The Ballad of Still Le Ben

Jellee | WeLoveMusic

Jellee B

Jellee | WeLoveMusic

Authentic Roots Reggae, 1970s Golden Era Kingston Sound, Dub-Wise Roots

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V5.5

[INTRO]
[Heavy nyabinghi drum fill]
[Bassline enters with a deep, slow melodic run]
[Clavinet wah-wah scratches provide a gritty rhythm]

[VERSE 1]
[Riddim: sparse and heavy, focus on the bass and organ bubble]
[Melody: spoken-word style rhythmic delivery, very low-key]
Kingston heat make the air stand still
Everybody hustle just to pay another bill
White man walk up, but he nah look lost
Know the price of living and he know about the cost
Sit down on the crate by the domino game
Tell them "Still Le Ben" is the given name
He nah come to take, he just come to par
And before the first hour even pass in the yard...

[PRE-CHORUS]
[Horns enter with long, building minor chords]
[Vocal: ascending intensity, moving toward the major key]
When di German man arrive, (Oooh-oooh)
See the heavy yard come alive. (Come alive)
No more screwface, no more divide, (No divide)
Him fill up the place with the upful vibes... (Upful vibes!)

[CHORUS]
[Melody: anthemic roots-soul hook, triumphant and soaring]
[Instrumentation: Brass section stabs on every offbeat, massive sub-bass presence]
Still Le Bennn! (Still Le Ben!)
When di man come to mash up di place (Mash it up!)
He leave a permanent smile pon ya face (Smile pon ya face!)
Bring a healing to a heavy heart (Oooh-oooh)
A true-true bredda from the very start (From the start!)
Still Le Ben! (Still Le Ben!)
Still Le Beh-eh-en! (Yeah yeah yeah!)

[VERSE 2]
[Bassline becomes more intricate, "walking" around the root notes]
[Clavinet becomes more prominent]
Head was spinning round, couldn't see past the grind
Babylon system leave the people behind
So I reason with Ben just to look for the truth
He tell me 'bout the lessons from the days of his youth
Pouring out the wisdom, how the livity strong
Change the whole vibration, make me feel I belong
He chase away the worry and he lower my guard
And anytime the system try to conquer the yard...

[BRIDGE]
[Dub-wise section: all instruments drop out except for the deep bass and nyabinghi drums]
[Technique: Analog tape delay "echo-outs" on the final snare hits of each bar]
Him come to Jamaica from a place of cold logic (Cold logic...)
But he didn't bring the German vorsprung-durch-teknik
He brought a warmth like the bright island sun (Like the sun...)
Showing pure respect to every single one...

[FINAL CHORUS]
[Maximum roots energy, horns playing high-register fanfare]
Still Le Bennn! (Still Le Ben!)
When di man come to mash up di place (Mash it up!)
He leave a permanent smile pon ya face (Smile pon ya face!)
Bring a healing to a heavy heart (Oooh-oooh)
A true-true bredda from the very start (From the start!)
Still Le Ben! (Still Le Ben!)
Still Le Beh-eh-en! (Yeah yeah yeah!)

[OUTRO]
[Fading dub-wise riddim]
[Echo-drenched vocal fragments: "Upful... Respect..."]
[Final heavy bass note with long sustain]

2819/7500

[INTRO] [Heavy nyabinghi drum fill] [Bassline enters with a deep, slow melodic run] [Clavinet wah-wah scratches provide a gritty rhythm] [VERSE 1] [Riddim: sparse and heavy, focus on the bass and organ bubble] [Melody: spoken-word style rhythmic delivery, very low-key] Kingston heat make the air stand still Everybody hustle just to pay another bill White man walk up, but he nah look lost Know the price of living and he know about the cost Sit down on the crate by the domino game Tell them "Still Le Ben" is the given name He nah come to take, he just come to par And before the first hour even pass in the yard... [PRE-CHORUS] [Horns enter with long, building minor chords] [Vocal: ascending intensity, moving toward the major key] When di German man arrive, (Oooh-oooh) See the heavy yard come alive. (Come alive) No more screwface, no more divide, (No divide) Him fill up the place with the upful vibes... (Upful vibes!) [CHORUS] [Melody: anthemic roots-soul hook, triumphant and soaring] [Instrumentation: Brass section stabs on every offbeat, massive sub-bass presence] Still Le Bennn! (Still Le Ben!) When di man come to mash up di place (Mash it up!) He leave a permanent smile pon ya face (Smile pon ya face!) Bring a healing to a heavy heart (Oooh-oooh) A true-true bredda from the very start (From the start!) Still Le Ben! (Still Le Ben!) Still Le Beh-eh-en! (Yeah yeah yeah!) [VERSE 2] [Bassline becomes more intricate, "walking" around the root notes] [Clavinet becomes more prominent] Head was spinning round, couldn't see past the grind Babylon system leave the people behind So I reason with Ben just to look for the truth He tell me 'bout the lessons from the days of his youth Pouring out the wisdom, how the livity strong Change the whole vibration, make me feel I belong He chase away the worry and he lower my guard And anytime the system try to conquer the yard... [BRIDGE] [Dub-wise section: all instruments drop out except for the deep bass and nyabinghi drums] [Technique: Analog tape delay "echo-outs" on the final snare hits of each bar] Him come to Jamaica from a place of cold logic (Cold logic...) But he didn't bring the German vorsprung-durch-teknik He brought a warmth like the bright island sun (Like the sun...) Showing pure respect to every single one... [FINAL CHORUS] [Maximum roots energy, horns playing high-register fanfare] Still Le Bennn! (Still Le Ben!) When di man come to mash up di place (Mash it up!) He leave a permanent smile pon ya face (Smile pon ya face!) Bring a healing to a heavy heart (Oooh-oooh) A true-true bredda from the very start (From the start!) Still Le Ben! (Still Le Ben!) Still Le Beh-eh-en! (Yeah yeah yeah!) [OUTRO] [Fading dub-wise riddim] [Echo-drenched vocal fragments: "Upful... Respect..."] [Final heavy bass note with long sustain]

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