Sizzla, along with reggae recording artists such as Capleton, Buju Banton, and Anthony B, are credited with leading a movement toward a re-embracement of Rastafarian values in contemporary reggae music by recording material which is concerned primarily with spirituality, social consciousness, explores common themes, such as Babylon's corrupting influence, the disenfranchisement of ghetto youth, oppression of the black nation and Sizzla's abiding faith in Jah and resistance against perceived agents of oppression. Sizzla has over 40 full completed albums sold in record stores to date, the most popular which have been "Black Woman & Child" and "Da Real Thing" on the Digital B label, "Praise Ye Jah" on Xterminator, and "Rise to the Occasion" on Greensleeves.
Recently, however, he has come under fire for the homophobic content of many of his lyrics, and the advocacy of violence against gays.
Babylon Cowboy
Sizzla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Honourable Marcus Garvey
Oyyyy!...
So much love
That's all I come to give
Emperor Selassie I show dem love
And yet still dem nah wah live
So Babylon give dem ah toy
See dey inna dem hand
Dem turn cowboy
Babylon say destroy
So anytime ah-poh-poh-toi, hoi-hoi
Babylon give dem ah toy
See dey inna dem hand
Dem turn cowboy
Babylon give dem ah toy
Anytime now ah-blokkodoy, hoi-hoi--Jah!
[Verse 1:]
Dem buss it so prevalent
And nuff ah dem kick de bucket
Selassie run he resident
So gunman watch it
Rastaman come strong with love inna de district
You are most American, with yuh gun 'pon yuh hip
De cop all dem still hide
'Cause Bobby shot de sheriff
Commissioner ah run because we honour we commit
Whether nah no not Jah coast ah-yow, cowboy go down
Done know yuh bow--yuh shot yuh brother with yuh gun
Fuh rights, nah justice, yuh nah buss it fi none
Well since yuh slaughter, Selassie I come
Emperor sit down 'round de biggest machine gun
Mussolini test and get dem skull turn down
[Chorus:]
So Babyoln give you dem toy
See dey inna yuh hand
Yuh turn cowboy
Babylon say destroy
Anytime now ah-boh-boh-boi, hoi-hoi
Babylon give you a toy
See dey inna yuh hand
Yuh turn cowboy, -oy, ey!
Babylon say destroy
Anytime now ah-blokkodoy, hey heyy!
[Verse 2:]
Some skin 'bout to peel like Scalien
Some ah dem cyah nyam dem meal, comfortable and strong
Dis' de man whey fly de seal, done know yuh wrong
Rastaman no try no deal, we no fear no wicked man
Shipment come in a drum, so dem ah boast
Yow, 'pon dey front, dem cock-up and all ah sport
Cyah come 'gainst Jah-Jah sheep nor goat
Touch Lion 'gain and we bound fi buss yuh throat
Yuh nah go Africa, den ah where you ah run to?
Nah nah-nah-nah-nah, no worry
Selassie I see whey yuh do
Now ah know Emmanuel, yuh never humble
Drag down, ah hail under stress and trouble
[Chorus:]
You go grab up dem toy
See dey inna yuh hand
Yuh turn cowboy
Babylon give you dem toy
So anytime now ah-poh-poh-poi, hoi how-hoi
Babylon give you dem toy
See dey inna yuh hand
Yuh turn cowboy--hey!
Babylon give you dem toy
Anytime now ah-poh-poh-poi, hey
[Verse 3:]
Den me ah journey, yah
I'll never stop troddin' since Jah sun shine from above, ey-hey
Those of whom kick de bucket are my brothers and sisters
I surely love, ey-hey!
Still I have to keep going on
I know not nothing as skylarking, ey-hey!
As long as Jah side take the corn
I and I will be ruling, yay-hey
[Chorus:]
Babylon give you dem toy
See dey inna yuh yuh hand
Yuh turn cowboy
Babylon give you dem toy
Anytime now ah-poh-poh-poi, hoyy
[Intro:]
Well Sizzla bring just more than love
Repeated That's all I come to give
Emperor Selassie I did show dem love
And yet still some nah wah live
[Chorus:]
So Babylon give dem ah toy
See dey up on dem hip
Dem turn cowboy, yay-hey!
Babylon give dem a toy
Anytime now ah-poh-poh-poi, hey
The song "Babylon Cowboy" by Sizzla is a message to the Babylon system and its violent ways. The intro starts with a reference to Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican political leader whose teachings had a significant influence on the Rastafari movement. Sizzla talks about how Emperor Selassie I showed love, but Babylon still chooses violence. The chorus emphasizes how Babylon gives people guns as toys, and they become cowboys who shoot without reason.
