Reggaeklassieker du jour: Fisherman & Fisherman Dub

Pyt van der Galiën

Heart of the Congo’s was het laatste album dat Lee Perry produceerde in zijn legendarische studio Black Ark. Kort na de release van het album ging Black Ark in vlammen op. Perry heeft min of meer toegegeven de zaak zélf in de hens te hebben gezet, omdat hij de scene die zich rond en in de studio verzameld had, spuugzat was: “Too much stress in Jamaica, all the time. Everybody want money, everybody want paid. Everyone got problem and want me to solve their problem. Nobody gave me anything, people just took everything. Everybody take this, and take that. So the atmosphere in the Black Ark studio was changing; it wasn’t like it used to be. Then I decided to make a sacrifice as the energy wasn’t good anymore”.

De song zit vol Bijbelse verwijzingen, o.a. naar de roeping van de discipelen in het evangelie van Mattheüs:

18 En Jezus, wandelende aan de zee van Galilea, zag twee broeders, namelijk Simon, gezegd Petrus, en Andreas, zijn broeder, het net in de zee werpende (want zij waren vissers);
19 En Hij zeide tot hen: Volgt Mij na, en Ik zal u vissers der mensen maken.
20 Zij dan, terstond de netten verlatende, zijn Hem nagevolgd.
21 En Hij, van daar voortgegaan zijnde, zag twee andere broeders, namelijk Jakobus, den zoon van Zebedeus, en Johannes, zijn broeder, in het schip met hun vader Zebedeus, hun netten vermakende, en heeft hen geroepen.
22 Zij dan, terstond verlatende het schip en hun vader, zijn Hem nagevolgd.

Row, fisherman row
Keep on rowing your boat
(Brother-man, brother-man, yah)
Row, fisherman row
Lots of hungry belly pickney they a shore
Millions of them!
Lots of hungry belly pickney they a shore

Living in a bumbo hut
In a little hole seaport town (hmm, hmm)
Three kids on the floor
And another one to come make four

Day, day by day
I man step it along the sea shore
Day, day by day
I man step it along the sea shore

Hail brother John, have you got any wenchman?
Yes, brother Peter
Wenchman, sprat and mackaba (I’ll tell you)
Yes, brother Peter
Wenchman, sprat and mackaba

Row, fisherman row
Keep on rowing your boat
(Brother-man, brother-man, yah)
Row, fisherman row
We’ve got to reach on higher grounds

(..)

Row, fisherman row
Keep on rowing your boat
(Brother-man, brother-man, yah)
Row, fisherman row
Yes, we’ve got to reach on higher grounds
Brothers, we’ve got to reach on higher grounds

Simon, Peter, James and John
Come ashore to feed the hungry belly ones
Simon, Peter, James and John
Come ashore to feed the hungry belly ones

So row, fisherman row
Keep on rowing your boat
(Brother-man, brother-man, yah)
Row, fisherman row
Lots of hungry belly pickney they a shore
Millions of them!
Lots of hungry belly pickney they a shore

Quaju Peg the collie-man
Sell the best collie in seaport town
Quaju Peg the collie-man
A the best collie weed in town

Keep on rowing your boat
(Brother-man, brother-man, yah)
Row, fisherman row
Lots of hungry belly pickney they a shore
Millions of them!
Lots of hungry belly pickney they a shore (hmm, hmm)

Simon, Peter, James and John
Come ashore to feed the hungry belly ones, yeah
Simon, Peter, James and John
Come ashore to feed the hungry belly ones

So row, fisherman row
Keep on rowing your boat
(Brother-man, brother-man, yah)
Row, fisherman row
We’ve got to reach on higher grounds
Rain is falling!
We’ve got to reach on higher grounds
The rain start falling!
We’ve got to reach on higher grounds..

Pyt van der Galiën