Some A Holla, Some A Bawl

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark picture of hardship, contrasting the outward expressions of distress – "holler" and "bawl" – with the underlying realities of hunger and despair. The opening lines immediately establish a sense of widespread suffering, where even the "rain" becomes a metaphor for difficult times that people dislike. This isn't just about complaining; it's about the visceral impact of poverty, as seen in the "hungry belly pickney" whose cries are directed towards their parents, with hunger itself described as "one hum out of di belly just a crawl." The repeated phrase "Some of dem a holler, some a bawl" underscores a pervasive, almost cyclical, nature to this distress. The central tension emerges from the devastating impact of systemic issues on family life, exemplified by the father's imprisonment. His confinement is described with brutal detail: unable to secure "bail," forced to "peep through the rail," and sleeping on "cool concrete" with "paper for him sheet." This imagery of deprivation and helplessness is amplified by the repetition of "Roll up on di bumpin' an' him poncho," suggesting a grim, unchanging reality within the jail. The lyrics then return to the domestic fallout, showing the "baby mother, she a bawl," left to care for "seven pickney" and "band her belly," a powerful image of maternal struggle and scarcity. The most striking aspect of the writing is its direct, unadorned language, which amplifies the emotional weight. The use of Jamaican Patois lends an authentic, grounded feel to the narratives of struggle. The contrast between the external "holler" and the internal "crawl" of hunger, and the stark depiction of prison life versus the desperate situation of the "baby mother," creates a powerful sense of interconnected suffering. The scatting interludes, while abstract, serve to punctuate the raw emotion, offering moments of release or perhaps a mournful commentary on the bleakness. Ultimately, these lyrics resonate because they refuse to soften the edges of hardship. They present a clear, unflinching view of how external forces like incarceration and poverty directly fracture families and create cycles of distress. The effectiveness lies in the specific, sensory details – the cold concrete, the crawling hunger, the mother banding her belly – that make the abstract concepts of suffering and resilience feel deeply personal and immediate.