Israelites

• By: Desmond Dekker

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
morning /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ A1	noun - the period of time between sunrise and noon
slaving /ˈsleɪvɪŋ/ B2	verb - working very hard
bread /bred/ A1	noun - food made of flour, water, and yeast mixed together and baked
mouth /maʊθ/ A1	noun - the opening in the face used for eating and speaking
fed /fed/ A1	verb - past tense of feed; to give food to
poor /pʊr/ A1	adjective - lacking sufficient money to live comfortably
Israelites /ˈɪzriəˌlaɪts/ B2	noun - descendants of Jacob; ancient Hebrew people
wife /waɪf/ A1	noun - a married woman
kids /kɪdz/ A1	noun - children
packed /pækt/ A2	verb - filled a bag or container with items for travel
darling /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/ A2	noun - a term of endearment
receive /rɪˈsiːv/ B1	verb - to get something
shirt /ʃɜːrt/ A1	noun - a garment worn on the upper body
tear /tɪr/ B1	verb - to damage by pulling apart
trousers /ˈtraʊzərz/ A1	noun - pants
gone /ɡɔːn/ A2	adjective - no longer present; departed
end /end/ A2	verb - to finish; to stop
storm /stɔːrm/ A2	noun - a violent weather condition with strong winds and rain, snow, etc.
calm /kɑːm/ B1	noun - a state of peace and quiet adjective - not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other emotions
catch /kætʃ/ A2	verb - to seize or take hold of
farm /fɑːrm/ A1	noun - an area of land and its buildings used for growing crops and rearing animals
alarm /əˈlɑːrm/ B1	noun - a warning sound or signal verb - to frighten or disturb
working /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ/ A1	verb - to exert effort to do, make, or perform something
hard /hɑːrd/ A1	adjective - solid, firm, and difficult to break, bend, or pierce adverb - with great effort

Grammar:

• Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir

  ➔ Present participle as adjective/adverb

  ➔ "Slaving" is a present participle acting as an adverbial modifier, describing how he gets up in the morning. It means he gets up while slaving for bread. This shows a simultaneous action.

• So that every mouth can be fed

  ➔ Subordinate clause of purpose using "so that"

  ➔ "So that" introduces a clause expressing the purpose of the action. In this case, the purpose of slaving is "that every mouth can be fed".

• My wife and my kids, they packed up and a-leave me

  ➔ Non-standard English: Omission of "have" in present perfect tense and "a-" prefix (dialectal)

  ➔ Standard English would be "My wife and my kids, they *have* packed up and *have* left me." The "a-" before "leave" is dialectal, likely Jamaican Patois, indicating continuous or progressive aspect (similar to "are leaving").

• Darling, she said, "I was yours to receive"

  ➔ Past tense passive voice in an indirect quote / Reported Speech

  ➔ The original statement was likely "I am yours to receive." In reported speech, the tense shifts back to the past. The passive construction emphasizes that she was an object to be received, not the actor.

• Shirt, them a-tear up, trousers are gone

  ➔ Non-standard English: Omission of copula ("is/are"), topicalization, "a-" prefix (dialectal)

  ➔ Standard English: "My shirt, it is being torn up; my trousers are gone." Topicalization: "Shirt" is placed at the beginning for emphasis. The "a-" before "tear" is the same dialectal feature as before, suggesting progressive aspect: they are in the process of being torn.

• I don't want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose following "want"

  ➔ "To end up like Bonnie and Clyde" explains *why* he doesn't want something. It expresses the purpose he wants to avoid. "Want" is often followed by an infinitive to express a desired action or state.

• After a storm, there must be a calm

  ➔ Modal verb "must" expressing certainty/necessity (philosophical)

  ➔ Here, "must" isn't a strict obligation, but conveys a strong belief or expectation that calm *will* inevitably follow a storm. It's a statement of a general truth or principle.