Tony Rebel's career began in the 1980's, and was often seen performing with Sugar Minott's Youthman Promotion sound system. Rebel is responsible for introducing a young Garnett Silk (then known as Bimbo or Little Bimbo) to the sound. The two were closely linked until Silk's untimely death in 1994.
Tony Rebel's career was at its peak in the early 1990's, with such hit records as "Fresh Vegetable", "Sweet Jamaica" and the duet with Garnett Silk "Christian Soldiers". He remained prominent in the late 90's with the smash hit "If Jah" on the La La Bella riddim.
Tony Rebel still performs occasionally, but has focused most of his energy into the career of protege Queen Ifrica and his immensely popular, annual reggae festival in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica entitled Rebel Salute.
Sweet Jamaica
Tony Rebel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet Jamaica man a I and I land that
Me no stop love it
And me know the whole massive love it
And them respect it to man, hear this
Help me big up Jamaica
The land of wood and water
But we love the vibes the food and the culture
Woi, can't you see
The beauty of this country
Me never know a serious thing
Until me reach a foreign
Chorus:
Say what a nice place fi live, sweet Jamdown
The only problem is, dollars nah run
What a nice place fi live, sweet Jamdown
The only problem is, dollars nah run
Now with the money inna you pocket
And God inna you heart
Crowd of people, what more you want
Reggae music a play, reggae artists a chant
A yah so me born and me nah transplant
Chorus
A man will let pon a banana boat
And him gone aboard
Because him say every weh better than yard
But when him touch certain countries
See the system of fraud
Him haffi run back a Jamdown
And give it its reward
Chorus
Yah so me born, yah so me come from
Yen so me live, and yah me intend fi tan
Regardless of the economic condition
You must admit this is a glorious land
Chorus
Help me big up Jamaica
The land of wood and water
The systems might no proper
But we love the vibes the food and the culture
Woi, can't you see
The beauty of this country
Me never know a serious thing
Until me reach a foreign
Chorus
As a Jamaican, my argument is
Whoever say them clever
Them fi stop the promises
And just, mass production
In all the parishes
And Jamdown will progress
Like all the countries
Chorus
Jamaica and Jamaicans are extremely great
Appreci-love and even some say appreciate
Well since we know that make we concentrate
On how fi make the dollars start circulate
Chorus
From money inna you pocket
And God inna you heart
Crowd of people, what more you want
Reggae music a play, reggae artists a chant
A yah so me born and me nah transplant
Chorus
"Sweet Jamaica" is a patriotic song by Jamaican reggae artist Tony Rebel. He portrays his love for his homeland, referring to it as "the land of wood and water" and appreciating its vibrant culture and delicious food, despite the challenges it faces. The chorus repeats that Jamaica is a "nice place to live," with the only drawback being the lack of money circulation. Rebel urges his fellow Jamaicans not to give up on their country, and to make it better by mass-producing local goods in all parishes, leading to progress that rivals other nations.
The lyrics impress upon listeners the beauty of Jamaica's natural environment, as well as the warmth and creativity of the people. Tony Rebel even touches on the idea of Jamaicans who migrate elsewhere, whether looking for a better life or purely out of curiosity, but in contrast, return to Jamaica since nowhere compares to the unique qualities of the country. Additionally, he calls for a local push towards self-sufficiency and an end to relying on external countries for economic gains.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet Jamaica man a I and I land that
Jamaica is a beloved country for Tony Rebel and its people.
Me no stop love it
He will never stop loving Jamaica.
And me know the whole massive love it
He knows that everyone (Jamaicans) love it as well.
And them respect it to man, hear this
People also respect the country.
Help me big up Jamaica
Tony Rebel is asking for help in giving praise to Jamaica.
The land of wood and water
Jamaica is a country with natural beauty- lots of trees and water sources.
The systems might no proper
The country's systems may have flaws or not be perfect.
But we love the vibes the food and the culture
Despite any flaws, Jamaicans love the vibes (atmosphere), food, and culture of Jamaica.
Woi, can't you see
He is telling the listener to pay attention.
The beauty of this country
The natural beauty of the country should not be overlooked.
Me never know a serious thing
He did not realize the true value of Jamaica until he left and saw other countries.
Until me reach a foreign
Until he left Jamaica and went to a foreign country.
Say what a nice place fi live, sweet Jamdown
Jamaica is a lovely place to live.
The only problem is, dollars nah run
The only issue is that the currency is not very strong.
Now with the money inna you pocket
With some money in your pocket,
And God inna you heart
And spiritual guidance in your heart,
Crowd of people, what more you want
Being surrounded by people is all you need/ what else could you want.
Reggae music a play, reggae artists a chant
To amplify the good vibes, there is reggae music and artists singing.
A yah so me born and me nah transplant
Tony Rebel was born in Jamaica and does not plan to leave.
A man will let pon a banana boat
A man will leave on a banana boat (small boat/ makeshift transport).
And him gone aboard
And he goes abroad.
Because him say every weh better than yard
Because he thought every other country would be better than Jamaica.
But when him touch certain countries
But when he goes to certain countries,
See the system of fraud
He sees the unscrupulous system.
Him haffi run back a Jamdown
He had to run back to Jamaica.
And give it its reward
And appreciate Jamaica for what it is worth.
Yah so me born, yah so me come from
Tony Rebel was born and raised in Jamaica.
Yen so me live, and yah me intend fi tan
He intends to keep living and staying in Jamaica.
Regardless of the economic condition
Despite the economic situation,
You must admit this is a glorious land
Jamaica is still a great country with many things to be admired.
As a Jamaican, my argument is
He speaks as a Jamaican native.
Whoever say them clever
Any person claiming to be clever or wise,
Them fi stop the promises
They should stop making empty promises.
And just, mass production
And instead, focus on creating a lot more products.
In all the parishes
Throughout all of Jamaica's communities.
And Jamdown will progress
Jamaica will then move forward.
Like all the countries
Like any other developed country.
Jamaica and Jamaicans are extremely great
Jamaica and the people of Jamaica are wonderful.
Appreci-love and even some say appreciate
People even express their love and appreciation for Jamaica.
Well since we know that make we concentrate
Since it is known, let's focus on this fact,
On how fi make the dollars start circulate
On ways to make the currency circulate more.
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: GARNETT SMITH BARRETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mrladnek5858
I am an Indo Trinidadian who moved into a heavily concentrated Jamaican area in London in 1990 & this reminds me of my teenage years trying my hardest to be Jamaican & speak the patois. 29 years later and mi still love Jamaica nuff
@danetaylor1861
Bro I'm Jamaican and love the Trini accent bwoi
@diasporaman5419
The floor would shake when this tune dropped in clubs!!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@LukeSimpson
"Me never know a serious thing / Until me reach a foreign" Sounds like my kind of place.
@ashleysolomon6265
Fi real
@rebeccaimanscott9194
🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲 mi so proud to be born Jamaican parents almost 35 years this year xx
@jemenich
the people who don't like this song obviously aren't Jamaican.
@fuffygoodaz
Dem stink like ...an fe fault Jamaican Tallawah. Big up Jamaica🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
@jed1540
Big up Jamaica all the time, I am living in USA but my heart is in Jamaica. I visit home very often and I am even thinking of going back home. It is a nice place. JAMAICA: NO PROBLEM MON
@xoxoprincessarmy
This song is the truth🇯🇲🇯🇲🔥🔥