Bob Marley lived a short time, but he remains among us through his music and humanitarian work. He died of cancer caused by toe injuries - first while playing soccer with friends in 1975, and then again while on tour in Paris. Doctors told him his toe could turn cancerous, and should be amputated, but Marley refused this course of action. Cancer did occur and spread throughout his body. He died in 1981 at thirty-six years of age. Redemption Song was the last song he performed in public. It was played as a tribute at his burial. There were thousands of people present.
Marley’s message of resistance, of spirit as a means to defeat oppression and claim one’s inherent rights, is his most powerful and important legacy.
This excerpt is from the Rolling stone article on his legacy: “One Love,” is the Marley song that the BBC named “The Song of the Century.” On the surface it sounds like a feel-good chant-along about the power of love to bring unity, but enter that song and you’ll find something else: It is about war, it is about damnation and a vengeful God’s Armageddon, and it is about those who have been so wicked in their efforts to oppress the souls of mankind that they can’t possibly escape the fire that is going to rain down on them. The “one love” refrain is really just the part of the song that pulls you in. Once you’re there, you realize it’s really about: one hell. And still you hum it, you sing it when you’re by yourself. You can’t help it. Your children will do the same. Trust me. I doubt if anybody has ever pulled off feats like this better than Marley. He was the master of mellifluent insurgency."
You can see from that quote just how significant Bob Marley's mission and words were. The Ruling Stone article is HERE.
Molly Johnson's version with Ooh Child/Redemption Song pops up in my head - it's the positive part, like the Rolling Stone author says:
Ooo child, things are gonna get easier. Ooo child, things'll get brighter. Ooo child, things are gonna get easier. Ooo child, things'll get brighter.
Today our picture comes from our California visit a few years ago, a lone cypress on the Pacific coast in the early morning light.
No comments:
Post a Comment