The Wailers - "Rastaman Chant" (two sound files with lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases two sound files of the Wailer's performing "Rastaman Chant".

The Addendum to this post presents information about the Wailer's 1973 Reggae album Burnin, and includes the lyrics to "Rastaman Chant" as sung by The Wailers.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to The Wailers for their musical and cultural legacies. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Chant



Mango Cango, Published on Aug 11, 2008

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Chant

Album: Burnin' (1973)

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Example #2: Bob Marley 4 76 Rastaman Chant & Lion of Judah



Tending the Wild, Published on Apr 25, 2014

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ADDENDUM:
INFORMATION ABOUT NYABINGHI DRUMS
From http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2017/07/devotion-nyabinghi
..."Nyabinghi drumming takes its name from a form or “mansion” of Rastafari and created the rhythmic bedrock for ska, rocksteady and reggae, and therefore the myriad music that followed Jamaica’s golden era of dub. It’s a great example of how music with a devotional aspect can be enjoyable and meaningful even when divorced from an explicitly religious setting. The rhythms, pioneered and recorded on Wareika Hill by Count Ossie, and expanded on by artists like Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus, have a comparable influence to gospel, which famously also moved from sacred to secular; they are a percussive counterpart to gospel’s voice-led divinations."...

-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/11/video-examples-of-jamaican-nyabinghi.html for a 2012 pancocojams post about Nyabinghi drums. That post showcases five videos of Nyabinghi drumming.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAILERS' 1973 ALBUM BURNIN
"Burnin' is the sixth studio album by Jamaican reggae band The Wailers, released in October 1973. It was written mostly by bandleader Bob Marley and produced by Chris Blackwell. A commercial and critical success in the United States, Burnin' was certified Gold and later added to the National Recording Registry, with the Library of Congress deeming it historically and culturally significant.

Music and lyrics
The sixth album by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer (the last before Tosh and Bunny departed for solo careers and the band became known as Bob Marley and the Wailers), Burnin' opens with a signature song, the call to action "Get Up, Stand Up" and includes a more confrontational and militant tone than previous records, such as in another Marley standard turned into a number one hit by Eric Clapton, "I Shot the Sheriff"."...

[...]

Tracks

....side two
5."Rasta Man Chant" Traditional; arranged by Marley, Tosh, Livingston"

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LYRICS: RASTAMAN CHANT

I hear the words of the Rasta Man say

Babylon you throne gone dawn, gone down

Babylon you throne gone dawn

Said, I hear the words of the Higher Man

Say

Babylon you throne gone down, gone down

Babylon you throne gone down

And I hear the angel with the seven seals

Babylon your throne’s gone down, gone dawn

Babylon you throne gone dawn

I say fly away home to Zion

Fly away home

I say fly away to Zion

Fly away home

One bright morning when my work is over

Man will fly away home

One bright marning when my work is over

Man will fly away home

One bright morning when my work is over

Man will fly away home

One bright morning when my work is over

Man will fly away home

One bright morning when my work

Is over

Man will fly away home"
-snip-
Renditions of this song include words from (White American) Albert E. Brumley's 1924 Christian song "I'll Fly Away" (first published in 1932).

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAILER'S SONG "RASTAMAN CHANT
From https://marley.fandom.com/wiki/Rastaman_Chant

"Rastaman Chant

Facts
Composed by: Traditional, arranged by Bob Marley
Lyrics by: Traditional
Year: 1973
Length: 3:48
Musical key: A major
Recorded at: Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, April 1973
Released on following albums: Burnin' (1973), Burnin' Deluxe Edition (2004)
Released on following compilations:
Lineup:
Bob Marley, vocals, guitar
Peter Tosh, vocals, lead guitar, piano, organ
Bunny Wailer, vocals, congas, bongos
Aston Barrett, bass
Carlton Barrett, drums
Earl 'Wya' Lindo, keyboards
Alvin 'Seeco' Patterson, percussion
Period of performances: 1973 - 1976

[...]

the song has been performed during the first Rastaman Vibration Tour concerts as a part of the reggae gospel along with Lion Of Judah and Keep The Faith

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