Galang dada, galang gwwaan yaw sah
Yu nevvah ad no life fi live
Jus' di wan life fi give
Yu did yu time 'pon earth
Yu nevvah get yu jus' dizert
Galang goh smile inna di sun
Galang goh satta inna di palace of peace

Oh di water it so deep
Di water it so dark
An' it full a harbour shark

Di lan' is like a rock
Slowly shattahrin to sun
Sinkin in a sea of calamity
Where fear breed shadows
Dat lurks in di dark
Where people fraid fi walk
Fraid fi tink fraid fi talk
Where di present is haunted by di pass

A deh so mi bawn
Get fi know 'bout staam
Learn fi cling to di dawn
An' wen mi hear mi daddy sick
Mi quickly pack an' tek a trip

Mi nevvah have no time when mi reach
Fi si no sunny beach wen mi reach
Jus' people a live in shack
People livin back-to-back
Mongst cackroach an' rat
Mongst dirt an' disease
Subjec to terrorist attack
Political intrigue, constant grief
An' no sign of relief

Oh di grass turn brown
So many trees cut doun
An' di lan' is ovahgrown
From country to town
Is jus' tissel an' tawn
Inna di woun a di poor
Is a miracle ow dem endure

Di pain nite an' day
Di stench of decay
Di clarin' sights
Di guarded affluence
Di arrogant vices
Cole eyes of kantemp
Di mackin' symbols of independence

A deh so mi bawn
Get fi know 'bout staam
Learn fi cling to di dawn
An' wen di news reach mi
Seh mi wan daddy ded
Mi ketch a plane quick

An' wen mi reach mi sunny isle
It was di same ole style
Di money well dry
Di bullits dem a fly
Plenty innocent a die
Many rivers run dry
Ganja planes flyin' high
Di poor man him a try
Yu tink a lickle try him try
Holdin' awn bye an' bye
Wen a dallah cyaan buy
A lickle dinnah fi a fly

Galang dada, galang gwwaan yaw sah
Yu nevvah ad no life fi live
Jus' di wan life fi give
Yu did yu time 'pon earth
Yu nevvah get yu jus' dizert
Galang goh smile inna di sun
Galang goh satta inna di palace of peace

Mi know yu couldn't tek it dada
Di anguish an' di pain
Di suffahrin' di problems di strain
Di strugglin' in vain
Fi mek two ens meet
So dat dem pickney coulda get
A lickle someting fi eat
Fi put cloths 'pon dem back
Fi put shoes 'pon dem feet
Wen a dallah cyaan buy
A lickle dinnah fi a fly

Mi know yu try dada
Yu fight a good fight
But di dice dem did loaded
An' di card pack fix
Yet still yu reach fifty-six
Before yu lose yu leg wicket
'A no yu bawn grung here'
So wi bury yu a Stranger's Burying Groun
Near to mhum an' cousin Daris
Not far fram di quarry doun a August Town