In the first verse, Sizzla talks about how many people die at the hands of guns, and how Selassie is strong in his residence. He contrasts the love of Rastafarians with the American way of carrying guns for power. The police hide because Bobby, a reference to Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff," shot a corrupt lawman. Sizzla calls for justice because he knows that violence will not solve anything. He mentions Mussolini, the Italian fascist leader who occupied Ethiopia, and how Selassie used the biggest machine gun to fight for his people.
The second verse talks about how some people cannot even eat their meals because of the violence around them. Sizzla promises that Rastafarians will not fear wicked men who boast about their illegal activities. He warns those who dare take on Jah-Jah's sheep and goat that they will face retaliation. Sizzla's lyrics reflect the political and social turmoil in Jamaica and the need for peace to replace the violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Well Sizzla bring just more than love
Sizzla brings more to the table than just love
Repeated That's all I come to give
Despite only coming with love, Sizzla can bring more if necessary
Emperor Selassie I did show dem love
Emperor Selassie I demonstrated love to others
And yet still some nah wah live
Some people refuse to live in love
So Babylon give dem ah toy
Babylon provides people with weapons
See dey up on dem hip
People carry these weapons on their hip
Dem turn cowboy, yay-hey!
People who carry weapons act like cowboys
Babylon say destroy
Babylon wants to destroy
Anytime now ah-poh-poh-poi, hey
At any moment, destruction could happen
Dem buss it so prevalent
People use weapons frequently
And nuff ah dem kick de bucket
A lot of those people end up dying
Selassie run he resident
Selassie runs his home
So gunman watch it
Gunmen should be careful
Rastaman come strong with love inna de district
Rastafarians bring love to the community
You are most American, with yuh gun 'pon yuh hip
You act like an American cowboy by carrying a gun
De cop all dem still hide
The police are afraid
'Cause Bobby shot de sheriff
Referring to the Bob Marley song, where the sheriff was shot
Commissioner ah run because we honour we commit
Commissioner runs because they respect the Rastafarian committement to love and life
Whether nah no not Jah coast ah-yow, cowboy go down
Regardless of whether you believe in Jah or not, the cowboy will be defeated
Done know yuh bow--yuh shot yuh brother with yuh gun
You know that you shot your own brother with your gun
Fuh rights, nah justice, yuh nah buss it fi none
You shoot without thinking about justice or rights
Well since yuh slaughter, Selassie I come
Selassie I comes to fight against those who slaughter
Emperor sit down 'round de biggest machine gun
The Emperor will fight back with heavy artillery
Mussolini test and get dem skull turn down
Mussolini tested the Rastafarians and lost
Some skin 'bout to peel like Scalien
Some people will be punished severely
Some ah dem cyah nyam dem meal, comfortable and strong
Some people can't even eat because of their guilt
Dis' de man whey fly de seal, done know yuh wrong
The man who tries to escape knows he's wrong
Rastaman no try no deal, we no fear no wicked man
Rastafarians don't make deals and aren't scared of evil people
Shipment come in a drum, so dem ah boast
Illegal items come into the community, and people show them off
Yow, 'pon dey front, dem cock-up and all ah sport
They show off their weapons and act like it's sport
Cyah come 'gainst Jah-Jah sheep nor goat
You can't fight against the followers of Jah
Touch Lion 'gain and we bound fi buss yuh throat
If you mess with the Lion, someone will come after you
Yuh nah go Africa, den ah where you ah run to?
If you can't go to Africa, where will you go?
Nah nah-nah-nah-nah, no worry
Don't worry about it
Selassie I see whey yuh do
Selassie I sees what you're doing
Now ah know Emmanuel, yuh never humble
Emmanuel isn't humble
Drag down, ah hail under stress and trouble
Emmanuel is brought down by stress and trouble
I'll never stop troddin' since Jah sun shine from above, ey-hey
I'll keep moving forward with Jah as my guide
Those of whom kick de bucket are my brothers and sisters
Those who have died are still loved and considered family
Still I have to keep going on
Despite hardship and loss, I must keep moving forward
I know not nothing as skylarking, ey-hey!
I don't take life frivolously
As long as Jah side take the corn
As long as Jah supports me, I'll be successful
I and I will be ruling, yay-hey
Together, we will rule
Contributed by Mason F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ecspedition
on No Other Like Jah
Who understand what he is speaking here or is it youthful speaking ... this is the whole or the nothing of the song... speaking the words of creation?
Ecspedition
on No Other Like Jah
Head out mista crave ,ah you speak the words by which everything was made
Majda El Yousfi
on Woman I Need You
african woman......i need you.i love bb
Majda El Yousfi
on Psalms 121
i like
Babacar Mbaye
on Agriculture and Education
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