Natty Rebel

• By: U-Roy
• Album: Original DJ

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
rebel /ˈrebəl/ B2	noun - a person who resists authority, control, or convention verb - to resist authority or control adjective - defying or resisting authority
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
capturer /ˈkæptʃərə(r)/ B2	noun - someone who captures something or someone
adventurer /ədˈventʃərə(r)/ B2	noun - a person who enjoys or seeks adventure
morning /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ A1	noun - the period of time between sunrise and noon
sun /sʌn/ A1	noun - the star that provides light and heat to Earth
hillside /ˈhɪlsaɪd/ B1	noun - the side of a hill
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A2	adjective - alive
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
work /wɜːrk/ A1	noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result verb - to do tasks
happy /ˈhæpi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - plural of child
blue /bluː/ A1	adjective - sad or depressed
talk /tɔːk/ A2	verb - to speak noun - conversation
gossip /ˈɡɑːsɪp/ B2	noun - casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true verb - engage in gossip
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of 24 hours as a unit of time
midday /ˈmɪddeɪ/ A2	noun - the middle of the day; noon

Grammar:

• I'm a rebel, soul rebel.

  ➔ Use of the indefinite article "a" before a noun indicating a general category (rebel).

  ➔ The singer identifies as a member of the group/category of 'rebels' and 'soul rebels'. "A" indicates a single member of that group.

• See the morning sun, the morning sun, On the hillside.

  ➔ Imperative form "See" used to draw attention, definite article "the" used to refer to a specific, shared point of reference.

  ➔ "See" is a command, urging the listener to observe. "The morning sun" implies a sun that both speaker and listener are aware of, or can easily locate. "On the hillside" specifies the location of the sun.

• If you're not living good, travel wide, You gotta travel wide.

  ➔ Conditional clause using "if" and the present continuous "you're not living", followed by an imperative sentence "travel wide". "Gotta" is a colloquial contraction of "got to", expressing obligation.

  ➔ This sentence expresses a condition and a corresponding action. "If" introduces the condition (not living well), and "travel wide" is the action that should be taken if the condition is true. "Gotta travel wide" reinforces the necessity of traveling.

• Said I'm a living man, And I've got work to do.

  ➔ Use of past participle "Said" as an introduction (non-standard English). "I'm" is a contraction of "I am", and "I've got" is used to express possession or obligation.

  ➔ "Said" acts as an introduction to the declaration. "I'm a living man" is a statement of being. "I've got work to do" shows responsibility or a purpose.

• If you're not happy, children, Then you must be blue,

  ➔ Conditional clause with "If", present continuous "you're not happy", and the modal verb "must" expressing a strong likelihood or deduction.

  ➔ This is another conditional statement. "If you're not happy" establishes the condition. "Then you must be blue" expresses a deduction about the emotional state, using "must" to show strong certainty. "Blue" is used metaphorically for sadness.

• I'm a rebel, let them talk, Soul rebel, talk won't bother me.

  ➔ Imperative "let them talk" followed by a negative statement "talk won't bother me" using the future tense (will).

  ➔ "Let them talk" is an expression of indifference, giving permission for the action to occur. "Talk won't bother me" is a statement asserting that the speaker is unaffected by others' opinions.

• Do you hear them lippy.

  ➔ Interrogative sentence structure with auxiliary verb "Do", colloquial use of "lippy" as an adjective (non-standard).

  ➔ "Do you hear" is the start of the question, prompting the listener for a response. "Lippy" is being used here to describe the people being discussed, suggesting they are being disrespectful or impertinent. It's a non-standard adjective.