Another Oxford brat 
Social Democrat 
Politrick rock star 
Turned to god of war 
Found your true soul mate 
Yankee-Doodle hate 
Blood for spoils that you have piled on your plate 

Bombs were raining 
Corpses staining 
Our peoples' lands 
Burning hot sands 

I'll say it's pre-emptive... 

Rock on Tony 
Faces stony 
Noose round your neck 
No fat pay check 

After you got fired 
Kuwait, Yemen hired 
Windrush and Firerush 
With tax-free cash you stuff 
You help to occupy 
Them in Palestine 
With your history you are more than qualified 

Gas in Gaza 
Fuels their slaughter 
60 million 
How far you've come 

Aid the stronger to crush the weaker 

Rock on Tony.. 

Never forget 
Never forgive 

All our dead when you continue to live! 

Rock on Tony.. 

I could go back then 
Little girl of 10 
To you room at night 
With my mum's bread knife 
No more million dead 
No laws to protect 
Now it's you who blown up 
Murdered in your bed 

Eyes are gleaming 
Cherie's screaming 
Guts in my teeth 
Blood stained soaked sheets 

Finish what the 
Hague could not do 
They say blah blah 
We say fuck you

Tony

ba ba black sheep

Lyrics:

There is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do

Personally I don’t have a problem in the world
Quite solution oriented just a simple island girl
Passionate, compassionate practicing patience like a science
Endorsing love and unity promoting self reliance
Balancing emotions tempering my temperament
Maintaining my composure and learning when to vent
But as injustice and oppression grip the masses more and more
The constant pressure makes them numb but instead it makes me sure

There is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do

Misleaders use semantics, to manipulate us
Meaningless promises to keep us in a state of
Catatonic apprehension  empty hand up to the sky
The art of misdirection used to disguise the lie
Telling us decisions made are for our good, by those whom we elect
When in actuality they merely reflect
An ulterior agenda to make profit in their term
So the people only matter when those people help them earn

So there is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do

Imagine the morning you awake to find the soldiers on your street
Armored tanks on every boulevard and police on every beat
Choppers hovering but a stillness in the air
How will you be feeling? relieved? Or filled with fear?
Then the radio announces that the leader’s going to speak
Adrenaline explodes as your attention starts to peak
He says “you may already notice all the plans for your protection”
They’ve been put in place to neutralize potential insurrection
But have no fear the force is here with tear gas, bombs and guns
So no undesirables can compromise the flow of funds
Tell me where will you be standing what will you plan to do?
When you realize the enemy is you!

Which side of the law are you on? are you with the masses or are you the protected one? 
What side of the law holds your place? Do they defend you or can they stick that gun in your face?
Tell me where does your allegiance lie? Does the struggle entertain you or does it make you cry?
Is it clear where your conscience resides? One day you may have to deside

That’s why there is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do


Jah9 releases her 'Tension'

KINGSTON, JAMAICA - It has been three months since she proclaimed a New Name, an album widely embraced by fans and critics alike. Now the jazz-on-dub artist, Jah9, is releasing a new song, 'Tension.'

The politically-charged track is being presented to her fans on May 23, the third anniversary of what the singer calls the "Tivoli Garden Holocaust." That date will also be her birthday. Recently she recalled her whereabouts on that fateful day in 2010, evoking the scene from her vantage point at Gabre Selassie's Kingston Dub Club. 

"Standing in the hills looking down on T.G., burning," she began. "Sizzla's voice echoed through the big speakers, chanting appropriately for the ghetto youths." With the mood thus set, she described her own emotion. "And I wept bitterly as the current moved through I womb. Watching helplessly in disbelief and despair as the nation turned in on itself..."

Then, after a solemn pause, she punctuated her statement, "...on I earthstrong."

These contributing factors inspired the message and delivery of 'Tension,' as Jah9 had finished penning the lyrics for the song before the violence quelled days later.

The work is produced in collaboration with I Grade Records and is part of the album, Songbird Riddim - the first installment of a riddim series by the production collective known as Zion I Kings. The album is officially available via digital and physical outlets including iTunes, VP Reggae Distribution and Ernie B's Reggae Distribution.

"I discovered Jah9's music online and was immediately struck by her powerful word sound and unique melodies, particularly on the track 'New Name,'" said Laurent 'Tippy I' Alfred, producer, founder and CEO for I Grade Records. "'Tension' is the most intense song on the Songbird Riddim album, and it captures emotions and energies that you don't often find in music. Hearing about the inspiration behind the song made me appreciate her art even more."

