A PROPHECY FORETOLD: Words of the “Black Prophet”

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Written by http://paangoe.wordpress.com

Music: a food for the soul is an artistic form of auditory communication that incorporates instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner. The sensation felt after listen to a song is not only from the lyrics and rhythm it brings, but the genuineness that surroundings it. Efforts of the writer, composer, artist, sound engineer, producer, promoter and D.J’s are exhibited to make a complete piece. Mostly, the context of the song is captured by the writer…Why the lyrics? Just as some lyrics are inspired by personal experience and what surrounds us, some are divine and spiritual imparted. “Prophecies”…… yes! That’s what I called them; most of which I have identified from “Reggae” artists. Some lyrics are just too “prophetic” to come out from mind of a human being but from the spiritual thinking of the writer.

In this feature, we take a look at the track “Masses” by Black Prophet- a Ghanaian reggae artist from the album “Tribulations”. I chose this particular track because of the fulfillment of it lyric-“prophecy” in the socio-eco-political life of Ghana over the past few years.

(This is not the actual lyrics of the song; some Jamaican-patio slangs have been replaced with English to aid readability and understanding)

                “So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who suffers the most

                Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses

                So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who goes through the pain

                Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses”

The chorus you just read ask the question as what who “suffers” most when the “leaders”- chiefs, politicians, institutional head etc, are greedy and selfish. Who losses, when these people abuse their positions for their personal gains? Indeed its true, we the “Masses”: the illiterate, unemployed, the widow, the orphan, the disabled, the tax payer and the average man suffers; we are now suffering and living in misery in the hands of the greed, selfish and deceitful acts of our leaders.

“We pay the taxes, we pay the prices yet we are the ones with less chances

We pay the prices, we pay the taxes yet we are the ones with less chances

They increase the petrol; inflation goes high, way up to the sky

When you should see the mothers and children…. Lord… Heard their cry

And when we complain, false promises they give to dry our eye

Watch them out, they have turned all the children to lie”

Certainly the high imposition on taxes and utility bills have made life unbearable for the “Masses”.  With your little hard earned money, you are made to give back in tears. Your account can’t even smile upon seeing you at the bank instead it frown, because you are there to inflict more debts as your only means survival is through borrowing. Fuel increments and it equivalent subsidizing refusal, educational frustrations have catapulted inflation rates to sky high. We’ve cried and cried till our tears refuse flow only to demand for better conditions. But instead they drink and drink till their pot-bellies are full and when they are filled they condone and connive to keep the rest as judgment debts with gargantuan bank accounts. Yet when we embark on protests, demonstrations and strikes, they threaten us to go back to the class rooms and lecture hall and give us promises that are never fulfilled to “dry our eyes”. And when they see how deceitful they’ve become, they pay people to lie and insist the system is good.

“So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who suffers the most

Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses

So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who goes through the pain

Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses”

“They want our thumbprints, they are worse than Delilah and Sampson

Because of their selfishness, they will break our homes for nothing

Be careful which where you gonna put your thumbprint

Because dotty dirty their selfish works, Mama has gone into prostitution

I tell you now; the children are into drugs and robbery, all because of the frustration

Tell them again, stop your illusions God knows, and give us some real dedications”

They hurriedly call the constructors and investors to semi- complete the infrastructures and business ventures because its election time. They float our air-waves with accumulated gargantuan loans for developmental project because they “want our thumbprints”. They break our homes with their door to door, house to house and community to community campaigns parading propagandas just to buy our votes for the election. Let’s be careful which lie is the truth. Because of their dirty planned games, the woman had to sell her soul to by us education; the brother had to sell himself to his fellow brother to buy us food, the sister had to sell herself to another sister to buy us cloths and shelter. Out of the frustration as a result of the pains they’ve inflicted at our scorched body the wonna be policeman is now a drug lord, the girl who dreamt of becoming the next chief justice is now into robbery. That father was left with no option than to butcher his wife and daughter in order to cater for the son. Now it’s too late, you should stopped your “illusion” and given us what you what you promised.

“So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who suffers the most

Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses

So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who goes through the pain

Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses”

“Give thanks to the Lord for I’m so musical

The Lord keeps us strong, so strong and so spiritual

If it wasn’t for you God then we would have gone radical

Against us, the system is so hard and so critical

Lord knows, because we say the truth, they hate us and point us out and call us juveniles 

Lord know blessed is the hand that giveth, not the one that taketh.

Thanks to be God for selfless individuals, who have vowed through thick and thin to criticize the bad system. Musicians, writers, opinion leaders, T.V and radio presenters, social commentators who have decided endanger their lives to sought for the betterment of the Masses. And they will continually to fight because their strengths and wisdom is from up above. Though, they receive death threats and boycotts on shows, they are never deterred.  Though the system attempts to buy out the truth they speak with bribes and handsome ransoms they will always refuse. Though the system hates them and rain insults at them as juveniles, they will never give up. Because they believe in the teachings of the prophecy “Blessed is the hand the giveth, not the one that taketh”

As leaders our duty is to give and not take. That’s the message to preach, afterall you promised to always “Give”………

So let’s sing along:

“So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who suffers the most

Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses

So when the leaders get greedy and selfish, I wonna know who goes through the pain

Masses…. Masses…. Oh….! Lord the masses”

With lyrics of this song coming to pass, you wonder whether he is a just musician who happens to bear the name Black Prophet or he is indeed a “Black Prophet” who prophecies through music.

The next time you happen to listen to a song, don’t just nod your head and tap your feet to the rhythm and the beats. Listen and listen deep into the lyrics, your prophecy might be in that song.

Watch out for the next feature: “A Prophecy Foretold”

Paangoe