The son of a preacher, Winston was born in 1957, in the hills of Manchester… Read Full Bio ↴The son of a preacher, Winston was born in 1957, in the hills of Manchester parish, near Christiana, in Jamaica. His parents were very fond of music and it was only natural for him to sing in church. After his father died in 1971, Winston left his native home and moved to Kingston, where his sister was a teacher. In this new city environment, he became friend with Hugh Mundell, Earl Sixteen and Wayne Wade. Because he was sure of their talent, he went with them to their first auditions and even wrote some of their first songs, like Earl Sixteen's "Malcolm X", later taken up by Dennis Brown. From 1975 on, after introducing his friends to famous producers such as Joe Gibbs, Derrick Harriott and Yabby You, Winston recorded several songs for Derrick Harriott, which in 1977 gave birth to his first album: "Pick Hits to Click". Soon after, in 1980, Winston recorded a second album, "What a Man a Deal With", for Top Ranking, label of the group Inner Circle (Ian Lewis and Bernard Touter Harvey). He was very close to Jacob Miller, with whom he shared the same energy and enthusiasm, and was even approached to replace his friend in the band after his tragic death... In 1986, he recorded another album with Inner Circle, "Electric Dread", produced by Keneith Black. The same year, he created his own band, The Black Kush, along with his brother Tony "Makaruffin" McAnuff - now pursuing his career in Japan where he's been living for 15 years - Anthony Wilson and the bassist Peter Kush. They recorded 2 singles for Channel One, featured in the English documentary "Deep Roots Series" and toured in Europe. Since then, Winston has played with his children (the eldest being a drummer, the second a D.J. and the youngest a singer) as well as with other young musicians, like the members of Gumtion Band, a Kingston band with a solid reputation. He has also travelled a lot. He's been to Japan - where he toured several times with his brother and more recently with Derrick Harriot and Junior Murvin -, to the United States in 1987 - where he co-featured with Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in "Miami Vice" (episode 72, "The Big Thaw", in which Japanese guys freeze an imaginary equivalent of Bob Marley!!!) -, but also to England, France and anywhere Reggae calls him... In 1999, he met the future Makasound crew, a label born in 2001. Since then, Makasound reissued two of his albums, "Diary of the Silent Years" (in its second release between your hands) and "What a Man Deal with". In 2002, he shared the New Morning stage with Derrick Harriot for a unique concert. Since then, Winston also participated in two of Horace Andy and his Home Grown Band national tours, as well as in many isolated concerts and sound-systems. In the meanwhile, Winston recorded a dozen titles for English producer Mad Professor, an album with producer Gussie P ("Bless Up" to be released soon), and another with French dubber Manutension from the Improvisator Dub crew. He also made a featuring on two tracks from Nzela latest album, "Toyé", released in April 2005. In 2002, the live at the New Morning was the occasion of a surprising encounter between Electric Dread and Camille Bazbaz, that would give birth, 3 years later, to the amazing album "A Drop: Winston McAnuff & the Bazbaz Orchestra" (Black Eye / Discograph - 2005), released the 23rd of May 2005. An album recorded between France and Jamaica that now sends Winston McAnuff and the Bazbaz Orchestra on the roads of France.

"NEW ALBUM " PARIS ROCKIN' IS OUT NOW
so Winston McAnuff is ON TOUR promoting his current release.

myspace.com/winstonmcanuff

Garvey's Vision
Winston McAnuff Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When Garvey left.
He said we′d be free.
From all Babylon brutality.
No more war.
No more poverty.
In our society.
It's too long now.
We′ve been suffering I say.

It's too long now.
We've been slaves.
No one don′t even care.
About I′n'I these days.
They′d rather see I man eat clay.
But Jah told I man in a vision.
That the reward of endurance.
Is victory I say.

But brother Garvey.
Your words must come through.
Until that day.
I shall not remove.
I shall seat to see.
Who've done me wrong.
Going down with Babylon.

It′s too long now.
We've been suffering I say.
It′s too long now we've been slaves.
No one don't even care.
About I′n′I these days.
They'd rather see I man eat clay.
But Jah told I man in a vision.
That the reward of endurance.
Is victory I say.

No one don′t even care.
About I'n′I these days.
They'd rather see I man eat clay.
But Jah told I man in a vision.

That the reward of endurance.
Is victory I say.

Overall Meaning

Winston McAnuff's "Garvey's Vision" is a song about the enduring struggle for freedom and equality faced by marginalized communities. The lyrics capture the essence of Marcus Garvey's promise of freedom for African-Americans and the disillusionment that followed its unfulfilled promise. The first verse of the song reflects on Garvey's words and his promises of freedom from the brutalities of Babylon, the end of war and poverty, and a better society. The lyrics also touch upon the suffering and slavery that African Americans have faced in the past.

The second verse of the song is about the injustice and lack of care shown to the African American community. The lyrics suggest that the world would rather see a man eat clay than care for the needs of the underprivileged. However, the artist has hope that victory will come through endurance, as Jah had promised him in a vision. The final verse of the song is a call to action to fight for justice and hold those responsible accountable. The artist promises to remain steadfast in his pursuit of justice until Garvey's vision is realized.

Line by Line Meaning

When Garvey left.
When Marcus Garvey left, he left a message of hope and liberation for the people.

He said we'd be free.
Marcus Garvey spoke about a future where people would be free from oppression and discrimination.

From all Babylon brutality.
Garvey wanted people to be free from the oppression and brutality of the ruling class, represented by Babylon.

No more war.
Garvey wanted an end to wars that brought so much destruction and suffering.

No more poverty.
Garvey wanted an end to poverty and the suffering it entailed.

In our society.
Garvey wanted a society where everyone would be treated equally and fairly.

It's too long now.
The period of suffering and injustice has been too long.

We've been suffering I say.
People have been suffering for too long due to oppression and discrimination.

We've been slaves.
People have been treated like slaves for too long and denied their basic rights and freedoms.

No one don't even care.
People feel ignored and neglected by those in power.

About I'n'I these days.
People feel that their rights and dignity are not respected by the authorities and the society.

They'd rather see I man eat clay.
People in power would rather see people suffer and humiliate themselves than grant them their rights and freedoms.

But Jah told I man in a vision.
The Divine showed the singer the path to victory and liberation.

That the reward of endurance.
The singer implores people to stand strong and persevere despite the hardships.

Is victory I say.
The reward for endurance will be victory over oppression and freedom.

But brother Garvey.
The singer acknowledges Marcus Garvey's leadership and vision for the liberation of the people.

Your words must come through.
The message of freedom and equality that Garvey left must be realized and put into practice.

Until that day.
The struggle for liberation will continue until the goal of freedom is achieved.

I shall not remove.
The singer will not give up or abandon the fight for freedom and equality.

I shall seat to see.
The singer will watch and observe the actions of those in power and how they treat the people.

Who've done me wrong.
The singer will hold accountable those who have committed injustices and oppressed the people.

Going down with Babylon.
The singer believes that the oppressive powers and systems will eventually be dismantled and replaced with a just and equal society.

Writer(s): Derrick Clifton Harriott, Winston Boyd Mcanuff

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

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