Date:  Fri, 17 Dec 1993 11:21:13 +0700

From:  Gwyn Williams <gwyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IPIED.TU.AC.TH>

Subject: HELP! Bob Marley Lyrics



 I am teaching a course "Varieties of English" in the Linguistics

Department in a university in Thailand. I have major problems with

getting samples of different accents and dialects of English. One I do

have is a tape of Bob Marley songs. The songs contain a few examples

of non-Standard English and what I assume are some features of Creole.

I am not sure of just how much of it is Creole, given that it is popular

music.



 I have one tape with Bob Marley and the Wailers, titled "Rebel Music".

My problem is that I do not understand some of the words of his songs.

I wonder if someone would be able to fill in the lyrics of parts of his

songs. I do not need all the lyrics, only those parts that are

non-Standard.



The songs I am particularly interested in are:



1) "Them Belly Full, But We Hungry"



 This song would be a great sample, unfortunately the refrain is almost

totally unintelligible to me. And the lyrics seem to change each time :-(



  Them/Our belly full but we hungry

  A hungry mouth is a hungry/angry(?) mouth(?)

  I gotta food(?) but it ????     [ain't enough?/tough?]

  I wert(?) ???, but it yern't(?) enough

  We're gonna dance to the music

  ...

  We gonna chuck(?) to the music   [chuck=dance?]

  ...



2) "Roots"



  Roots ??? roots, ???? been betrayed(?)

  I and I(?) ????? roots

  Some are leaves, some are branches

  I and I ????? roots

  Some are dry wood(?) for the fire

  Well, y'all look at that(?)

  They need the dry wood to cook their raw food(?)

  I and I ????? roots

  You got to survive in this man-made ????

  ....





 Any help will be truly appreciated.



Gwyn Williams

Thammasat University

Bangkok

<gwyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ipied.tu.ac.th>