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Blood and Fire
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour
picaraza
Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:02:41 +0000
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke
Acts 2:19
Justin Hinds is one of my very favorite songwriters. Writing for his harmony trio the
Dominoes he created some to the greatest reggae songs. Drawing from folk sayings, popular
songs, and the Bible to create. Some of his songs ("Dip And Fall Back", for example) seem
almost inchoate- barely comprehensible, cobbled together from disparate elements.
And "Fire (Is the Desire)" is my favorite of his compositions.
The fire is burning
People are yearning
In this time, In this time, In this time
(Fire is burning)
The fire is so hot you can't get close to it.
(Fire is burning)
The flame is so high that you can't get above it.
(Fire is burning)
The sparks are so wide that you can't get around it.
(Fire is burning).
The heat is so deep you can't under it.
(Fire is burning)
The central image of the song seems drawn from the spiritual "Rock-a my soul". In some
versions the spiritual includes the chorus:
That love is
So high you can't get over it
So low, you can't get under it
So wide, you can't get around it
Oh rock a my soul
Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Rock a my soul in the bosom of Abraham
Oh Rock a my soul
Oh Rock a my soul
Other versions of the spiritual lack this specific chorus but develop the story of Abraham
and Lazarus:
Well, the rich man lived (well with glory and honor)
And he lived so well (won't you praise the Lord)
You know when he died (well with glory and honor)
He had a home in hell (he should have praised the Lord)
Well, the poor man Lazarus (well with glory and honor)
He was the poorest guy (won't you praise the Lord)
You know when he died (well with glory and honor)
He had a home on high (won't you praise the Lord)
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every
day. At his gate was laid a begger named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what
fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when
the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. This rick man also died and was
buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. Luke 16:19-23
About the same time as Justin Hinds' record, Prince Alla released his masterpiece "Stone":
I man saw a stone
Just a come to mash down Rome
Dread, dread stone
Just a come to mash down Rome
To mash down Rome
To mash down Rome
They can't run
No, I know that they can't hide
For that stone was so big and it so wide
And it so low don't you know
They can't get under it
And it so high, Babylon,
You can't get over it
Get over it
Get over it
The thing that interests me is how Hinds and Prince Alla use this metaphor to stress the
vengeance- Alla especially. Rather than the love. In Hinds' lyric the fire is more allusive-
alluring and destructive. While for Prince Alla, it seem the hand (or fist) of God meting
out justice.
Some year's ago I read and excellent biography of Skip James called I'd Rather Be The
Devil by Stephen Calt. In it, he asserts that black Americans were always drawn much more
strongly to the Old Testament than the New Testament. This makes perfect sense as the they
could see their story mirror in the story in the enslavement of the Jews. (And, theology
aside, the Old Testament is plainly the better read)
I suppose a greater juxtaposition might be between Hinds and Prince Alla and that of the
Kingston Trio.
The Kingston Trio had a song called "So Hi"
My heaven is so high, you can't get over it. So low, you can't get under it.
So wide, you can't get around it. You gotta come in at the door.
Tell those children, yeah, tell 'em now. You gotta come in at the door.
Don't stand and whisper, just show 'em how. You gotta come in at the door.
And then there's Parliament/Funkadelic who have their own take on the theme:
So wide can't get around it
So low you can't get under it
(So low you can't get under it)
So high you can't get over it
(So high you can't get over it)
Da-yee do do do do do do
This is a chance
This is a chance
Dance your way
Out of your constrictions
(Tell sugah)
Here's a chance to dance our way
out of our constrictions
Gonna be freakin'!
Up and down
Hang up alley way
With the groove our
Only guide
We shall all be moved
Amen.
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