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)
Rumours Of War
Peter Tosh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And rumors of war
Talkin' 'bout the coming of Jah
The time is not far
Oh my majesty
Please rescue me-e-e
Oh my majesty
Wars
Rumors of war
Talkin' 'bout the coming of my father
The time is not far
God when I reach home
How happy I'll be
Knowing I am home
Where I am free
Talkin' 'bout war
And rumors of war
Talkin' bout the coming of the Negus
The time is not far
Oh my(3x) majesty
Can't you rescue me
When I look upon creation
All I see is man's abomination
Causing combination
Amongst the younger generation
War
Rumors of war
Talkin' 'bout the coming of Jah Jah
The time is not far
When I reach that place
Gonna be happy and free
Knowing I'm in that land
And I've got my liberty
And I see war in a Beirut
War in a...
Lebanon
Syria, yeah
Pakistan
Namibia
Soweto
Johannesburg
South Africa
Make sure your hands and heart are clean
So you can rally around the red, gold and green
"Rumors of War" is a song by Jamaican reggae musician Peter Tosh. The artist talks about war, rumors of war and the coming of Jah. Peter Tosh is inviting his majesty to rescue him from the rumour of wars. The song's chorus emphasizes the coming of Jah, and Tosh asserts that the time is not far. He says that he will be happy when he reaches home and that he is free. Peter Tosh also talks about the younger generations and how they combine and join the war.
"Rumours of War" was written by Peter Tosh, and it talks about many things that are happening around the world: war, poverty, slavery, and the need for peace. The song highlights how people should strive to be free and live in a peaceful world where everyone is equal.
Line by Line Meaning
Talkin' 'bout war
Discussing the topic of war
And rumors of war
Also talking about the rumors of an impending war
Talkin' 'bout the coming of Jah
Referring to the Second Coming of Jesus as an imminent event
The time is not far
It is going to happen soon but the exact timing is unknown
Oh my majesty
Addressing God as Majesty
Please rescue me-e-e
Asking God for help and mercy
Can't you rescue me-e-e
Repeating the request for help from God
Wars
Actual combative events between nations and/or groups
Rumors of war
Unsubstantiated speculation about possible conflicts
Talkin' 'bout the coming of my father
Referring to the Second Coming of Jesus as a religious figure
God when I reach home
Expressing the hope to reach heaven after death
How happy I'll be
Looking forward to the joy of being in heaven
Knowing I am home
Being secure in the afterlife
Where I am free
No longer bound by earthly limitations and problems
Talkin' 'bout the coming of the Negus
Referring to Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as a Messiah-like figure
Oh my(3x) majesty
Repeating the plea for help from God
When I look upon creation
Observing the world that God has created
All I see is man's abomination
Noticing human destruction and desecration of nature
Causing combination
Leading to negative consequences like pollution, climate change, and species extinction
Amongst the younger generation
Young people having to bear the brunt of these problems
When I reach that place
Referring to arriving in heaven after death
Gonna be happy and free
Enjoying the freedom from earthly troubles and pain
Knowing I'm in that land
Being assured of the place in heaven which is promised in the Bible
And I've got my liberty
Being released from all bondage, both inner and outer
And I see war in a Beirut
Noticing the ongoing conflict in Beirut, Lebanon, which is mentioned as an example of war
War in a...
Listing other places where wars are happening currently
Lebanon
Mentioning another country where a war is taking place
Syria, yeah
Another war-torn country
Pakistan
Pointing out another country in conflict
Namibia
Mentioning a specific country that experienced warfare and colonialism
Soweto
A region in South Africa known for racial segregation and suppression under apartheid
Johannesburg
A major city in South Africa, also known for its struggles against apartheid
South Africa
Pointing out the country where the artist comes from and where a history of racial inequality and political instability took place
Make sure your hands and heart are clean
Encouraging people to live morally and righteously, with a spirit of love and goodwill
So you can rally around the red, gold and green
Referring to the colors of the Rastafarian flag, signifying loyalty to the Rastafarian movement
Writer(s): PETER TOSH
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@amirbeganovic3522
I'm a Bosnian American sitting here and listening to this.
@musatsamba8177
So appropriate n relavant,,,,,,romours of war in Soweto,Jhb South Africa...2022
@pascaleke3152
if any reggae player is branded a reggae king.
Then who is Peter Tosh?
A master, and a king of them all.
@rodgersmeshack7339
What a legend. Rest in peace my legend,will always in my ❤️. JAH
@latoriarichardson6754
👑
@mkm_99
I still feel like this legend is not getting the respect he deserves🎶🎶
@balorndawonde1984
Eish me too bro
@masumbukolongino2851
Exactly, Babylon have done so much to eliminate him physically, mentally ,spiritually,and musically but fortunately they were late to stop him,when they assassinated him they forgot that rastas never die.
@bridgetlindayaa
@@masumbukolongino2851 They truly dont die..I feel them all well alive in my heart and soul..I love your words..theydeliver me to hope in this world we live in..give thanks and praise
@uaundjamazenge4181
Exactly bro