Get Up Stand Up
Sawa Lyrics
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Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: dont give up the fight!
Preacherman, dont tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you dont know
Its not all that glitters is gold;
alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. come on!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: dont give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: dont give up the fight!
Most people think,
Great God will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!
Get up, stand up! (jah, jah!)
Stand up for your rights! (oh-hoo!)
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up!)
Dont give up the fight! (life is your right!)
Get up, stand up! (so we cant give up the fight!)
Stand up for your rights! (lord, lord!)
Get up, stand up! (keep on struggling on!)
Dont give up the fight! (yeah!)
We sick an tired of-a your ism-skism game -
Dyin n goin to heaven in-a jesus name, lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty God is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you cant fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (what you gonna do? ),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah!)
So you better:
Get up, stand up! (in the morning! git it up!)
Stand up for your rights! (stand up for our rights!)
Get up, stand up!
Dont give up the fight! (dont give it up, dont give it up!)
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up!)
Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Dont give up the fight! (get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Dont give up the fight! /fadeout/
The song "Get Up Stand Up" by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh was performed by Tosh's bandmate after Tosh's death in 1987. The song encourages listeners to stand up for their rights and not give up the fight against oppression. This message is conveyed through the repetition of the titular phrase, as well as through the challenging of common beliefs and institutions that perpetuate inequality.
The first verse opens by challenging religious authority, questioning the idea of heaven being underground and suggesting that the preacher does not truly understand the value of life. This skepticism continues in the second verse when the idea of a divine figure rescuing humanity is dismissed in favor of asserting the power of the individual to affect change on earth. The third verse explicitly attacks societal structures that encourage complacency and blind faith, advocating for education and self-empowerment instead.
The repetition of "Get up, stand up" and the call-and-response structure of the chorus encourage listeners to join in and actively participate in the movement towards social justice. The use of "we" instead of "I" throughout the song highlights the importance of solidarity and collective action, emphasizing the need for people to come together to create a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Encouraging to take a stand for what is right and exercise one's rights.
Preacherman, dont tell me, Heaven is under the earth.
Challenging religious authority and rejecting the idea of heaven as an escape from the struggles of life.
I know you dont know What life is really worth.
Asserting that true understanding of life's value comes from experiencing its hardships and fighting for what is right.
Its not all that glitters is gold; alf the story has never been told:
Revealing the hidden truths that are not apparent and challenging the conventional wisdom.
So now you see the light, eh! Stand up for your rights. come on!
Having awareness of the true nature of power and being motivated to fight for equal rights and justice.
Most people think, Great God will come from the skies, Take away everything And make everybody feel high.
Rejecting the passive waiting for a higher power to solve problems and taking responsibility for finding happiness and improving life on earth.
But if you know what life is worth, You will look for yours on earth:
Emphasizing the importance of valuing one's life and taking action to improve one's situation.
And now you see the light, You stand up for your rights. jah!
Having a new perspective and motivation to fight for justice and equality.
We sick an tired of-a your ism-skism game - Dyin n goin to heaven in-a jesus name, lord.
Rejecting the manipulation of religion to maintain oppressive systems and calling for immediate change.
We know when we understand: Almighty God is a living man.
Challenging preconceived notions of God and recognizing the divine in all people.
You can fool some people sometimes, But you cant fool all the people all the time.
Asserting that people will eventually see through falsehoods and rise up against oppression.
So now we see the light (what you gonna do? ), We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah!)
Having clarity of purpose and being committed to fighting for justice and equal rights.
Dont give up the fight! (life is your right!)
Urging to keep fighting for one's life and rights.
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Repeating the chorus as a call to action and motivation to stand up for rights.
Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up!)
Encouraging to take a stand for what is right and exercise one's rights.
Contributed by Samuel H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.