The System
Popcaan Lyrics
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White people ah bawl
Indian people ah bawl
Black people ah bawl
Chinese people ah bawl
System, design fi set we up, yeah
Dem give we di guns and dem same one come wet we up
Weh dem do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
Every day another mother bawl
Dem don't do nuttin' at all, yeah
We've been suffering from we small, so
Some think seh a bed ah rose
Through pretty clothes inna me closet
None ah dem nah see me pain, further more dem neva ask yet
Silence ah di baddest weapon, so you know weh mi do? Me talk less
Man ah work every day down ah wharf
And a three grand a week dem ah accept
Dem nuh waan' me fi build mama house
Don't waan' mi fi own no assets
Sufferation everywhere mi turn
So give thanks to Jah when yuh pass it
Suh ghetto yute don't mek nuh silly plans
Believe in yourself be a man
Dem waan' we fi dead pon di road
Dem nuh waan' we fi mek billions
Dre Skull weh di system do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
Weh dem do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
Every day another mother bawl
Dem don't do nuttin' at all, yeah
We've been suffering from we small, so
If we sell weed ah problem dat
If we do a robbery a problem dat
Di whole world a pray fi di problem stop
Nobody don't cater fi solving dat
Innocent yute ah receive gunshots
Mama haffi dress up inna white and black
Oh God tired fi go ah Dovecot
White people ah bawl
Indian people ah bawl
Black people ah bawl
Chinese people ah bawl
System, design fi set we up, yeah
Dem give we di guns and dem same one come wet we up
Dre Skull weh di system do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
Weh dem do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
Every day another mother bawl
Dem don't do nuttin' at all, yeah
We've been suffering from we small, so
If we sell weed ah problem dat
If we do a robbery a problem dat
Di whole world a pray fi di problem stop
Nobody don't cater fi solving dat
Innocent yute ah receive gunshots
Mama haffi dress up inna white and black
Oh God tired fi go ah Dovecot
In Popcaan's song "The System," the artist highlights the systemic oppression faced by the people of Jamaica, particularly the youth. The song begins by addressing the fact that people of all races are affected by this oppressive system, and that the system is designed to set people up for failure. This is illustrated by the line "Dem give we di guns and dem same one come wet we up," pointing towards the corrupt nature of those in power who provide guns to the people and then use it as a reason to oppress them.
Popcaan goes on to say that the system provides nothing to the ghetto youth, creating a cycle of suffering and poverty. Mothers are constantly crying due to the loss of their children, and yet the system does nothing to alleviate the pain. The song's chorus reinforces this sentiment, placing emphasis on the fact that the youth have been suffering since they were small.
Popcaan highlights the lack of opportunity and the normalization of suffering in the ghetto, stating that hardworking people are paid low wages and are not given the chance to own assets. The artist urges the youth not to give up and to believe in themselves despite the oppressive conditions. He also makes a point of how the world only prays for these problems to stop but do not take any measures to solve them, leaving innocent children to receive gunshots and mamas to dress in white and black, mourning their children's death. Popcaan strongly suggests that we need a change in the system that provides opportunities to everyone, not just the privileged few.
Line by Line Meaning
Sad to say, ubt
Unfortunately,
White people ah bawl
White people are crying
Indian people ah bawl
Indian people are crying
Black people ah bawl
Black people are crying
Chinese people ah bawl
Chinese people are crying
System, design fi set we up, yeah
The system is designed to trap us
Dem give we di guns and dem same one come wet we up
They give us guns and then they shoot us
Dre Skull weh di system do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
What has the system done for the ghetto youth? Nothing
Weh dem do fi ghetto yute? Nothing
What have they done for the ghetto youth? Nothing
Every day another mother bawl
Every day another mother cries
Dem don't do nuttin' at all, yeah
They don't do anything at all
We've been suffering from we small, so
We've been suffering since we were children, so
Some think seh a bed ah rose
Some think that life is easy
Through pretty clothes inna me closet
Because of the nice clothes in my closet
None ah dem nah see me pain, further more dem neva ask yet
None of them see my pain, furthermore they never ask me about it
Silence ah di baddest weapon, so you know weh mi do? Me talk less
Silence is the most powerful weapon, so you know what I do? I talk less
Man ah work every day down ah wharf
Man works every day at the wharf
And a three grand a week dem ah accept
And they accept only three thousand dollars a week
Dem nuh waan' me fi build mama house
They don't want me to build my mother a house
Don't waan' mi fi own no assets
They don't want me to own any assets
Sufferation everywhere mi turn
There's suffering everywhere I turn
So give thanks to Jah when yuh pass it
So give thanks to God when you survive
Suh ghetto yute don't mek nuh silly plans
So ghetto youth, don't make any foolish plans
Believe in yourself be a man
Believe in yourself and be a man
Dem waan' we fi dead pon di road
They want us to die on the road
Dem nuh waan' we fi mek billions
They don't want us to make billions
If we sell weed ah problem dat
If we sell weed, that's a problem
If we do a robbery a problem dat
If we do a robbery, that's a problem
Di whole world a pray fi di problem stop
The whole world is praying for the problem to stop
Nobody don't cater fi solving dat
Nobody is helping to solve that
Innocent yute ah receive gunshots
Innocent youth are getting shot
Mama haffi dress up inna white and black
Mama has to dress in white and black for the funeral
Oh God tired fi go ah Dovecot
Oh God, tired of going to the cemetery
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrae Sutherland, Andrew Hershey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
acura williams
Never gets old
Popcaan be straight slayin' the game, no doubt! AUTHENTIC VIEWS gave him a boost, but his raw talent remains unchanged. He's holdin' it down like a true boss! Drop a thumbs up if you're vibin' with it, fam!
Al Fiona
I was 12 when this came out. Now I'm 21 and This song has a whole new meaning to me. So much love from Nairobi Kenya.
Olibuzzy 1
much love my brudda
Apeo Met
I was at that age too 😂😂 this is one of my favorites from Popcaan
Steve Bramich
Why are you describing me? 😂😂
Ganjack Bogle
Same way bredda
R_e
This tune was a big hit in Kenya back in the day. Reminds me of some nice highschool moments
Blaise EmmKay Entertainment ™
Me too man kumbe siyuko peke yangu
Shamba la Mawe🇰🇪
Tru dat.
Noah
Popmaan is the next popcaan people check him out