Babylon
Sizzla Feat. Capelton Lyrics
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His own divine majesty
Emperor Haile Selassie I the first
Babylon you see, when those youths come about
You know it's just redder fire
Yeah man we send enough stories to Babylon
Prime Minister give us repatriation
Remember this
Nothing inna Babylon nah work
Watch the inequity have to get up and splurt
Not even a wicked man can serve
Rome catch a fire cause deh Vatican thirst
Nothing inna Babylon caan work
Things get lock off and them a dead fi pure thirst
Not even a wicked man can serve
Yow, desolation to the earth
Well nuh bother tell me bout mi nuh fi vanky
Babylon gu hush up your mouth you're too cranky
John Pope mi no know, no uncle nor aunty
Everything fi Babylon Sizzla deh vanky
Well from you rude mamma sey she deh go spanky
Brain them a use bout a Christ ride the donkey
Who them a fool bout sey black man a monkey
Black man, black woman a the first monarchy
Babylon dry, them a beg Rasta dampy
Weed and a cry words of I them never want it
African soil fertile ligh high sensi
Yow, well Babylon them listen calamity
Yuh city
Nothing inna Babylon nah work
Watch the inequity have to get up and splurt
Not even a wicked man can serve
Rome catch a fire cause deh Vatican thirst
Nothing inna Babylon caan work
Things get lock off and them a dead fi pure thirst
Not even a wicked man can serve
Yow, desolation to the earth
So mi go hail Emperor Selassie I him a the first
This a one a Babylone home work
Protect the ghetto child, nuh badder move too fancy
From them a cry then how wi fi like, eh
You think a now Babylon them a spite we
Hand me the matches make Sizzla go light , eh
Black people so much them nuh got no capacity
Try get up, go tell PJ a prophecy
Babylon a cover Queen Elizabeth nasty, Babylon presumptuous
What an audacity
I nuh come yeah so fi sing no Babylon story
I come fi turn the shame into glory
Old Pharaoh, me sey that you nuh know me
Remember that a King Solomon grow we
Nothing inna Babylon nah work
Watch the inequity have to get up and splurt
Not even a wicked man can serve
Rome catch a fire cause deh Vatican thirst
Nothing inna Babylon caan work
Things get lock off and them a dead fi pure thirst
Not even a wicked man can serve
Yow, desolation to the earth
A judgment inna Babylon, them thirst
Yow, a judgment with a... yow !
See it from afar, sey the whole a them crazy
When a black people time
Them think a no blacka days, eh
Nothing ? Well Babylon not could never strike me
Emperor Selassie I is the Almighty
From you see me chalice
Well me nah go pass, eh
Babylon, a malice, a just through them greedy
Bun weed
I come fi weed, eh
Yow, ah life black people needy
Nuh watch, eh
Nothing inna Babylon nah work
Watch the inequity have to get up and splurt
Not even a wicked man can serve
Rome catch a fire cause deh Vatican thirst
Nothing inna Babylon caan work
Things get lock off and them a dead fi pure thirst
Not even a wicked man can serve
Yow, desolation to the earth
The song 'Babylon' by Sizzla featuring Capleton, is an anthem that critiques the socioeconomic and political condition of Jamaica and much of the developing world. The song pays homage to Haile Selassie, an Ethiopian emperor widely revered as a messiah, and portrays him as a champion of the oppressed. The lyrics admonish the government, which is often identified with the capital city, Babylon, for perpetuating inequality and failing to provide for the needs of the people.
The song starts with an introduction to Haile Selassie, celebrating his divine majesty as the first Emperor of Ethiopia. It then proceeds to condemn Babylon, which is symbolic of government oppression, for not responding adequately to the needs of the young people, who have been demanding change. Sizzla warns that nothing in Babylon will work until changes are made, and the voiceless are heard. When he says "Rome catches fire cause the Vatican thirsts," this is a reference to the Vatican's political power's corruption in Rome, and that Babylon is similarly corrupt.
Sizzla goes on to address the social and economic issues that Jamaica is facing, despite being blessed with enough resources. He highlights the sheer irony that the system has failed, and he appeals to the government, represented by "PJ," for change. Babylon's disregard for the plight of the people is amplified when they are accused of mistreating Queen Elizabeth's government, demonstrating the governement's lack of self-awareness in their relationships. Ultimately, the song is a call to action to seek justice and demand meaningful change from Babylon.
