In 2010, Protoje began working with his cousin and popular Jamaican producer Don Corleon. After releasing "Dread", "JA" and "Roll" in 2010, Protoje's debut album, entitled The Seven Year Itch, was released in 2011. The first single off the album dubbed "Arguments" (2009) was responsible for his early popularity in Jamaica. In 2011, he released another single off the album entitled "Rasta Love" featuring Ky-Mani Marley.
His second album, The 8 Year Affair, was released in 2013. "Who Dem A Program" was the first single released from the album followed by "This Is Not A Marijuana Song". "Kingston Be Wise" was heavily promoted via traditional and social media. Protoje cited reggae artist Ini Kamoze and group Black Uhuru as influences when recording the album.
His third album Ancient Future is set for release in September 2014
Resist Not Evil
Protoje Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoever shall smite thee
Will have to face the almighty
So take away my coat and my cloak
Jah have me riches so me never broke
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
In anything i do or say
How do i say it in a manner that
Don't seem hype if i say we bring the banner back
Red gold green not a fad, badge of honour that
Defender of the faith fi a fact we deh ya pon attack
Today tomorrow man a warrior nuh follow that
Try put a stop to that but a just a comma dat
Matter fact a so the sentence goes
I never try get revenge from these senseless foes
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
In anything i do or say
Keep Jah in My Heart, Father shall carry i cross
Me likkle bredrin touch 16
Sight up the king and a adjust him dreams
Ones can't overstand a wonder what this means
Develop fear in them heart and them start set fi him
Him tell me, jah never make him get defeat
So him move like a gaddy and prevail pon the street
You nuh see it
A 3 shot him get fi eat and him still deh ya stand up pon him feet
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
In anything i do or say
Keep Jah in My Heart, Father shall carry i cross
You turn you back on the well when u done drink the water
All the quarrelling it woulda must bring disaster
Fight against you brother just offending the master
Them i couldn't join it woulda must kill me faster
Oooh, i seen the strategy before fi drain i energy hypocrisy for sure
Father please take my nemesis away from Jah premises
The song "Resist Not Evil" by Protoje is a call to resist violence and to adhere to the principles of love, compassion, and forgiveness. The title is taken from one of the verses in the New Testament, which promotes resisting the urge to retaliate against those who have wronged us. Protoje speaks about how whoever chooses to inflict harm on others will have to answer to higher powers, and that taking away his possessions will not bring him down since Jah (God) has blessed him with a rich life.
The song presents the idea of being a warrior and standing up for one's beliefs while using non-violent means to fight oppressive systems. He stresses the importance of keeping Jah in his heart and asking for guidance to stay on the right path. Also, he mentions a young friend confronted with violence and how he found the strength to overcome it with faith, proving that peaceful resistance could triumph over evil.
In essence, Protoje encourages listeners to keep fighting the good fight against oppression but with the understanding that violence only leads to more violence, and only by emulating Jah's principles will true freedom and victory be achieved.
Line by Line Meaning
Resist Not Evil
Don't fight back against evil
Whoever shall smite thee
Those that wrong or hurt you
Will have to face the almighty
They will be held accountable by God
So take away my coat and my cloak
If someone takes something from me, it doesn't matter because I have faith in God and my wealth is spiritual
Jah have me riches so me never broke
God has given me spiritual wealth which keeps me from ever being impoverished
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
Asks for guidance from God so as not to stray from the right path
In anything i do or say
In all areas of life
Keep Jah in My Heart, Father shall carry i cross
With God in my heart, I can face any struggle
How do i say it in a manner that
How can I express myself without sounding arrogant?
Don't seem hype if i say we bring the banner back
I don't want to seem like I'm exaggerating if I say we are restoring something important from the past
Red gold green not a fad, badge of honour that
The colors red, gold, and green are not just a trend, but hold significant meaning and are a symbol of pride and honor
Defender of the faith fi a fact we deh ya pon attack
We are under attack for defending our faith
Today tomorrow man a warrior nuh follow that
We are warriors who don't follow the mainstream
Try put a stop to that but a just a comma dat
Opponents may try to stop us, but it's just a temporary pause
Matter fact a so the sentence goes
This is how the story unfolds
I never try get revenge from these senseless foes
I won't seek revenge against those who wrong me without reason
Me likkle bredrin touch 16
My brother just turned 16
Sight up the king and a adjust him dreams
He recognizes his potential to become a leader and works to achieve his goals
Ones can't overstand a wonder what this means
Others don't understand and may question his actions
Develop fear in them heart and them start set fi him
Some develop fear and animosity towards him
Him tell me, jah never make him get defeat
He believes that God will never let him fail
So him move like a gaddy and prevail pon the street
He carries himself with confidence and succeeds despite adversity
You nuh see it
Don't you see it?
