Lyrics to
Babylon System

This version of Babylon System was released by Bob Marley in 1979.

Our Bob Marley Songs profile has Babylon System lyrics from 1979 and most if not all of the lyrics by Bob Marley that we have here at Decade Lyrics.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Bob Marley or about the 1970s in general.

We refuse to be
What you wanted us to be;
We are what we are:
That’s the way (way) it’s going to be. You don’t know!
You can’t educate I
For no equal opportunity:
(Talkin’ ’bout my freedom) Talkin’ ’bout my freedom,
People freedom (freedom) and liberty!
Yeah, we’ve been trodding on the winepress much too long:
Rebel, rebel!
Yes, we’ve been trodding on the winepress much too long:
Rebel, rebel!

Babylon system is the vampire, yea! (vampire)
Suckin’ the children day by day, yeah!
Me say: de Babylon system is the vampire, falling empire,
Suckin’ the blood of the sufferers, yea-ea-ea-ea-e-ah!
Building church and university, wo-o-ooh, yeah! –
Deceiving the people continually, yea-ea!
Me say them graduatin’ thieves and murderers;
Look out now: they suckin’ the blood of the sufferers (sufferers).
Yea-ea-ea! (sufferers)

Tell the children the truth;
Tell the children the truth;
Tell the children the truth right now!
Come on and tell the children the truth;
Tell the children the truth;
Tell the children the truth;
Tell the children the truth;
Come on and tell the children the truth.

‘Cause – ’cause we’ve been trodding on ya winepress much too long:
Rebel, rebel!
And we’ve been taken for granted much too long:
Rebel, rebel now!

(Trodding on the winepress) Trodding on the winepress (rebel):
got to rebel, y’all (rebel)!
We’ve been trodding on the winepress much too long – ye-e-ah! (rebel)
Yea-e-ah! (rebel) Yeah! Yeah!

From the very day we left the shores (trodding on the winepress)
Of our Father’s land (rebel),
We’ve been trampled on (rebel),
Oh now! (we’ve been oppressed, yeah!) Lord, Lord, go to …

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Bob Marley has released many songs over the years besides Babylon System. Bob Marley released songs from 1973 to 1995 spanning across albums like Catch A Fire, Burnin', Natty Dread, Live!, Rastaman Vibration, Exodus, Kaya, Babylon By Bus, Survival, Uprising, Confrontation, Rebel Music, and Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Bob Marley.

If you're a fan of 1970s music looking for more songs from 1979 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and Babylon System by Bob Marley

The lyrics to Babylon System are the words, verses and chorus for the song released by Bob Marley in 1979. Elements of the lyrics to Babylon System are both direct in meaning and also metaphorical with the real meanings of the song only known by Bob Marley and any collaborating writers working on the lyrics for Babylon System back when it was created.

Some people have an interest in the etymology behind words and phrases. You can take apart the lyrics to Babylon System by Bob Marley in a number of ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Babylon System" means the words set to the music of Babylon System, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Bob Marley. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Babylon System and the lyrics to Babylon System are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Bob Marley who came here looking just for the lyrics to Babylon System, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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