Look a-down & out, bwoy


En af ska- og rocksteady-musikkens store pioneerer, Kingston’s egen Desmond Dekker, døde i torsdags. Respekt herfra til Desmond, der af de fleste bizart nok mest kendes pga. sin formodede hovedrolle i teksten på Beatleshelvedet “Ob-la-di Ob-la-da”….! Men det han bør og skal blive husket for er sin elegante og sjælfulde vokal på fantastiske sange som “Israelites”, som var det allerførste Jamaica-indspillede hit i Europa og USA nogensinde, “007 (Shanty Town)”, “Rude Boy Train” og “Pickney Gal”. Alle sunde hits, der ubesværet tog ham langt udover de snævre mod- og skinhead-miljøer i sen-60’ernes England, hvor han først blev seriøst respekteret og værdsat.

ISRAELITES

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir,
so that every mouth can be fed.
Poor me, the Israelite. Aah.

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir,
So that every mouth can be fed.
Poor me, the Israelite. Aah.

My wife and my kids, they are packed up and leave me.
Darling, she said, I was yours to be seen.
Poor me, the Israelite. Aah.

Shirt them a-tear up, trousers are gone.
I don’t want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde.
Poor me, the Israelite. Aah.

After a storm there must be a calm.
They catch me in the farm. You sound the alarm.
Poor me, the Israelite. Aah.

Poor me, the Israelite.
I wonder who I’m working for.
Poor me, Israelite,
I look a-down and out, sir.

© Desmond Dekker

4 tanker om “Look a-down & out, bwoy”

  1. Som Lou har sunget det:

    I wanna be black, have natural rhythm
    Shoot twenty foot of jism too
    And fuck up the jews

    I wanna be black, I wanna be a panther
    Have a girlfriend named samantha
    And have a stable of foxy whores
    Oh, oh, I wanna be black

    I don’t wanna be a fucked up
    Middle class college student anymore
    I just wanna have a stable of
    Foxy little whores
    Yeah, yeah, I wanna be black
    Oh, oh, I wanna be black
    Yeah, yeah, I wanna be black

    I wanna be black, wanna be like martin luther king
    And get myself shot in the spring
    And lead a whole generation, too
    And fuck up the jews

    I wanna be black, I wanna be like malcolm x
    And cast a hex
    Over president kennedy’s tomb
    And have a big prick, too

    Oh, I don’t wanna be a fucked up
    Middle class college student no more
    Yeah, I just wanna have a
    Stable of foxy little whores

  2. Det er interessant at tænke på at skinheads oprindelig tog de sortes musik til sig og fandt på at barbere håret af, så de kunne ligne sorte mænd.

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