Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of Bunny Waiker's 1976 song "Cool Runnings".
This post presents information about Bunny Wailer as well as lyrics for the song "Cool Running". Information about the meaning of the Jamaica's phrase "cool running" is also included in this post.
This content is presented for cultural, inspirational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owner.
Thanks to Bunny Wailer for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are associated with this video. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
Rest in Peace.
-snip-
Click https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/3/2/2018952/-Reggae-Legend-And-Rastafari-Bunny-Wailer-Has-Passed-The-Last-Wailer for an excellent article (with videos) about Bunny Wailer. That article by Tevye entitled "Reggae Legend And Devoted Rastafari Bunny Wailer Has Passed.
The Last Wailer."
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INFORMATION ABOUT BUNNY WAILER
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_Wailer
"Neville O'Riley Livingston OM (10 April 1947 – 2 March
2021), known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter
and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along
with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he is
considered one of the longtime standard-bearers of reggae music. He was also
known as Bunny Livingston and Jah B.[2]
Early life and family
Wailer was born Neville O'Riley Livingston on 10 April 1947
in Kingston.[3] He spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Mile in
Saint Ann Parish. It was there that he first met Bob Marley, and the two
toddlers befriended each other quickly. The boys both came from single-parent
families; Livingston was brought up by his father, Marley by his mother.[4][5]
Later, Wailer's father Thaddeus "Thaddy Shut" Livingston lived with Marley's
mother Cedella Booker in Trench Town and had a daughter with her named Pearl
Livingston.[5] Peter Tosh had a son, Andrew Tosh, with Wailer's sister Shirley,
making Andrew his nephew.[6]
The Wailers
Wailer had originally gone to audition for Leslie Kong at
Beverley's Records in 1962, around the same time his step-brother Bob Marley
was cutting "Judge Not". Wailer had intended to sing his first
composition, "Pass It On", which at the time was more ska-oriented.
However, Wailer was late getting out of school and missed his audition.[7] A
few months later, in 1963, he formed "The Wailing Wailers" with
Marley and friend Peter Tosh, and the short-term members Junior Braithwaite and
Beverley Kelso.[8][9] Wailer tended to sing lead vocals less often than Marley
and Tosh in the early years, but when Marley left Jamaica in 1966 for Delaware
in the US, and was briefly replaced by Constantine "Vision" Walker,
Wailer began to record and sing lead vocals on some of his own compositions,
such as "Who Feels It Knows It", "I Stand Predominant" and
"Sunday Morning".[10] Wailer's style of music was influenced by
gospel music and the soul singer Curtis Mayfield.[11][12] In 1967, he recorded
"This Train", based on a gospel standard, for the first time, at
Studio One.[13][14]
[...]
Bunny Wailer toured with the Wailers in England and the
United States, but soon became reluctant to leave Jamaica. He and Tosh became
more marginalised in the group as the Wailers attained international success,
and attention was increasingly focused on Marley. Wailer subsequently left the
Wailers in 1973[20] and adopted the name "Bunny"[21][22] to pursue a
solo career after refusing to tour when Chris Blackwell wanted the Wailers to
tour freak clubs in the United States, stating that it was against his
Rastafari principles.[23] Before leaving the Wailers, Wailer had become more
focused on his spiritual faith. He identified with the Rastafari movement, as
did the other Wailers. He has also written much of his own material as well as
re-recording a number of cuts from the Wailers' catalogue. Wailer has recorded
primarily in the roots style, in keeping with his often political and spiritual
messages; his album Blackheart Man was well received.[21]
[...]
Wailer won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1991
for the album Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley, 1995 for Crucial! Roots
Classics, and 1997 for Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th
Anniversary.[31] He was also featured on the album True Love by Toots and the
Maytals, which won the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album,"...
-snip-
Here's a comment from the discussion thread for the video that is embedded in this pancocojams post:
Festus Muthomi, March 2, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYy5u-vchGc&ab_channel=cazupa
"Rest in peace bunny,the reggae music industry has lost a significant figure ever to be remembered n recalled by generation,condolenses to the family,friends,and the entire reggae family round the world,jah gives n jah takes,byebye legend,hope your legacy will be imparted to generations,so sad."
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LYRICS - COOL RUNNING
(Bunny Wailer)
Rope in
Come on and tune in
I said you ride in
'Cause this here session is vital
Check scene
Come on and ride in
I said you bide in
'Cause this ya riddim is I-tal
And it's a cool runnings
I know dancehall a go nice
Tell you it's a cool runnings
De riddim a go drip like sugar and spice
Say now, cool runnings
Jus' rock with your deeta all night long
I say now, cool runnings
While the disk jockey play your fav'rite song
Hey now, rope in
Come on and tune in
I said you riding
'Cause this riddim is vital
Check scene
Come on and groom(?) in
I said you ride in
'Cause this ya session invital
And it's a cool runnings
We all a go rock 'til broad day light
Singin' cool runnings
Me I-dren we nuh need no fuss nor fight
I say now, cool runnings
Say long, long time we nuh have no nice time
Yeah, cool runnings
Says rock to the riddim and the drum and bassline
Yeah, yeah
Rope in
Come on and tune in
I said you Ride in
'Cause this session is vital
And it's a cool runnings
I know dancehall a go nice
Tell you it's a cool runnings
De riddim a go drip like sugar and spice
Say now, cool runnings
Jus' rock with your deeta all night long
I say now, cool runnings
While the disk jockey play your fav'rite song
Say now, cool runnings
People spreading joy all over de place
I say now, cool runnings
With a smile upon the promotor's face
I say now, cool runnings
It's dawnin' of day at the gates
I say now, cool runnings
The gate man is beckoning "don't be late"
I say now, cool runnings
I know dancehall a go nice.......
https://genius.com/Bunny-wailer-cool-runnings-lyrics
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WHAT "COOL RUNNINGS" MEANS IN JAMAICAN PATOIS
Numerous online sources such as https://findanyanswer.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-cool-runnings indicate that "cool runnings" means "peaceful journey" in Jamaican patois.
I've not been able to find any information about when this phrase was first used, but apparently it predates the 1993 Disney movie "Cool Runnings" which is loosely based on the 1988 Jamaican Olympic bobsled team.
Click https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/02/19/jamaicans-are-bobsledding-again-but-cool-runnings-is-still-racist/ "Jamaicans are bobsledding again. Stop quoting that offensive movie." '
Cool Runnings' traffics in racist tropes.
Article by Christienna Fryar, Feb. 19, 2018
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