‘Get Up, Stand Up’ is a song written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. It originally appeared on The Wailers' 1973 album Burnin'. It was recorded and played live in numerous versions by Bob Marley and the Wailers, along with solo versions by Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. It was later included on the compilations Legend and Rebel Music, as well as live recordings such as Live at the Roxy among others. In 1973, ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ peaked at number 33 on the Dutch Top 40. In 1986, it peaked at number 49 in New Zealand.
‘Get Up, Stand Up’ is considered one of Marley's greatest songs. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it number one on their list of the 50 greatest Bob Marley songs, while The Guardian ranked it number two on their list of Marley's 30 greatest songs. In 1999, the 1973 recording of ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers on Island Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
This song is about taking action to avoid oppression. Marley wrote it with Peter Tosh, and the song was influenced by their upbringing in Jamaica, where they had to fight for respect and acceptance for their Rastafarian religion. Marley wrote the song while touring Haiti, deeply moved by its poverty and the lives of Haitians, according to his then-girlfriend Esther Anderson. The tune of the chorus is clearly based on the instrumental hook in ‘Slippin' into Darkness’ by War, which was released the previous year, a band Marley had expressed admiration for. The song was frequently performed at Marley's concerts, often as the last song.
This was the last song Marley performed; he sang it from a stool at a show in Pittsburgh on September 23, 1980. Marley's cancer had spread to his brain and it was surprising he could perform at all, but he did a 20-song set that night, closing with a 6-minute rendition of ‘Get Up, Stand Up,’ and collapsing soon after the show. He would die on May 11, 1981.
Labels – Tuff Gong, Island
Songwriters – Bob Marley, Peter Tosh
Producers – Chris Blackwell, The Wailers
SONG LYRICS
[Intro: The Wailers]Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
[Verse 1: Bob Marley]
Preacher man don't tell me heaven is under the earth
I know you don't know what life is really worth
It's not all that glitter is gold and
Half the story has never been told
So now you see the light, aay
Stand up for your right. Come on
[Chorus: The Wailers and Bob Marley]
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
[Verse 2: Bob Marley]
Most people think great God will come from the sky
Take away everything, and make everybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
You stand up for your right, yeah
[Bridge: The Wailers & (Bob Marley)]
Get up, stand up (Yeah, yeah)
Stand up for your right (Ohh-huuh)
Get up, stand up (Get up, stand up)
Don't give up the fight (Life is your right)
Get up, stand up(So we can't give up the fight)
Stand up for your right (Lord, Lord)
Get up, stand up (Keep on struggling on)
Don't give up the fight (Yeah)
[Verse 3: Peter Tosh]
We're sick and tired of your ism and schism game
Die and go to heaven in Jesus' name, Lord
We know and we understand
Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can't fool all the people all the time
So now we see the light
(What you gonna do?)
We going to stand up for our right
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
So you'd better...
[Outro: The Wailers]
Get up, stand up (In the morning, get it up)
Stand up for your right (In the night)
Get up, stand up
Don't give up the fight (Don't give it up, don't give it up)
Get up, stand up (Get up, stand up)
Stand up for your right (Get up, stand up)
Get up, stand up (Don't be a nigger in your neighborhood, yeah)
Don't give up the fight (Get up, stand up)
Get up, stand up (I don't think that should be very good, Lord)
(Get up, stand up)
Stand up for your right (Get up, stand up)
Get up, stand up (I said, don't be a nigger in your neighborhood, yeah)
Don't give up the fight