In the early days of the Wailing Souls, the first name that the group came … Read Full Bio ↴In the early days of the Wailing Souls, the first name that the group came up with in the late 60's was the Renegades. This group consisted of Winston 'Pipe' Matthews on lead vocals, Lloyd 'Bread' McDonald, and George 'Buddy' Haye. This line-up recorded backing vocals for an Ernest Ranglin album before breaking up in 1968.

'Pipe' and 'Bread' teamed up with two other singers after that, Oswald Downes and Norman Davis, and recorded the single "Gold Digger" for producer, Lloyd "Matador" Daley. From there they went on to work with Coxsone Dodd's famous Studio One label recording label, considered the "Motown" of Jamaica.

They recorded a number of singles there, and were also billed as the Classics, in addition to their Wailing Souls name. In the early 70's, the Souls recorded for Bob Marley's Tuff Gong label, as Pipe and The Pipes. There at Tuff Gong they had hits with "Harbor Shark" and "Back Biter". The groups vocal power, and song writing ability has kept the group in the spotlight, and in 1974 the group changed again when Downes and David left and 'Buddy' Haye rejoined. The 'godfather of reggae', Joe Higgs, also worked with the group in the mid-70's, but left to work with Jimmy Cliff as his musical director on tour.

The group entered another era of their careers as they began work with famed producer "Jo Jo" Hookim and his Channel One label. With Hookim, they recorded more classics like "Things and Times," "Joy With Your Heart," and "Very Well." Shortly after in 1976, Rudolph 'Garth' Dennis one of founding members of Black Uhuru, joined the group.

The Souls then started their own label in 1977 called Massive, and hit with their first singles "Bredda Gravilicious" and "Feel The Spirit." In the early 80's the quartet worked with a number of hot producers including Sly and Robbie recording "Old Broom"on their Taxi Label, "Fire House Rock" for "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Label, and for producer/singer Linval Thompson.

Their touring and recording continued throughout the 80's. After recording these classic tracks for genius producer King Jammy in 1988-89, the group broke up again, but Pipe and Bread have continued the Wailing Souls on their own throughout the 90's recording (two Grammy nominated albums included) and touring worldwide. 'Garth' Dennis rejoined Black Uhuru to work with them in the early/mid 90's and "Buddy" Haye has taken a leave from singing since.

Oh What A Lie
Wailing Souls Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Said you gonna visiting the old folks in the countryside
said you gonna visiting mummy and daddy they all were sick

what a lie what a lie what a lie what a terrible lie
what a lie what a lie what a lie what a awful lie

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Wailing Souls' "Oh What A Lie" is a depiction of deception and betrayal. The singer is addressing someone who promised to visit their sick parents in the countryside. However, it becomes clear that this promise was just a lie, and the singer deeply expresses their anger and disgust at the deception. The repetition of "what a lie" and "terrible lie" emphasizes the depth of the singer's emotional response.

The song carries a somber tone, and as the lyrics progress, the singer speaks more and more passionately about how awful the lie is. The use of repetition, along with the somber mood, brings life to the sense of betrayal.

Furthermore, the song portrays the pain and disappointment of trusting somebody only to be let down, which is a universal feeling that many listeners can relate to. All in all, this song expresses the singer's deep betrayal and acts as a reminder that promises should always be kept.

Line by Line Meaning

Said you gonna visiting the old folks in the countryside
You claimed that you were going to visit the elderly people in the rural areas

said you gonna visiting mummy and daddy they all were sick
You also claimed that you were going to visit your sick parents

what a lie what a lie what a lie what a terrible lie
But in reality, all of it was a lie - a terrible, awful lie

what a lie what a lie what a lie what a awful lie
You deceived everyone with your false promises, making it an awful lie

Contributed by Ruby L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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