Marley

Jah Rastafari!

Exodus

Movement of Jah people yeah

Jah come to break the oppression

Rule equality Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Wipe away transgression

Set your captives free

Jah

Rastafari

Jah

Rastafari

: He used to love singing.

I used to teach him little jingles,

and he used to love them.

And the chief one that he used to know was...

I had a little donkey that's grey

I feed him in a barn every day

And when he hears me whistle he knows I have a thistle

He'd rather eat a thistle than hay

Hee-haw hee-haw

Hee-haw hee-haw

And that is all my donkey can say

And then you would see him, you know, keeping time.

And you would see that he was enjoying it.

: How did it all start?

Had music always been a part of your life from when you were a little boy?

: What part of Jamaica?

Yeah?

: Well, you see, Bob Marley is my cousin, you know?

- Bob liked to ride the donkey and, you know,

go to the field with his grandfather and things like that.

Because he's a country boy, you know.

: Nine Mile was a place that...

there wasn't a lot of civilized activity.

Electricity was not available in those areas,

so you see a lot of "peeny wallies"... you know, those little fireflies.

And that's the only light at night...

other than the moon and the stars, you know.

So, as a youth coming out of Kingston...

that was accustomed to jukebox and sound system,

it was really something to get accustomed to.

: And do you remember when you first met Robert?

- Yes. First time I saw him, I saw this little youth...

cutting up this big chunk of wood

and putting it on his head bit by bit and taking it away...

I say, that's... You know, and then...

He was the only little, what you call it,

red "pickney" in the place,

because everybody else was black people.

: Who was Bob's dad?

: He liked when you call him "Captain."

Yes, but his... his name is Norval.

I met him right there in Nine Mile,

and then as a white man in the district,

you know, always ride his horse and things like that.

He and my father becomes good friends.

Then at that time he see this little girl and I guess he liked her, and, um,

we finally get together and that's how it...

that's how it happened.

: How old was your sister when she met the Captain?

She was, what, 16.

Captain was... He was about in his 60s.

- So he was an old man? - Yes.

- My name is Peter Marley. Bob Marley is my second cousin.

: What did you know about Bob Marley's father?

: He rode a horse most of the time.

He was in the British army.

I think he was stationed somewhere in India in World War II...

when he got shell shock.

I understand he drank and that he lived a...

What should I say?

A full life.

: Did he get teased for being mixed?

Yeah, sure. Worse than teased.

Teased is not the word You call it rejected.

He did everything that his bigger uncles should be doing...

because it was their duty to move horses...

and to make sure that the pigs were fed,

and they left all of that work for Robert.

He had to earn his every meal.

: We went to the same school.

And he had me teaching me the stuff...

of what takes place in the country... how to ride a donkey, how to ride a horse.

How to do all of this kind of stuff.

And I taught him about music, 'cause...

that was what I was exposed to prior coming to Saint Ann.

: I was accustomed to building bamboo guitars...

and sardine tin guitars.

Cutting the wire... the electric wire...

opening it up, taking out those little fine wires and making our strings.

: In a little district on a little island

Where men and pretty gal run wild

Well there's one old crazy who went much wider

So they call her rider Rough rider

Outta that, Robert Marley saw...

a way out.

His guitar.

: In high seas or in low seas

I'm gonna be your friend

I'm gonna be your friend

I heard her praying praying praying

I said I heard my mother

She was praying in the night

And the words that she said The words that she said

They still lingers in my head Lingers in my head

She said a child is born in this world

He needs protection

Whoa mmm

God guide and protect us

: One good thing about music

When it hits You feel no pain

I say one good thing about music

When it hits You feel no pain

Hit me with music

Hit me with music now

This is Trenchtown rock

Don't what's that

: We grew up in Trench Town. We were exposed to everything.

'Cause you have the bad guys there

who eventually turn out to be the con men.

You have the musicians. And you have the sportsmen.

Everybody lived just like a block away from each other.

It's like a melting pot.

- Well, living in Trench Town, you know, um,

as a young man, surviving was easy.

The only thing that you have to really look out for was the police, you know,

'cause the police can just get ya, frame ya.

You go to prison and...

"Look, I come from Trench Town." Trench Town's that...

Find them say, "Where you from?"

You say, "Trench Town." You're gone.

You know what I mean?

- No, it was tough. All of Kingston is like that, you know?

Everybody. A lot of people don't know, but Bob, me,

all of we, went to bed hungry a lot.

I mean real hungry.

I don't mean like, "Oh, he had some, a little piece of this."

Nothing. One of the famous lines was,

"Drink some water and go to bed." You know?

In those days you never have... You might have one pair of shoes.

One suit of clothes. So you walk bare feet all the time.

Bob too, you know? A lot of people don't know that.

That kind of sufferation and struggle...

can make you either go bad or good.

And I guess that's what he did, you know?

He figured the music would get him out,

so he stuck to it and focused, you know?

: You know, as an individual they're forced to be creative.

Because that's where your reggae music born, Trench Town.

Dread natty dread now

Natty dread

Dreadlock Congo bongo I

Natty dread

Natty dreadlock

: In Trench Town we have First Street.

All the way up to 13th Street.

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth,

and so on and so forth.

Him sing about it in "Natty Dread."

Then I walk up the First Street

Natty dread

And then I walk up the Second Street to see

Natty dread

- He was different, mon. He was different.

He just loved music.

Music and cricket and football.

Natty Congo I

Natty dread

Oh

- One day he just come home and give me the books and say,

"I'm not going back to school."

And, um, him say have a friend that he can give these books to.

And he did that, and then he turned to his music.

: I'm a rebel

Soul rebel

I'm a capturer

That's right

Soul adventurer

Yeah mon

I'm a rebel

Soul rebel

: Robert keep pounding, keep pounding, keep pounding.

Telling me that this is what it should be and, uh...

And I'm saying, "No, I'm gonna get ready to go to college.

I can't be no music." He say, "No, it's music."

: When did you begin to get involved in music?

- Well, I was always interested in music,

but at that time I was learning a trade, you know,

and meet up some guys who can sing.

One named Desmond Dekker.

- Desmond Dekker and Bob used to work as welders...

at the same place.

Desmond Dekker came down, and I auditioned him.

And we recorded his song.

: And after he did that song, Robert wanted now to record.

So Desmond take him Beverley's.

And he went away and recorded a song...

to prove to me that if he could record a song, I could.

: Don't you look at me so smug now

And say I'm going bad