Burnin'

Yes, me friend, me friend
Dem set me free again
Yes, me friend, me friend
Me deh 'pon street again

The bars

Yes, i've been accused
Wrongly abused now
But through the powers of the most high
They've got to turn me loose

Yes, me friend, me good friend
Dem set me free again, mm
Yes, me friend
Dem turn me loose again

(yes, me friend) me friend, me friend, me friend
We deh a street again
Yes, me friend, me friend, me friend
Dem set me free again

Why boasteth thyself
Oh, evil men
Playing smart
And not being clever?
I said, you're working iniquity
To achieve vanity (if a-so a-so)
But the goodness of jah, jah
I-dureth for-i-ver

So if you are the big tree
We are the small axe
Ready to cut you down (well sharp)
To cut you down

These are the words
Of my master, keep on tellin' me
No weak heart
Shall prosper
And whosoever diggeth a pit
Shall fall in it, fall in it
And whosoever diggeth a pit
Shall fall in it (... fall in it)

If you are the big tree, let me tell you that
We are the small axe, sharp and ready
Ready to cut you down (well sharp)
To cut you down

(to cut you down)

(to cut you down)

These are the words
Of my master, tellin' me that
No weak heart
Shall prosper
And whosoever diggeth a pit
Shall fall in it, uh, bury in it
And whosoever diggeth a pit
Shall bury in it, uh (... bury in it)

If you are the big, big tree
We are the small axe
Ready to cut you down (well sharp)
To cut you down
If you are the big, big tree, let me tell you that
We are the small axe
Ready to cut you down (well sharp)
To cut you down
Sharpened ...

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Preacherman, don't tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don't know
What life is really worth.
It's not all that glitters is gold;
'alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Most people think,
Great god will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!

Get up, stand up! (jah, jah!)
Stand up for your rights! (oh-hoo!)
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up!)
Don't give up the fight! (life is your right!)
Get up, stand up! (so we can't give up the fight!)
Stand up for your rights! (lord, lord!)
Get up, stand up! (keep on struggling on!)
Don't give up the fight! (yeah!)

We sick an' tired of-a your ism-skism game -
Dyin' 'n' goin' to heaven in-a jesus' name, lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty god is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can't fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (what you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah!)

So you better:
Get up, stand up! (in the morning! git it up!)
Stand up for your rights! (stand up for our rights!)
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! (don't give it up, don't give it up!)
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up!)
Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Don't give up the fight! (get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! /fadeout/

(i shot the sheriff
But i didn't shoot no deputy, oh no! oh!
I shot the sheriff
But i didn't shoot no deputy, ooh, ooh, oo-ooh.)
Yeah! all around in my home town,
They're tryin' to track me down;
They say they want to bring me in guilty
For the killing of a deputy,
For the life of a deputy.
But i say:

Oh, now, now. oh!
(i shot the sheriff.) - the sheriff.
(but i swear it was in selfdefence.)
Oh, no! (ooh, ooh, oo-oh) yeah!
I say: i shot the sheriff - oh, lord! -
(and they say it is a capital offence.)
Yeah! (ooh, ooh, oo-oh) yeah!

Sheriff john brown always hated me,
For what, i don't know:
Every time i plant a seed,
He said kill it before it grow -
He said kill them before they grow.
And so:

Read it in the news:
(i shot the sheriff.) oh, lord!
(but i swear it was in self-defence.)
Where was the deputy? (oo-oo-oh)
I say: i shot the sheriff,
But i swear it was in selfdefence. (oo-oh) yeah!

Freedom came my way one day
And i started out of town, yeah!
All of a sudden i saw sheriff john brown
Aiming to shoot me down,
So i shot - i shot - i shot him down and i say:
If i am guilty i will pay.

(i shot the sheriff,)
But i say (but i didn't shoot no deputy),
I didn't shoot no deputy (oh, no-oh), oh no!
(i shot the sheriff.) i did!
But i didn't shoot no deputy. oh! (oo-oo-ooh)

Reflexes had got the better of me
And what is to be must be:
Every day the bucket a-go a well,
One day the bottom a-go drop out,
One day the bottom a-go drop out.
I say:

I - i - i - i shot the sheriff.
Lord, i didn't shot the deputy. yeah!
I - i (shot the sheriff) -
But i didn't shoot no deputy, yeah! no, yeah!