Wailing Souls – Jah Give Us Life

Artist

The Wailing Souls (originally The Renegades) are a Jamaican reggae vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only constant members. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards three times.

Formation and Studio One era

The group was originally formed as The Renegades in 1966, comprising Winston "Pipe" Matthews, Lloyd "Bread" McDonald, and George "Buddy" Haye, who had attended the same vocal classes held by Joe Higgs in the early 1960s as The Wailers. Matthews had previously recorded as a member of The Schoolboys for Prince Buster.

They recorded as backing singers with Ernest Ranglin and released their own debut single, "Lost Love", before recording several singles for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One label, including "Back Out With It", "Row Fisherman Row", and "Mr. Fire Coal Man".

The group became The Wailing Souls in 1968 and in the same year Haye left and new members Oswald Downer and Norman Davis joined. Under the new name they recorded singles such as "Dungeon" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal".

1970s

In 1970 the group began working with producer Lloyd Daley, releasing the "Gold Digger" single. In this period, their singles were often released under names such as The Little Roys, The Classics, Atarra, and Pipe and the Pipers, to avoid confusion with The Wailers. They went on to record with members of the Wailers later that year on the Tuff Gong singles "Harbour Shark", "Walk Walk Walk", and "You Should've Known Better".

By 1974 Downer and Davis had left, and original member Buddy Haye returned, along with Joe Higgs, although Higgs' tenure in the band was short-lived as he was recruited for a US tour with Jimmy Cliff. His replacement was Rudolph "Garth" Dennis, a founder member of Black Uhuru.

In the mid-1970s, The Wailing Souls association with producer Joseph Hoo Kim and his Channel One Studios brought them a string of hits, backed by house band The Revolutionaries, including "Back Biter", "Very Well", "Things and Time", "Jah Jah Give Us Life", and "War".

In 1977 the band started their own 'Massive' label, further hits following in "Bredda Gravalicious" and "Feel the Spirit". The band's success reached another level in 1978 when their Wild Suspense album, featuring remixed tracks from their singles, was released internationally by Island Records.

(chorus)
Jah Jah give us life to live
So let us live
So oh yeah, no feel no way
When I man say

(chorus)

The light struck the night
And the morning come
So I've got to stay awake
To meet the rising sun

The light struck the night
And the morning come
So I've got to stay awake
To meet the rising sun

(chorus)(x2)

Too much injustice
Is upon the land
Yet the Rastaman
He makes no plan

Too much injustice
Is upon the land
Yet my brotherman
He makes no plan

(chorus)(x4)

The light struck the night
And the morning come
So I've got to stay awake
To meet the rising sun

(rit.)
Jah Jah dacci vita da vivere
Quindi lasciaci vivere
Lo so oh sì, non mi sento in alcun modo
Quando dico

(rit.)

La luce ha colpito la notte
E il mattino arriva
Quindi devo stare sveglio
Per incontrare il sole che sorge

La luce ha colpito la notte
E il mattino arriva
Quindi devo stare sveglio
Per incontrare il sole che sorge

(rit.)(x2)

Troppa ingiustizia
è sulla terra
Eppure il Rastaman
Non fa piani

Troppa ingiustizia
è sulla terra
Eppure mio fratello
Non fa piani

(rit.)(x4)

La luce ha colpito la notte
E il mattino arriva
Quindi devo stare sveglio
Per incontrare il sole che sorge