS
The song Glass House by Peter Tosh is all about the concept of karma or actions having consequences. The chorus sets the tone with the message that one shouldn't throw stones if they live in a glasshouse and shouldn't hit others if they can't take blows themselves. One should harm no one and not allow anyone to harm them as well. The second part of the chorus emphasizes respect for the Rastafarian or the baldhead, as they are the only ones left on this earth that respect and embrace the concept of peace and love.
The verses of the song are a warning to those who are arrogant and deceitful. The first verse suggests that the arrogant ones do not have the power to take down someone like Tosh even if they try. They are simply lying and complaining behind his back but fumbling in front of him. The second verse suggests that those who build their world on lies and illusions eventually face the truth and suffer the consequences. Tosh's message is that he is here to do what is right, and he will fight against anyone who tries to stop him.
Overall, Glass House is a song that reminds us to treat others with kindness and respect. It warns that actions have consequences and dishonesty will eventually be revealed. Tosh's message is rooted in love and positivity, promoting harmony over chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
If you live in a glasshouse
If you have a vulnerable situation or you have secrets, you should not criticize or attack others because you can be easily targeted.
Don't throw stones
Don't attack or criticize others if you have weaknesses that others can use against you.
And if you can't take blows brother
If you can't endure criticism or be open to other opinions, you should not be vocal about your own criticisms.
Don't throw blows
Don't criticize or attack others if you can't take the same action or handle similar consequences.
Harm no man
Don't cause harm to others.
Let no man harm you
Don't allow others to cause harm to you.
Do unto others
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
As they would do to you
The way you treat others may determine how they treat you.
And to every baldhead
And to everyone, even those who are not members of the Rastafarian community.
Respect the Rastaman
Respect the Rastafarian people and their culture.
Cause he's the only man left on creation
Because Rastafarians are the only ones on earth who live according to God's principles.
Would you like to try something
Would you like to test your limitations and face consequences.
But your world would a crumble
But if you test your limits, you might fail and suffer the consequences.
Caught behind I back
You were caught doing something wrong that you tried to hide.
You lied to grumble
You lied to complain or criticize someone else.
And before I face
Before you confront me or face me.
You always a fumble
You always hesitate or struggle when you try to justify your actions or criticize others.
You build your world on lies and illusions
You believe in lies and falsehoods that you created for yourself.
But you never know that
But you don't realize.
This is the conclusion
This is the result or the end of your false beliefs.
No chance no hope for those
There is no possibility or expectation for those who cling to lies.
Who kept it a goin'
Who persisted in believing in lies.
Cause you never know that
Because you are unaware that.
The truth is showing
The evidence of the truth is becoming more and more apparent.
I'm on this earth
I exist on this earth.
To give Jah praise
To worship God and give Him glory.
And all I ask for
And all I request is.
Is longer days
Is a longer life.
I come to do the things that are right
I exist to do what is right.
And if you don't like my do it we're gonna fight
And if you disagree with my actions, we might have a conflict.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER TOSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@akgypsy
This tune should have millions of views and likes. One of his best. This one and Johnny B. Goode. Amazing talent, amazing voice! It's so sad he was killed.
@shumanemadima1135
Peter tosh was everything behind music and freedom fighting
@jamaicanyardiee9009
I agree with a million percent
@carlosnovaes6993
Carl "Santa" Davis!!! A Great Master on Drums!!
@piapp9503
Thank you Peter Tosh for that Voice and that message.
Greatest reggae giant.
@oswardmalama45
The greatest voices for ever
@djriverrrhythm7395
yeah mon
@sazisiwel4134
2022 still loving Peter Tosh. With love from Swaziland
@charlesmawale9114
Best song, still listening 2023.. it will always b on my playlist
@HuonJam
He is living his music , this is a high level ! Power to Dreadman, Bush Doctor.