Give Thanks
Popcaan Lyrics

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Ay, Ay
Pop Skull and Dre Skull
Tell di youth dem fi live life careful, cah

Dog eat dog inna di place where me grow up
Whole heap ah stitch up and sow up
Man have rifle weh mek blood run like syrup
All who no dead get lock up

Badness ah di only thing me know
Give thanks fi music, cah
If ah never music
Me woulda have mi ting dem daily ah use it
Badness ah di only thing me know
Give thanks fi music, cah
When me a 'tep
Me a boy weh nuh walk with less than three clip

So me ah, teach dem the right ting
No man life no license
Ghetto yute stay far from horizon
You must help yuh father, surprise him
Watch di pagan dem with yuh eye, king
Dem will kill you when you're rising
Badmind you fi Vikings
Dem waan' take your life, but
Di best thing for me
Take care ah me thugs and mi family
Ghetto youth haffi shake down the money tree
Most time inna court guilty we plea

Badness ah di only thing me know
Give thanks fi music, cah
If ah never music
Me woulda have mi ting dem daily ah use it
Badness ah di only thing me know
Give thanks fi music, cah
When me a 'tep
Me a boy weh nuh walk with less than three clip, chuh!

Whole heap a threat Poppy get
No fear, never fret
The Kel to the TEC
Make dem can't stop mi breath
'Pon the battlefield, we no soft like Yvette
Work hard fi me things 'til me sweat
So ghetto yute, make money
Take care ah yuh mommy and yuh daddy
Dem street 'yahno love nobody
From me a grow a bare dead body
Dre Skull

Dog eat dog inna di place where me grow up
Whole heap ah stitch up and sow up
Man have rifle weh mek blood run like syrup
All who no dead get lock up

Badness ah di only thing me know
Give thanks fi music, cah
If ah never music
Me woulda have mi ting dem daily ah use it
Badness ah di only thing me know
Give thanks fi music, cah
When me a 'tep
Me a boy weh nuh walk with less than three clip

(Only thing me know)

(Only thing me know)
(Only thing me know)

Overall Meaning

In Popcaan's song Give Thanks, he speaks about the harsh realities of growing up in the ghetto and how music has been his savior. He tells the youth to be careful and to stay away from the violence that he grew up around. He talks about how in his community, people are killed every day over petty grievances and disputes. Popcaan describes how he used to be caught up in the violence and that "badness" used to be the only thing he knew. However, after discovering music, he was able to turn his life around. He explains that if it weren't for music, he would have been using his guns every day. He realizes that music is his true calling and that it has helped him get out of the life of violence that he once knew.

Popcaan wants to share his story with the youth and wants to reach out to them with his music. He wants them to realize that there are other options in life and they don't have to be a product of their environment. Popcaan talks about how he was shot multiple times and still carries the scars from those experiences. He explains that he would never want any youth to go through what he had to go through. Through the lyrics of the song, Popcaan encourages the youth to stay away from violence, to work hard and to be grateful for what they have.

Line by Line Meaning

Ay, Ay
Beginning of the song, an exclamation to grab attention

Pop Skull and Dre Skull
Referring to the two producers of the song

Tell di youth dem fi live life careful, cah
Advising the youth to be cautious in life

Dog eat dog inna di place where me grow up
Growing up in a place where life is hard and people are cruel

Whole heap ah stitch up and sow up
A lot of violent incidents and accompanying injuries

Man have rifle weh mek blood run like syrup
Guns are commonplace and can cause deadly injuries

All who no dead get lock up
Violence often leads to imprisonment but sometimes death

Badness ah di only thing me know
Having been raised in a violent environment, Popcaan is accustomed to bad behavior

Give thanks fi music, cah
Being grateful for music for helping him escape a life of crime

If ah never music
If he didn't have music in his life

Me woulda have mi ting dem daily ah use it
He would have resorted to violence everyday without music

Me a boy weh nuh walk with less than three clip
He carries multiple guns with him to protect himself

So me ah, teach dem the right ting
He wants to educate the youth and teach them the proper way to live

No man life no license
Nobody has a license to take another person's life

Ghetto yute stay far from horizon
The youth from the ghetto must stay away from danger

You must help yuh father, surprise him
One should help their father, even if it is unexpected

Watch di pagan dem with yuh eye, king
Be cautious of those who may wish harm upon you

Dem will kill you when you're rising
Enemies often try to destroy you when you are doing well

Badmind you fi Vikings
People with ill intentions are like Vikings

Dem waan' take your life, but
They want to take your life, but

Di best thing for me
The best thing for him

Take care ah me thugs and mi family
He takes care of his friends and family

Ghetto youth haffi shake down the money tree
He encourages youth to find a way to make money legally

Most time inna court guilty we plea
He sometimes pleads guilty in court due to his past actions

Whole heap a threat Poppy get
He has faced many threats

No fear, never fret
He is not afraid

The Kel to the TEC
Referring to his gun

Make dem can't stop mi breath
His opponents cannot stop him

'Pon the battlefield, we no soft like Yvette
He is tough and resilient

Work hard fi me things 'til me sweat
He works hard for his success

So ghetto yute, make money
Encouraging youth to make money in a positive way

Take care ah yuh mommy and yuh daddy
Encouraging youth to take care of their parents

Dem street 'yahno love nobody
The streets are a harsh place

From me a grow a bare dead body
He has seen a lot of death in his life

(Only thing me know)
Repeating the chorus phrase

Lyrics © DUTCH DUBS, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrae Sutherland, Marc Glasser

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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