No Women No Cry – English Lyrics

• By: Bob Marley

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and emotional journey with Bob Marley's iconic "No Woman, No Cry." This timeless reggae anthem offers a unique window into Jamaican Patois, particularly how the phrase "No, woman, nuh cry" beautifully translates to "No, woman, don't cry." Learning the song's lyrics allows you to grasp the nuances of Patois and appreciate its heartfelt message of hope and perseverance despite life's struggles, making it a powerful and special piece for language learners.

[English]

No woman, no cry

No woman, no cry

No woman, no cry

No woman, no cry

'Cause, 'cause

'Cause I remember when we used to sit

In a government yard in Trenchtown

Ob-Observing the hypocrites, yeah

Mingle with the good people we meet, yeah

Good friends we have, oh

Good friends we have lost

Along the way, yeah

In this great future

You can't forget your past

So dry your tears, I say, yeah

No woman, no cry

No woman, no cry, eh, yeah

Little darling, don't shed no tears

No woman, no cry, eh

Said, said, said I remember when we use to sit

In the government yard in Trenchtown, yeah

And then Georgie would make the fire lights, I say

Log would burnin' through the nights, yeah

Then we would cook corn meal porridge, I say

Of which I'll share with you, yeah

My feet is my only carriage, and so

I've got to push on through

But while I'm gone

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

Everything's gonna be alright

So, no woman, no cry

No woman, no cry

I say, oh little, oh little darlin'

Don't shed no tears

No woman, no cry, eh

No woman, no woman, no woman, no cry

No woman, no cry

One more time I've got to say

Oh little, little darlin'

Please don't shed no tears

No woman, no cry

No woman

No woman, no cry

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
woman /ˈwʊm.ən/ A2	noun - adult female human
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to produce tears from the eyes noun - the act of shedding tears
remember /rɪˈmɛm.bər/ B1	verb - to recall from memory
sit /sɪt/ A1	verb - to be seated
observe /əbˈzɜːrv/ B2	verb - to watch carefully
mingle /ˈmɪŋ.ɡl/ B2	verb - to socialize or mix together
fire /faɪər/ B1	noun - combustion producing heat and flames verb - to ignite or set on fire
burn /bɜːrn/ B1	verb - to produce heat and flames, or be on fire
cook /kʊk/ A2	verb - to prepare food by heating
share /ʃɛər/ A2	verb - to give a part of something to others
carriage /ˈkærɪdʒ/ B2	noun - vehicle used for transporting passengers
push /pʊʃ/ B1	verb - to exert force to move something away
future /ˈfjuːtʃər/ B1	noun - the time to come
past /pæst/ A2	noun - time that has already happened

Key Grammar Structures

• No woman, no cry

  ➔ Double negation for emphasis

  ➔ "No woman, no cry" uses a double negative to strongly emphasize the idea that without a woman, there is no reason to cry.

• I've got to push on through

  ➔ Present perfect tense with 'have got to' for obligation

  ➔ 'I've got to' expresses necessity or obligation to do something in the present.

• In this great future

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating a future time or condition

  ➔ Prepositional phrase 'In this great future' sets a context for what is to come.

• My feet is my only carriage

  ➔ Singular subject 'feet' with singular verb 'is' to indicate a metaphor

  ➔ 'Feet' is treated as a singular noun; the sentence metaphorically indicates that the speaker's only means of transportation is their feet.

• So, no woman, no cry

  ➔ Use of conjunction 'so' to indicate consequence or conclusion

  ➔ 'So' connects the previous thoughts with the conclusion that there is no need to cry.

• Observe the hypocrites

  ➔ Imperative verb 'observe' used as a command or advice

  ➔ 'Observe' is in the imperative form, giving advice or instructions to pay attention to hypocrites.

• So dry your tears

  ➔ Imperative verb phrase 'dry your tears' as a command or encouragement

  ➔ 'Dry your tears' is a command telling someone to stop crying and be strong.

• Remember when we used to sit

  ➔ Past habitual tense 'used to' for repeated past actions

  ➔ 'Used to' indicates a repeated or habitual action that happened in the past but no longer occurs.