Song Discussion: "Them Belly Full"

Starting today, I want to start doing something new, where in each class we will listen to one song and analyze it using our understanding of the music production process. The goal is to pay attention to and learn about how some of the world's great artists have used the language of music to produce strong pieces of art. Specifically, we should be focusing on:

1. The instrumentation
2. The arrangement
   
3. The lyrics
   
4. The performance
   

Please watch and listen to a live performance of the song, "Them Belly Full" by Bob Marley.

Please note that Mr. Marley spoke what is called Patois, a common dialect of Jamaica. Patois is a form of English with strong African influences. In addition, in this song he also throws in some words and terms used by Rastafarians (not all Jamaicans are Rastafarians, by the way!). Sometimes it can be hard for non-speakers to make out all the words. Click here to check out the lyrics.

Questions:

• What is he talking about? What is the message of the lyrics?
• What kinds of instruments do you hear in the song?
  
• How does the music work to support the message (or not)?
• Do you think this is a successful piece of work? Does it get its message across?