Culture - Capture Rasta

Why, Rasta?

A the fuss I-man dem a see a man discover a land
With all people 'pon it and sweet potato and cassava
And all dem thing

Christopher Columbus, him come from Spain, sir
When him sail him ship, then him come ah Jamaica
Send go tell de Queen say him come-come discover
But when mi tek a stock, there was Red Indian

Him ah boooast - say him capture Rasta
Him gone-gone boooast - say him capture Rasta

Afterward mi check it out, him turn back ah Africa
Load the ship with human cargo
Come back and start to work up the cane field
Kill out the cassava and potato

An' ah boooast - say him capture Rasta (wha' im seh?)
An' ah boooast - say him capture Rasta

The next time they see him, them send fi the barber
Say that them come fi trim up the Rasta
Trim first and then them ask question
But when me tek a stock, ah Armageddon

Dem a boooast - say dem capture Rasta (wha' that!)
An' start to boooast - say dem capture Rasta
(Heh! Watch dis!)

(..)

When mi tek a stock him come inna the land, sir
See mi ah Negril, grandfather Rasta
With mi grey beard and mi challwah
Him mash up the kutchie and him gon' ah Campion

Gone boooast, say him capture Rasta (what a sinting!)
Gone boooast, say him capture Rasta

The first semi-aircraft gun was made by
Carlton ?? was a black American
And them tek it weh and gone mek M16
Give it to black man fi shoot one another

An' a boast, say dem capture Rasta
Dem a boast, say dem capture Rasta

If ah piece of cloth, why dem call it rattan?
Dolly an' lick-shot an' water pumpy
When mi tek a stock, that's not our unity
Among the children in our community

Dem a boast, say dem capture Rasta
Dem boast, say dem capture Rasta

Some black man say them drop off ah Trinidad
The other black man drop ah Antigua
The big stake them drop ah Jamaica
Because I and I, we come fi conquer

Dem cyann't boooast - say dem capture Rasta
Dem cannot boooast - say dem capture Rasta (yuh ah hear?)

Dis ya Rastaman him nuh licky dreadlocks
Dis ya Rastaman him nuh licky licky dreadlocks
Den can't catch me wid no rice and peas and meat, sir
When me come me come, de Rasta cook him ital

Dem cyaan't boast, say dem capture Rasta
Dem cannot boast, say dem capture Rasta

Note:

"Tek a stock" translates as the fairly uncommon phrase "take stock" in English, meaning to appraise or assess a situation or person, even oneself.

Although the meanings of "Come-come" and "gone-gone" are self-explanatory, repetition of this kind is very common in colloquial Jamaican English. For example a stupid person is said to be fool-fool or a stock person can be chaka-chaka or you might tell someone not to pull-pull or push-push you.

Campion is a top school in Kingston.

Challwah, like kutchie is slang for Challice or pipe.

"Lick-shot" and "Water Pumpy" were typically suggestive dances in Jamaica. For different reasons, both were frowned upon by the establishment and God-fearing folk like Rasta's. The term immediately before sounds like "dolly", which could also be a dance, although we are not aware of it.

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