Rise And Shine - Bunny Wailer

This is the cry of a people

Who were robbed and raped from their homeland

And their loved ones

A people stripped of their culture

Their dignity, their liberty and their rigths

And by the cruel and presumptuos

Hands of the colonial and imperialistics slavers

Were cargoed into the west

Where for over 400 years they have toiled and laboured

And with their blood, their sweat, them tears and hands

They have built the great city of Babylon

Only to be paid with the wages of the taskmaster’s whip

Torture and death

Oh yea yea!

This is my history!

Oh yea yea yes!

Oh!

We’ve been down in the valley much too long

We’ve been down in captivity oh so long

We’ve been down in humillity much too long

We’ve been down in slavery oh so long

But we’re gonna rise and shine (Rise and shine)

And win our liberation

For now is the time

When all nations must be free

So rise and shine (Rise and shine)

Restore your strength and power

Waste no more time

Remember your history

We’ve been down in a sufferation much too long

We’ve been down in a condemnation oh so long

We’ve been down in a segregation much too long

We’ve been down in humiliation oh so long

But we’re gonna rise (Rise and shine)

As the morning sun that surrounds you

It’s international morality time

Where mankind must be born anew

So rise and shine (Rise and shine)

For the sake of the younger generations

Putting hearts and minds

To brotherhood and unity

Oh yea yea yea yea yes!

Remember the slavemaster’s ship!

Remember the taskmaster’s whip!

Oh yea!

We’ve been down in the valley much too long

We’ve been down in captivity oh so long

We’ve been down in slavery much too long

We’ve been down in humility oh so long

But we’re gonna rise and shine (Rise and shine)

And win our liberation

For now is the time

When all nations must be free

Rise and shine (Rise and shine)

Restore your strength and power

Waste no more time

Remember your history

Yes we’re gonna rise and shine!