Song Meaning
The lyrics open with a stark, repeated declaration: "Every hoe ha dem stick a bush." This phrase is immediately followed by a rapid-fire list of contrasting attributes, from "big or it small" to "pretty or it ugly," setting up a scene of universal, diverse possession. The tone is direct, almost confrontational, yet observational.
The core tension lies in the blunt, perhaps colloquial, initial statement being juxtaposed with a series of profound natural proverbs. The phrase "Every hoe ha dem stick a bush" suggests a universal, perhaps hidden, aspect or resource each individual possesses. The subsequent variations ("bent or it straight") emphasize that this inherent quality comes in all forms, defying simple categorization.
The lyrical craft truly shines in the transition from the personal observation to the universal wisdom of the proverbs. Lines like "All breeze don't blow the same direction" and "Where the river run once it will run twice" elevate the initial statement, suggesting that the "stick a bush" isn't just a random possession but an inherent, diverse truth, much like the immutable laws of nature. This shift in perspective grounds the human experience in broader, cyclical patterns.
These lyrics are effective because they take a potentially crude or judgmental initial statement and transform it into a meditation on diversity and inherent nature. By framing the "stick a bush" within the context of natural laws – "Sun rises from the east - down in the west" – the lyrics imply that everyone has their own unique, perhaps defining, characteristic or resource, and that this is as fundamental and varied as the natural world itself. The repetition of the core phrase at the end reinforces this idea as an undeniable, cyclical truth.
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