Israelites – English Lyrics

• By: Desmond Dekker

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the story behind Desmond Dekker's iconic song "Israelites," a reggae classic that topped charts worldwide. Learn about the song's creation, its message of struggle and resilience, and its impact on popularizing Jamaican music. Explore the Jamaican Patois lyrics and uncover the cultural context that made this song a timeless anthem .

[English]

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir

So that every mouth can be fed

Poor, poor me, Israelites (ah-ah)

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir

So that every mouth can be fed

Poor, poor me, the Israelite

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

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

Poor, poor me, the Israelite

Shirt, them a-tear up, trousers are gone

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

Poor me, the Israelite

After a storm, there must be a calm

They catch me in the farm

You sound your alarm

Poor, poor me, Israelites, hey

I said I get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir

So that every mouth can be fed

Poor, poor me, Israelites, ah

My wife and my kids, they are packed up and leave me

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

Poor, poor me, Israelites, ah

Look, shirt, them a-tear up, trousers are gone

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

Poor a-poor me, Israelites, ah

After a storm, there must be a calm

They catch me in the farm, you sound your alarm

Poor, poor me, Israelites, hey-hey-hey

Poor, poor me, Israelites

Dem a wonder we not working so hard

Poor, poor me, Israelites

...

Key Vocabulary

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

Key Grammar Structures

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

  ➔ Present participle as an adjective

  ➔ Here, "slaving" acts as an adjective describing the state of the person "getting up". It implies continuous action. Equivalent to "getting up and slaving for bread."

• So that every mouth can be fed

  ➔ Subordinate clause of purpose with "so that"

  ➔ "So that" introduces a clause that explains the purpose of the action in the main clause. "Every mouth can be fed" is the desired outcome of "slaving for bread".

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

  ➔ Non-standard dialectal use of "a-" before verb

  ➔ The "a-" before "leave" is a feature of some dialects, particularly in the Caribbean and African American Vernacular English (AAVE). It doesn't have a specific grammatical function but emphasizes the action. Standard English would simply be "and leave me".

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

  ➔ Past tense with "to be + yours + to + infinitive" structure

  ➔ This structure implies a predetermined or destined role. "I was yours to receive" suggests the speaker believed it was her fate to be taken in or accepted by the person she's addressing. The "to + infinitive" functions as an adverbial of purpose or result.

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

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement issues in dialectal English, passive voice ("are gone")

  ➔ "Them a-tear up" demonstrates non-standard subject-verb agreement. In standard English, it would be "They are torn up". The use of "are gone" is a passive construction, implying the trousers are missing or lost.

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

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose after "want"

  ➔ "To end up" expresses the desired outcome or avoidance of a particular situation. The infinitive phrase "to end up like Bonnie and Clyde" clarifies what the speaker wishes to avoid.

• Dem a wonder we not working so hard

  ➔ Non-standard English: subject-verb agreement and omitted verb

  ➔ "Dem" is used as a subject pronoun instead of "they." The phrase "we not working" is missing the auxiliary verb "are," it should be "we are not working." The sentence in standard English would be: "They are wondering why we are not working so hard."