Rastafari: From Outcasts to Culture Bearers describes how people who are part of the early Rastafarian movement believe they have been oppressed by white people and the establishment of the Jamaican government. These beliefs are evident throughout their symbols and music. The videos we watched in class show that Rastafarians felt oppressed by the government, especially the video of Bob Marley. He talks about how ganja is “just a plant,” and the authoritative figures in the community do not allow it to be used. Bob Marley’s song “I Shot the Sheriff,” is supposed to be about justice, but I see it as a cry against oppression and a snub at the establishment.
The song is about someone who shot the sheriff and is wrongly accused of shooting the deputy. He claims he shot the sheriff out of self-defense. The entire song has a theme that the police have it out for the narrator of the song.
“All of a sudden I saw Sheriff John Brown. Aiming to shoot me down.”
The police have it out for him because he grows ganja and they prohibit the growth and possession of it.
“Every time I plant a seed, He said kill it before it grow”
The fact that he does something that is notably prohibited, and has been explicitly warned against shows his disdain for “The Man.” Bob Marley and the entire Rastafari movement was constantly working to snub the Jamaican government through living the lives they believed to be the best path back to the promised land.
I liked your post. I didn't really think of this song as a snub towards the establishment but now that I have read your post and can see the song from your perspective I can agree 100% with your idea of the song.
ReplyDeleteBethAnn - This is a cool post I didn't think of looking at these songs in that way. I think that you did a good job of looking at the lyrics and giving good expamples of what you are getting from the song. You say that this song is about a cry against oppression and I think you are right. It's about justice, and this is a huge part of the Rastafarian movement. I guess sometimes people are gonna think that that Marley just wants stardom and to smoke pot, and this songs is about how much of a bummer that authorities are (and this is what I might have thought before this class), but it really is about their freedom of religious expression, and they want their rights to take part in the religious sacrament of Ganja and they are also simply want to show that they are against the main stream culture that they are surrounded with.
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