Bunny Lee first recorded Far I in the early 70's with a tune called "The Great Booga Wooga". He went on to cut tunes for Coxsone, notably "Natty Farmyard" and a version of "Queen of the Minstrel". In 1973 the Cordell's "Simpleton" appeared on the Lion label, with the flip being a strange half-sung half-chanted version by the Prince entitled "Simpleton Skank". In 1974 he voiced "Let Jah arise" for Enos McLeod at King Tubbys, and it is Enos who can be credited with renaming the DJ as Prince Far I. After some self-productions which appeared on Pete Weston's Micron outlet, Prince Far I hit a period which included two of reggae's greatest DJ albums. Firstly the "Psalms for I" collection, a straight chant of bible word. The second landmark album was "Under Heavy Manners" for producer Joe Gibbs, engineered by Erroll Thompson. It contained the Prince's first big Jamaican hit single, "Heavy Manners", on the rhythm of Naggo Morris' "Su Su Pon Rasta".
In 1976 Prince Far I set up his own label in Jamaica -- Cry Tuff. That label issued Far I's productions in Jamaica. His UK business ran through the fledgling label Hit Run, created by Adrian Sherwood. This arrangement was almost one of master and pupil, as the Arabs/Roots Radics became Dub Syndicate with Sherwood learning the studio craft as both producer and engineer. The rhythm tracks were laid in Jamaica by Style Scott & Co, the mix and overdubs taken care of in London. "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter III" by Prince Far I and the Arabs was originally released in the UK by that most avuncular of record shop proprietors Keith Stone of Daddy Kool. It marked the handing on of the producer's baton from Far I to Sherwood, soon to launch On U Sound at a time when many critics considered reggae to be a finished force.
Prince Far I was shot dead in Jamaica, September 15, 1983.
Tribute To Bob Marley
Prince Far I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tribute to the musical hero
Tribute to the king of Reggae
The man called Bob Marley, king of Reggae music
Tribute to the man called Bob Marley
Tribute to the man called Bob Marley
The musical hero
If you see Slim Smith, you can give him my regards
If you see Jacob Miller, you can give him my regards
And if you see Ranking Slackness, the man called General Echo, you can give
Him my regards
And if you see Don Cosmic Drummond you can give him my regards
Hard road to travel, and a mighty long way to go
But it's a tribute to the man called Bob Marley
Tribute to the man called Bob Marley
The king of Reggae music
The late and great
The late and great
The late and great Bob Marley
The late and great Bob Marley
A tribute to the king
A tribute to the king
A tribute to the king
You can give Slim Smith my regards
And you can give Jacob Miller my regards
You know the man Killer Miller, you can give him my regards
And you can give the old brother Don Cosmic Drummond my regards
Give Don Cosmic Drummond my regards
And if you see Ranking Slackness, you can give him my regards
It's a hard road to travel, and a mighty long way to go
But it's a tribute to the musical king
A tribute to the musical king
A trubute to the man called Bob Marley
A trubute to the man called Bob Marley
The musical hero
Him a musical hero
Jah alone hath ??????
And the whole world go free
Free, free, free
They say, It's a hard road to travel, and it's a mighty long way to go
This a tribute to the king
A tribute to the king
A tribute to the man called Bob Marley
A tribute to the musical hero
A tribute to the musical hero
If you see Don Cosmic Drummond you can give him my regards
Even Jackie Opel, you can him my regards
If you see Slim Smith, you can give him my regards
And if you even see Ranking Slackness, the man called General Echo, you can
Give him my regards
But these regards give to Bob Marley
Prince Far I's "Tribute to Bob Marley" is a song that pays homage to the iconic musician and the King of Reggae music. The song begins with the repetition of "Tribute to the man called Bob Marley," which establishes the subject matter of the song. The artist then repeats "tribute to the musical hero" and "tribute to the king of Reggae" to reinforce Bob Marley's artistic importance and his impact on the genre. The song then shifts to a call-and-response pattern, where the artist implores the listener to give his regards to various musicians, including Slim Smith, Jacob Miller, Don Cosmic Drummond, and Ranking Slackness. The artist notes that it is a hard road to travel, but the tribute is necessary for the man called Bob Marley, who is referred to as the late and great king of Reggae. The song then ends with the repetition of "a tribute to the man called Bob Marley" and "the musical hero" to reiterate his significance and influence on Reggae music.
Line by Line Meaning
Tribute to the man called Bob Marley
Paying homage to the man known as Bob Marley
Tribute to the musical hero
Honoring the musical icon
Tribute to the king of Reggae
Paying tribute to the ruler of Reggae music
The man called Bob Marley, king of Reggae music
Bob Marley, the legendary king of Reggae music
Him a de musical hero
He is the musical hero
If you see Slim Smith, you can give him my regards
If you encounter Slim Smith, please extend my greetings
If you see Jacob Miller, you can give him my regards
If you run into Jacob Miller, please offer my salutations
And if you see Ranking Slackness, the man called General Echo, you can give Him my regards
And if you happen upon Ranking Slackness, also known as General Echo, please give him my regards
And if you see Don Cosmic Drummond you can give him my regards
If you spot Don Cosmic Drummond, please express my regards
It's a hard road to travel, and a mighty long way to go
The journey is challenging and lengthy
The late and great Bob Marley
The now deceased but wonderful Bob Marley
A tribute to the king
Honoring the ruler
Give Don Cosmic Drummond my regards
Please give my regards to Don Cosmic Drummond
You know the man Killer Miller, you can give him my regards
You're familiar with Killer Miller, please extend my greetings to him
It's a tribute to the musical king
Honoring the ruler of music
A tribute to the man called Bob Marley
Honoring the person known as Bob Marley
Jah alone hath
Only Jah has
And the whole world go free
And the whole world would be liberated
Free, free, free
Free, free, free
Even Jackie Opel, you can give him my regards
Even Jackie Opel, please extend my greetings to him
But these regards give to Bob Marley
However, these greetings are reserved for Bob Marley
Contributed by Isabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.