Get Up, Stand Up

• By: Bob Marley & The Wailers
• Album: Burnin’

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
stand /stænd/ A1	verb - to be in or rise to an upright position, supported by one's feet.
right /raɪt/ A1	noun - a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way.
fight /faɪt/ A2	noun - a violent confrontation or struggle. verb - take part in a violent struggle involving physical force or weapons.
heaven /ˈhevən/ A2	noun - a place regarded in various religions as the abode of God or the gods and of the righteous after death.
earth /ɜːrθ/ A1	noun - the planet on which we live; the world.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
worth /wɜːrθ/ B1	noun - the value of something expressed in monetary or other terms.
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively.
god /ɡɒd/ A1	noun - a superhuman being or spirit worshipped as having power over nature or human affairs; a deity.
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth.
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - be aware of (something) through touching.
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - in need of sleep or rest; weary.
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ A2	verb - perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or a speaker).
fool /fuːl/ B1	verb - to trick or deceive (someone). noun - a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person.

Grammar:

• Get up, stand up, stand up for your right

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ This line uses the imperative mood to directly command or urge the listener to "get up" and "stand up". It's a call to action.

• Preacher man, don't tell me heaven is under the earth

  ➔ Negative Imperative; Subjunctive Mood (implicit)

  ➔ "Don't tell me" is a negative imperative, forbidding the preacher from telling him something. The underlying belief expresses a disagreement about a potentially false teaching. The belief relates to the earth not being related to heaven. A subjunctive mood expressing doubt is hidden in this sentiment.

• It's not all that glitters is gold

  ➔ Cleft Sentence/Proverb; Subject-Verb Inversion

  ➔ This is a common proverb, a shortened version of "All that glitters is not gold." It uses a simple present tense. It's technically a cleft sentence with inversion because it emphasizes "all that glitters", rather than the gold itself.

• Half the story has never been told

  ➔ Present Perfect Passive

  ➔ This line uses the present perfect passive tense, indicating that the action of "telling" the story has never been completed. The focus is on the untold part of the story.

• Most people think, Great God will come from the sky

  ➔ Future Simple (will)

  ➔ This line uses the future simple tense with "will" to express a belief or expectation about a future event. It indicates what most people believe will happen.

• If you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth

  ➔ First Conditional

  ➔ This is a first conditional sentence, expressing a real possibility in the future. "If + present simple, will + base form" structure is present. The consequence of "knowing what life is worth" is "you will look for yours on earth."

• We sick an' tired of your ism-skism game

  ➔ Adjective Phrase with "sick and tired of"

  ➔ "Sick and tired of" is an idiomatic adjective phrase expressing extreme annoyance or weariness with something. It's followed by a noun phrase, "your ism-skism game", indicating the object of their frustration. The usage of "an'" is a dialectal short for "and".

• You fool some people sometimes,yeah But you can't fool all the people all the time

  ➔ Present Simple; Modal Verb (can't); Parallel Structure

  ➔ The first clause uses the present simple to state a general truth. The second clause uses the modal verb "can't" to express impossibility. The phrase "all the people all the time" creates a parallel structure for emphasis, further strengthening the meaning of impossibility.