She grew up in Jamaica, and was singing with a trio named The Soulettes in the mid sixties recording for Studio One when she met Bob Marley. She married him in 1966, and then became a singer in his backing vocals group, the I Threes. She had three children with him and two outside of the marriage. She converted to the Rastafari movement after witnessing Haile Selassie on his visit to Kingston, Jamaica on 21 April 1966. She convinced Bob Marley to convert as well. She wrote many of the songs recorded by Bob while backing him.[citation needed] After Marley's death, she recorded few albums under her name with some success in the United Kingdom. She took care of Marley's estate and mentored her son, Ziggy Marley.
In January 2005 it was claimed that she wished Bob Marley's body be reburied in Ethiopia, but she denied that there were any such plans. Rita currently lives in Ghana and spends a lot of time in Florida, and sometimes her home in Jamaica. Some of her family reside in Canada.
Rita appears on Fergie's new album The Dutchess
Good Morning Jah
Rita Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are a gloomy sight
Morning heartache
Thought we said goodbye last night
I tossed and turned until it seemed you had gone
But here you are with the dawn
I wish I'd forget you
You're here to stay
When my love went away
Now every day I start by saying to you
\"Morning heartache, what's new?\"
Stop haunting me now
Can't shake you, no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
You're the one who knew me well
Might as well get used to you hangin' around
Morning heartache, sit down
Stop haunting me now
Can't shake you, no how
Just leave me alone
I've got those Monday blues
Straight through Sunday blues
Morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
You're the one who knew me well
Might as well get used to you hangin' around
Good morning heartache, sit down
Rita Marley's song "Good Morning Jah" is a bittersweet tune about heartache and trying to move on. Marley addresses her pain directly, personifying it as "morning heartache." The lyrics describe the struggle of trying to forget, but being reminded of the heartache every morning with the dawn. Marley wishes that she could forget, but acknowledges that this pain seems to be here to stay. This song highlights the message that sometimes it's hard to move on from a difficult situation, but it's important to face the struggles and learn to live with them.
The song's structure is a classic example of the blues genre, with repetition and a call-and-response format between Marley and the background vocals. The lyrics are also full of poetic and elegant idioms, which add to the sadness of the song. The song is a reflection of the intense personal experience of loss, heartache, and the desire to forget, which is quite relatable for many.
Line by Line Meaning
Good morning heartache
Addressing her heartache and acknowledging it as a part of her day
You are a gloomy sight
Describing her heartache as a sad and dismal experience
Morning heartache
Repeating her acknowledgement of the heartache and its presence in the day
Thought we said goodbye last night
Recalling a moment when she thought she had moved past the heartache but it turned out not to be true
I tossed and turned until it seemed you had gone
Having trouble sleeping due to the heartache and hoping it would fade away
But here you are with the dawn
Feeling like the heartache has returned with a new day
I wish I'd forget you
Expressing a desire to move past the heartache and forget about it
You're here to stay
Realizing that the heartache is not going away any time soon
It seems I met you when my love went away
Making a connection between the heartache and the departure of her love
Now every day I start by saying to you "Morning heartache, what's new?"
Acknowledging the heartache as a part of her daily routine and wondering what new pain it will bring
Stop haunting me now
Pleading for the heartache to go away and stop tormenting her
Can't shake you, no how
Recognizing that the heartache has a strong hold on her and she can't seem to shake it off
Just leave me alone
Asking the heartache to give her space and leave her be
I've got those Monday blues
Feeling down and melancholic like the start of a new week
Straight through Sunday blues
Feeling sad and blue throughout the whole week
Here we go again
Expressing frustration at the fact that the heartache continues to plague her
You're the one who knew me well
Recognizing that the heartache knows her intimately and has a deep understanding of her feelings and emotions
Might as well get used to you hangin' around
Accepting the fact that the heartache will be present in her life for a while and she might as well get used to it
Good morning heartache, sit down
Addressing the heartache once again and asking it to stay put and not bother her for a while
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.