I have a few of Bob Marley’s songs in my repertoire, but have been listening closely to his music lately for a number of good reasons. Here is something I’ve just realized that stopped me in my tracks:
Don’t Worry I just sang carelessly for a while, getting the words of the first two lines of the verse wrong. Now I realize that I missed a universe of meaning in those two, seemingly simple, lines:
Rise up this morning
Smile with the rising sun
I italicized above the words I was getting wrong. I would sing them:
Woke up this morning
Smile at the rising sun
But how much was missed by not listening carefully enough!
Rise: Bob rose up; he did not simply open his eyes passively and enjoy the sunlight. He stood up and saw his doorstep. He probably walked over to it. This song represents a conscious, deliberate act.
With: Bob smiled with the rising sun. Not an accidental choice of words here, I think. For Bob, the sun was smiling too. The human and the sphere that sustains him were smiling together. They were friendly. Bob didn’t put a distance between him and the sun; I can almost imagine the two of them standing and even taking a drink together. I don’t know what Bob drank, but to me they were sharing a close, almost chummy, moment.
The three little birds also were singing one song – a melody pure and true. They were singing with and for Bob and the Sun.
The message for me: if we realize how ephemeral, illusory and interconnected life is we will not worry, because every little thing gonna be alright.
mightyturk 