Sugar Minott spent his youth hanging around the legendary "Studio 1" listening to the artists that recorded there, such as Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Heptones, Dennis Brown and others.
Sugar began his career with the formation of the African Brothers, along with Tony Tuff and Derek Howard (and later Triston Palmer) in the early 1970s. The African Brothers were a harmonious roots act, of which Sugar became the most popular member. By 1979, Sugar had been invited by Studio 1 to record a solo album.
When recording at Studio 1, he chose not to use a backing band as in conventional recording, but elected to sing over instrumental versions of old Studio 1 classics. This is considered to be the birth of "dancehall," which lead to countless artists making new hits out of old classics, a tradition that continues in Jamaica today.
Sugar was also well-regarded for hard work on his Youthman Promotion sound system and Black Roots & Youthman Promotion labels into the 1980s, which brought forth such artists as Tenor Saw, Nitty Gritty, Yami Bolo, Junior Reid, Tony Rebel, Garnett Silk, and many more to the industry. Up until his death, he was still working with young artists both in Jamaica and the US, including his daughter Pashon Minott.
Never Gonna Give Up Jah
Sugar Minott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doo-doo
Whoa oh, oh, yes
I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter what they do
I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter what they say
You can have the whole world
But give me Jah Jah
But give me Jah Jah
Then you can have the whole wide world
But give me Jah Jah
But give me Jah Jah
You can have the silver and gold
You can have the rubies and the diamonds
You can have all the pretty girls
In this whole wide world
But I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter what they do
I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter how the Babylon fight it
Oh no, oh no, oh no
(.)
I'm never gonna give Him up
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no
Oh no. I love Jah so, hmm
Jah Jah got the whole world
In His hands, in His hands
My Papa got the whole wide world
In His hands, in His hands
Tell you, got the rich and the poor
I know he got the young and the old
So what's the use in seeking vanity
And lose your soul
I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter what they do
I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter how the Babylon fight
I'm never gonna give Jah up
No matter what they say
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Jah, I love you forever
For You first loved me
I'm never gonna give Him up
Never, never, never gonna give Him up.
Never, never, never, oh Jah Jah
I'm never gonna give Him up
The lyrics to Sugar Minott's song Never Gonna Give Up Jah are a proclamation of the artist's unwavering devotion to his faith and the belief that nothing can sway him. The opening lines, "I'm never gonna give Jah up, no matter what they do" and "I'm never gonna give Jah up, no matter what they say" express a steadfast commitment to his beliefs, even in the face of hardship or opposition.
The song then goes on to contrast worldly possessions with the value of Jah - the singer asserts that he would rather have nothing but Jah, rather than all the riches in the world. The second verse reminds us that Jah has "the whole world in His hands," and that "what's the use in seeking vanity and losing your soul?" This serves as a commentary on how the pursuit of material possessions and earthly desires will only lead to emptiness and a loss of the true self.
Throughout the song, Sugar Minott emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself and not compromising one's beliefs for anything. He proclaims his love for Jah, and that he is "never, never, never gonna give Him up." The song is a powerful testament to the strength of faith and devotion, and it encourages listeners to stay steadfast in their beliefs despite any obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa oh, oh, oh
Expressing strong emotion and emphasizing the importance of what follows.
Doo-doo
N/A
Whoa oh, oh, yes
Emphasizing the importance of what follows.
I'm never gonna give Jah up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
No matter what they do
Regardless of what others may do or try to influence me.
I'm never gonna give Jah up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
No matter what they say
Regardless of what others may say or try to influence me with their words.
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Expressing concern or worry.
You can have the whole world
Anyone can have all the riches and material wealth in the world if they choose to.
But give me Jah Jah
But I will always choose Jah (God) over worldly possessions.
Then you can have the whole wide world
If you give me Jah (God), you can have all the riches and material wealth in the world.
But give me Jah Jah
But I will always choose Jah (God) over worldly possessions.
You can have the silver and gold
Anyone can have all the riches and material wealth in the world, such as silver and gold.
You can have the rubies and the diamonds
Anyone can have precious stones like rubies and diamonds.
You can have all the pretty girls
Anyone can have all the beautiful women in the world.
In this whole wide world
Referring to the entire world.
But I'm never gonna give Jah up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
No matter what they do
Regardless of what others may do or try to influence me.
I'm never gonna give Jah up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
No matter how the Babylon fight it
Regardless of how society or others may try to prevent me from being faithful to Jah (God).
Oh no, oh no, oh no
Expressing concern or worry.
(.)
N/A
I'm never gonna give Him up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no
Expressing concern or worry.
Oh no. I love Jah so, hmm
Expressing love and devotion for Jah (God).
Jah Jah got the whole world
Jah (God) has control over the entire world.
In His hands, in His hands
Referring to the power and control of Jah (God).
My Papa got the whole wide world
God has power and control over the entire world.
Tell you, got the rich and the poor
God has control over everyone, including the rich and the poor.
I know he got the young and the old
God has control over everyone, no matter their age.
So what's the use in seeking vanity
What is the point in seeking anything that is shallow or meaningless?
And lose your soul
By focusing on worldly possessions, you risk losing your soul and the ability to remain connected with Jah (God).
Jah, I love you forever
Expressing love and devotion to Jah (God) for eternity.
For You first loved me
Acknowledging that Jah (God) loved the artist first.
I'm never gonna give Him up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
Never, never, never gonna give Him up.
Expressing that the artist will always be faithful to Jah (God).
Never, never, never, oh Jah Jah
Expressing that the singer will always be faithful to Jah (God).
I'm never gonna give Him up
I will always remain faithful to Jah (God).
Writer(s): MINOTT
Contributed by Alexis L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.