by Seb Lautmeyer
Bob Marley, in just 36 years of life, was so many things to so many people. He was a hero to his home country of Jamaica, a freedom-loving revolutionary, a man of god and worship, a civil rights hero, an unofficial spokesperson for the joys of marijuana. And let’s not forget, he was an international rock star who made some of the greatest music in modern times, and defined an entire popular genre that continues today.
Born in 1945 in Jamaica, Marley would go through a phase as a young street fighter in Trenchtown. He played in a variety of ska and rocksteady bands, meeting up with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. He blended R&B with Jamaican sounds, singing pop songs on Jamaican radio about poverty and injustice. And eventually, he developed the reggae sound that would make him a worldwide sensation.
One of the more tragic things about Marley, besides his untimely death to cancer, is the fact that over the years, his memory has turned into a cartoonish character, the stereotypical Rasta man. Make no mistake, Bob Marley’s wisdom and impact during and after his life are nothing short of profound.
Fortunately, the great thing about his music, is that Marley’s words and insight are with us for eternity. By studying them, we learn that Bob Marley was at times radical, angry and defiant, a Jamaican contemporary of Che Guevara, fighting Western oppression and corruption. He was also a very spiritual man. Rastafarianism gets an unfair reputation as a religion for pot-smoking. But it is in fact, rooted in Judaic and Christian values, as well as African history, rejecting materialism, greed and oppression. But perhaps one of the reasons people continue to love Bob Marley’s words and music so deeply, is that he truly appreciated life and love.
In his song lyrics, there is a pervasive respect for all life and diversity, and deep desire for peace, as well as an abiding love for humanity and its best qualities. Even in his love songs, you get a sense of his generosity and passion. His words are also quite playful and sharp-tongued. Here are a handful of Bob Marley’s best lines:
Revolution
“How good and how pleasant would it be before God and man, to see the unification of all Africans. As it’s been said already, let it be done!” -Africa Unite
“How can you be sitting there, telling me that you care, that you care? When every time I look around, the people suffer in the suffering in every day, in everywhere.” Survival
“They don’t want to see us unite, all they want us to do is keep on fussing and fighting. They don’t want to see us live together, all they want us to do is keep on killing one another.” -Top Rankin’
“Today they say that we are free, only to be chained in poverty.” -Slave Driver
“Most people think Great God will come from the sky, Take away ev’rything, and make ev’rybody feel high. But if you know what life is worth, you would look for yours on earth, And now you see the light, you stand up for right, yah.” – Get Up Stand Up
Spirituality
“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind…” Redemption Song.
“Don’t gain the world & lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold.” Zion Train
“Jah come to break downpression, rule equality, wipe away transgression, set the captives free.” -Exodus
“No bullet can stop us now, we neither beg nor we won’t bow, neither can be bought or sold. We all defend the right, Jah-Jah children must unite – life is worth much more than gold.” -Jammin’
“How good and how pleasant would it be before God and man, to see the unification of all Africans. As it’s been said already, let it be done!” -Africa Unite
Life and Love
“The power of philosophy floats through my head, light as a feather, heavy as lead.” -Misty Morning
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Trenchtown Rock
“Let’s get together and feel all right.” One Love
“Live for yourself, you will live in vain. Live for others, you will live again.” – Bob Marley, Pass It On
Seb Lautmeyer is chief managing Bob Marley fanboy and blogger at BestBobMarleyQuotes.com. You can read more of his BobLove there.