Line by Line Meaning
Me just want to say hail to Haile Selassie
I want to pay my respect to Emperor Haile Selassie
His own divine majesty
He is a holy and divine leader
Emperor Haile Selassie I the first
He is the first Emperor with that name
Babylon you see, when those youths come about
When the youth come, they see Babylon
You know it's just redder fire
You know there will be trouble and aggression
Yeah man we send enough stories to Babylon
We send plenty of messages to Babylon
Prime Minister give us repatriation
The Prime Minister should allow us to return to our homeland
Remember this
Don't forget this important message
Nothing inna Babylon nah work
Nothing in Babylon is functioning properly
Watch the inequity have to get up and splurt
The injustice will erupt and come to the surface
Not even a wicked man can serve
Even a bad person cannot thrive in Babylon
Rome catch a fire cause deh Vatican thirst
Rome catches fire because the Vatican is thirsty
Things get lock off and them a dead fi pure thirst
Things get shut down and people die of thirst in Babylon
Yow, desolation to the earth
Babylon brings destruction and devastation to the world
Well nuh bother tell me bout mi nuh fi vanky
Don't try to tell me not to be bold and sincere
Babylon gu hush up your mouth you're too cranky
Babylon, be quiet and stop being irritable
John Pope mi no know, no uncle nor aunty
I don't know the Pope or his family
Everything fi Babylon Sizzla deh vanky
Everything that's for Babylon doesn't interest me
Well from you rude mamma sey she deh go spanky
If your mom is misbehaving, she deserves punishment
Brain them a use bout a Christ ride the donkey
They're foolishly saying that Christ rode a donkey with their minds
Who them a fool bout sey black man a monkey
They're foolishly saying that black people are animals
Black man, black woman a the first monarchy
Black men and women were the first royalty
Babylon dry, them a beg Rasta dampy
Babylon is in a bad condition, and they're begging Rastafarians for help
Weed and a cry words of I them never want it
They don't want to hear the true words spoken while smoking weed
African soil fertile ligh high sensi
The African soil is great for growing high-quality cannabis
Yow, well Babylon them listen calamity
Babylon hears and ignores the dangers of their actions
Yuh city
Your city
So mi go hail Emperor Selassie I him a the first
I pay my respect to Emperor Selassie the first
This a one a Babylone home work
Babylon has failed in this situation
Protect the ghetto child, nuh badder move too fancy
Protect the children in the ghetto from harm, don't act too flashy
From them a cry then how wi fi like, eh
They complain about how we look and act
You think a now Babylon them a spite we
Babylon is now targeting us maliciously
Hand me the matches make Sizzla go light , eh
Give me the matches so I can start a fire
Black people so much them nuh got no capacity
Black people are marginalized and struggling
Try get up, go tell PJ a prophecy
Try to rise up and inform the Prime Minister about what's going on
Babylon a cover Queen Elizabeth nasty, Babylon presumptuous
Babylon is hiding Queen Elizabeth's wrongdoing and acting arrogantly
What an audacity
How dare they do that?
I nuh come yeah so fi sing no Babylon story
I didn't come here to sing about Babylon
I come fi turn the shame into glory
I came to turn shame into triumph
Old Pharaoh, me sey that you nuh know me
Old Pharaoh, you don't know me
Remember that a King Solomon grow we
Remember that we come from King Solomon
A judgment inna Babylon, them thirst
Babylon is in need of a judgment
See it from afar, sey the whole a them crazy
From a distance, it's clear that they're all insane
When a black people time
When it's time for black people to thrive
Them think a no blacka days, eh
They don't believe that black people can succeed
Nothing ? Well Babylon not could never strike me
Babylon can't stop me
Emperor Selassie I is the Almighty
Emperor Selassie I is all-powerful
From you see me chalice
When you see my smoking device
Well me nah go pass, eh
I won't continue without it
Babylon, a malice, a just through them greedy
Babylon is hateful because of their greed
Bun weed
Burn weed (as a form of protest)
I come fi weed, eh
I came to smoke weed
Yow, ah life black people needy
Black people need a better life
Nuh watch, eh
Don't worry about it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network
Written by: MIGUEL ORLANDO COLLINS, PHILLIP BURRELL, DONALD DENNIS, SLY DUNBAR, DONALD ANTHONY DENNIS, LOWELL DUNBAR, PHILIP BURRELL, MIGUEL COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Prodigal450
Two artists, two choruses, 4 verses all relevant to the subject matter of the song.....eho was doing this back then? That's right no one else. Legendary!
@KingKofi01
Classic. 20 years later and still one of my favorites.
@Prodigal450
About about 23 or 24 years to be exact
@remisazeefal7942
Still my two legends in 2021 🇸🇷❤️❤️❤️🇸🇷
@stefardon701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmqO8S-9dcA
@karenburke904
dats true
@ReedMarcos
...2022 and still fighting the same'ol' worl-wide institutionalized racial/social class system. One love from Kis'keh'-JaH, so-called Dominican Republic 💪🏿🇩🇴
@rajeshpersuad2197
One of my favorite collaborations of all time
@stefardon701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmqO8S-9dcA
@karenburke904
Pure fyah