A 3 shot him get fi eat and him still deh ya stand up pon him feet
He was shot three times yet he still stands strong
You turn you back on the well when u done drink the water
You abandon something or someone after you've already benefited from it
All the quarrelling it woulda must bring disaster
Fighting amongst each other will only lead to negative consequences
Fight against you brother just offending the master
Fighting against one's own brother is going against God's will
Them i couldn't join it woulda must kill me faster
If I fought against my own people, it would only bring me harm
Oooh, i seen the strategy before fi drain i energy hypocrisy for sure
I recognize the plan to drain my energy with hypocritical behavior
Father please take my nemesis away from Jah premises
Asks God to remove his enemies from his life
Writer(s): Lowell Dunbar, Protoje, Robbie Shakespeare, Hopeton St Aubin Lindo
Contributed by Caden R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ianc1784
Lyrics:
Ye Resist Not Evil
Whoever shall smite thee
Will have to face the almighty
So take away my coat and my cloak
Jah have me riches so me never broke
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
In anything i do or say
Keep Jah in My Heart, Father shall carry i cross
How do i say it in a manner that
Don't seem hype if i say we bring the banner back
Red gold green not a fad, badge of honour that
Defender of the faith fi a fact we deh ya pon attack
Today tomorrow man a warriorΒ nuh follow that
Try put a stop to that but a just a comma dat
Matter fact a so the sentence goes
I never try get revenge from these senseless foes
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
In anything i do or say
Keep Jah in My Heart, Father shall carry i cross
Me likkle bredrin touch 16
Sight up the king and a adjust him dreams
Ones can't overstand a wonder what this means
Develop fear in them heart and them start set fi him
Him tell me, jah never make him get defeat
So him move like a gaddy and prevail pon the street
You nuh see it
A 3 shot him get fi eat and him still deh ya stand up pon him feet
Lord I pray, please never let me lose my way
In anything i do or say
Keep Jah in My Heart, Father shall carry i cross
You turn you back on the well when u done drink the water
All the quarrelling it woulda must bring disaster
Fight against you brother just offending the master
Them i couldn't join it woulda must kill me faster
Oooh, i seen the strategy before fi drain i energy hypocrisy for sure
Father please take my nemesis away from Jah premises
@CaaziiDeyz
as an atheist I think more religions should have a cool edge like this genre of music honestly
@Tyronejizz
Caazii Deyz true i'm an atheist aswell i don't like most religions but rastafaris only message is spread the love/one love and buddism is do no harm to others and enrich yourself trough kindness.
<3 nuthin but love for these religions <3
@CaaziiDeyz
***** jahhhh indeed π
@javier8001
+Caazii βCaaziDeyz80081β Deyz also as an atheist i cant enough off reggae music with its message and spread of love and tolerance. I consider Jah that love human feeling that we all share for peace and coexistence towards others. One love!
@CaaziiDeyz
+Javier Espinoza oh same here I absolutely agree the loving innocence rastafari preaches is so beautiful
@CaaziiDeyz
Rolman80 80 nobody recommended me this genre of music and there hasn't been a worldwide reggae 'trend' since Damian Marley teamed up with skrillex on one song. I'm just saying I'm currently enjoying reggae and hypothetically would think it would be cool if every religion had a music genre that had picked up some mainstream success
@jamaljawhar5089
"Please never let me lose my way, in anything I do and say" Is there a more beautiful prayer than this?
@LA12901
For real, I feel this so deep. You have to stay true to yourself, love your fellow human being and work to make the world a better place for all people
@Hans-PNis
Amen, brother.
@ras_krystafari3333
this efficient, sweet, short, and memorable. none that i can think of, this popped into my mind after the melody delighted its the title and easy to search ups this time, , , liiines ())()(()()((())()())()()(()()()())()()()(()()))()())())()() BigUp~JahSelf