Bob Marley's Song One Love Uses this Rasta Greeting and Turned it Into an International Anthem
Bob Marley's Song One Love
One Love
One Love
Let them pass their dirty remarks (One love)
There is only one question I’d really love to ask (One heart)
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?
Believe me
One love
What about the one heart?
One heart
What about…
Let’s get together and feel alright
….
Deeply based in the technique of moral persuasion this Rasta greeting turned international anthem, has the ability with it’s feel good tune to fool the listener that Bob is somehow less revolutionary in his call for ‘One love’. This is what has maybe led to the over use of the song in many of Jamaica’s tourist board advertisements telling assuring prospective visitors ‘to come to Jamaica and feel alright’.
As Marley asks what about the hopeless sinner who in the spirit of greed and dominance has step over and on mankind just to secure the future of his own? Such was the lyrical genius of Marley that he was able to pen lyrics that could be so easily internationally loved and renowned without appearing to be promoting revolution, rebellion and resistance.