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Song Parodies -> "No Woman DON'T Cry"

Original Song Title:

"No Woman No Cry"

 (MP3)
Original Performer:

Bob Marley & the Wailers

Parody Song Title:

"No Woman DON'T Cry"

Parody Written by:

Lifeliver

The Lyrics

Just a little fun with Jamaican patois. I hasten to add that I have Jamaican friends whose grammatical English is perfect whenever they choose it to be so, though the endearing accent remains. Don't know about 'them rude boys' though.

There are many versions of this OS floating around with varying verse length and structures. I've provided a link to by far the best one, the first live recording from the London Lyceum 1975. So if you're going to follow the OS as you read, be sure to go here.

NO WOMAN, DON'T CRY

'No woman, no cry':
- 'No woman? No cry!'?
- 'No, woman no cry!'
- 'No, woman, no! Cry!'

Sad! Sad!
Sad! I remember when we used to sit
In remedial class in Trashtown
Subject-and-verbing the sentence fits
And they would single out us people, browbeat
Good tests we had, oh good tests we've botched
Forgot the way
Exclamation is not negative adverb? Blast!
So 'Dry your tears', how say?

'No, woman, no cry?'
'No! No! Woman, don't cry.
Fool! Mood imperative! That double neg, why?'
'Inhuman', I cry.

Sad! Sad!
Sad! I remember we were abused a bit
By those mean teachers in Trashtown
That's when Georgie would make the fire light
Trashcan burnin'. Outta sight!
Then we would chew spitball porridge
Of which I'd aim at you
I teach a game called 'marriage'
But you made me push off you
And now you're gone …

Everything gotta get it right
Everything gotta get it right
Somehow learn to read and write
Or our future's not so bright
Everything gotta get it right
But it's making me uptight
Everything gotta get it right
Maybe if I start a fight ...

So woman, no cry
No, no … woman … No, woman. DON'T cry
My brain has a blister. Don't shed ANY tears.
Ah! I got it right!

(lead guitar break)

I remember seventy used to fit
In that government class in Trashtown
That's when bush Georgie would make the mood light
Thumb tacks: teacher take flight
Then we would peel pungent orange
Of course the peel we threw
In our seats how we would forage
Eraser got to whoosh on through
Where's it gone?

So, woman, DON'T cry
Rules, grammar apply
Oh my little dopey, shed ANY salt tears?
There, say it, just try

Little dumb one, do not shed a tear
Don't use double-neg
I insist her, shed not one tear
Good grammar I beg

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 LittleLots
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Overall Rating: 5.0

Total Votes: 4

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User Comments

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AFW - November 30, 2012 - Report this comment
Entertaining english and grammar lesson...bush Georgie, a pun on the former Prez?
Leough - November 30, 2012 - Report this comment
555! If song writers in general were required to apply correct language usage, there would be far fewer songs written.
RickC - November 30, 2012 - Report this comment
Nice! 555
Lifeliver - November 30, 2012 - Report this comment
@ AFW As I dimly recall, there were two Georgies in the class. We never got as far as surnames. Boy Georgie was a serious lad who did quite well, but was placed in remedial because of his disregard for the uniform. I probably don't have to tell you how he got his sarcastic nickname.

Bush Georgie was so called because his 'good ole boy' demeanor suggested he was from the sticks somewhere. Classmate Sarah P quipped that his pyromaniacal tendencies may account for there being few trees left in Texas.

He used to sit next to little Danny Quayle, who was lost in logic class and revelled in tautologies. George's problems were his limited vocab and suspected dyslexic tendencies. It was rumored his father was a Phi Delta Kappa at Yale but we found this hard to swallow. His indifference to abstract thought and faith in the ignorance of the common man led us to believe he would make something of himself one day, perhaps in politics. I wonder what became of him ...
WarrenB - December 01, 2012 - Report this comment
DKOS, but found the reading a lot of fun. It looks like this was a pretty tough write, so definite kudos for originality and difficulty. Personally, I don't understand no double-negatives, but I guess I should stay positive, yes.
Lifeliver - December 02, 2012 - Report this comment
I haven't got no comments, so I'm happy. Thanks, folks. I hope I don't get no more.

@ Rick C. : thanks for dropping by

@ Leough: your statement is a rich field for discussion. In rock music double negs and derision for verb conjugation by well-educated writers became standard: 'I can't get no satisfaction', 'She got a ticket to ride and she don't care' and hundreds of others. Even the highly literate Dylan indulged. 'I can't get no relief' (said the joker to the thief). The reasons are manifold, to do with the roots of the music in undereducated, lower socioeconomic groups, and in thumbing the nose at formality and the elitist establishment. Speakers of 'ebonics', dialects and patois are somewhat excused.
'You're nothing but a hound dog' or 'It isn't me babe'? Personally, I think it works but there are those who would disagree. Before banning bad grammar from performance art, I'd ban bad singers, lol.

@ Warren B: Nice use of double negs - you threw me for a moment there. DKOS? Get busy , son. Bob Marley is not a legend for nothing, and the link's right here in the intro - one of his most charismatic performances. You would get a lot more enjoyment out of this parody by following along. Generally, I find parody writing not that tough once you have the concept and the right OS match - I think that's where inspiration plays its part.
John Jenkins - December 02, 2012 - Report this comment
Fun take on double negatives. Is that remedial Trashtown class where young Barry O learned how to pronounce "corpsman"?
Lifeliver - December 02, 2012 - Report this comment
Thanks, JJ. I don't recall young Barry - must have been after I graduated. It seems a lot of people would like him to be a corpse man, or he could be a schlock scenario-maker like Corman, so either way he loses there.
John Jenkins - December 03, 2012 - Report this comment
:)
Meriadoc - December 04, 2012 - Report this comment
I particularly liked 'verbing' and the marriage game.
Lifeliver - December 05, 2012 - Report this comment
Thanks, Merry. My 'cat ate the cream' moment was 'eraser whooshed on through'.

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