I Grade Records, based in St. Croix, USVI, has released twenty-six albums since its founding in 2001, including nine albums with the groundbreaking deep roots band, Midnite, as well as several notable debut albums by artists such as Dezarie and Niyorah.


www.jah9.net
www.facebook.com/jah9online
www.twitter.com/jah9
www.igraderecords.com

Lyrics:

There is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do

Personally I don’t have a problem in the world
Quite solution oriented just a simple island girl
Passionate, compassionate practicing patience like a science
Endorsing love and unity promoting self reliance
Balancing emotions tempering my temperament
Maintaining my composure and learning when to vent
But as injustice and oppression grip the masses more and more
The constant pressure makes them numb but instead it makes me sure

There is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do

Misleaders use semantics, to manipulate us
Meaningless promises to keep us in a state of
Catatonic apprehension  empty hand up to the sky
The art of misdirection used to disguise the lie
Telling us decisions made are for our good, by those whom we elect
When in actuality they merely reflect
An ulterior agenda to make profit in their term
So the people only matter when those people help them earn

So there is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do

Imagine the morning you awake to find the soldiers on your street
Armored tanks on every boulevard and police on every beat
Choppers hovering but a stillness in the air
How will you be feeling? relieved? Or filled with fear?
Then the radio announces that the leader’s going to speak
Adrenaline explodes as your attention starts to peak
He says “you may already notice all the plans for your protection”
They’ve been put in place to neutralize potential insurrection
But have no fear the force is here with tear gas, bombs and guns
So no undesirables can compromise the flow of funds
Tell me where will you be standing what will you plan to do?
When you realize the enemy is you!

Which side of the law are you on? are you with the masses or are you the protected one? 
What side of the law holds your place? Do they defend you or can they stick that gun in your face?
Tell me where does your allegiance lie? Does the struggle entertain you or does it make you cry?
Is it clear where your conscience resides? One day you may have to deside

That’s why there is tension building inside me and I’m trusting my spirit to guide me
Even if no else understands I have got to do what it demands
My eyes and ears might deceive me and friends and family might leave me
But is righteous tension a brew so I must prepare for what I might have to do




Tension - Jah9

Today marks 25 years since the army of apartheid South Africa was forced to start withdrawing from Angola after 13 years’ intervention in that country’s civil war, having been defeated in battle by a joint Angolan-Cuban force. Over the course of 1975-88, nearly 400,000 Cubans volunteered in Angola, mostly as soldiers but also as doctors, nurses, teachers and advisers. This is one of the greatest historical examples of revolutionary internationalism. When Nelson Mandela visited Cuba a year after his release from prison, he made an emotional speech in Havana in recognition of Cuba's contribution to the liberation of southern Africa. That speech is sampled in this track. 

"This is revolutionary Cuba; internationalist Cuba; the country that has done so much for the peoples of Africa. The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice unparalleled for its principled and selfless character. From its earliest days the Cuban Revolution has itself been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people. We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence and sovereignty in the face of a vicious imperialist-orchestrated campaign to destroy the impressive gains made in the Cuban Revolution. We too want to control our own destiny... Long live the Cuban revolution."

Read the full speech: http://www.themilitant.com/2010/7428/742850.html

Fidel was overcome with emotion on hearing Madiba's speech. In his own speech, he said: 

"It would not be right for us to emphasise Cuba's modest contribution to the cause of the South African people, but on hearing Mandela's speech, compañeros, I believe that he paid the greatest and most profound tribute that has ever been paid to our internationalist fighters. I believe that his words will remain, as if they were written in gold letters, as a homage to our combatants. He was generous, very generous; he recalled the epic feat our people performed in Africa, where all the spirit of this revolution was manifested, all its heroism and steadfastness... 

"We knew - how could we not know! - that those events [in Angola] would have a profound effect on the life of South Africa itself, and this was one of the reasons, one of the motives, one of the great incentives that pushed us on. Because we knew that once the problem in Angola was resolved, the forces that were fighting against apartheid would also benefit from our struggles.

"But have we said it this way before? No, never, because we believe that above and beyond the enormous support from abroad ... the decisive and determining factor behind the ANC's successes was the heroism, the spirit of sacrifice and struggle of the South African people led by the ANC.

"This man, in these times of cowardice and so many things, has come to tell us what he told us this afternoon. It is something that can never be forgotten and it reveals the human, moral and revolutionary dimension of Nelson Mandela."

Please enjoy and share the track! Long live Cuba and long live free Africa! The legacy of Nelson Mandela lives forever! 

Read more about Cuba's intervention in Angola: http://www.invent-the-future.org/2013/06/cuito-cuanavale-25-years-on/

FREE DOWNLOAD: Madiba's Message

Punk motivated sound and politics.

Next up: Sat 22nd Feb - Benefit for the Focus E15 Mothers.

Tony

ROT JAWS

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