Jewish Reggae

Christian Rock/Pop music has been around since the 1970s when Larry Norman pioneered the genre. Since then it has become a HUGE market encompassing all areas of music from rock to ska to punk to rap. There is a large popuplation of Jews in the US, so why wouldn’t there be Jewish music? Finally, our country has put enough of our prejudices aside that I heard Matisyahu’s single “King Without a Crown” on the pop radio station here in the Baltimore Area.

I bought his “Live at Stubb’s” CD last night and listened to it for the first time today in the car. It’s an awesome CD. When I heard the second track, “Chop ‘Em Down”, I knew it was about Moses as soon as I heard the word wilderness. Any Christian who has spent his formative years in Sunday school thinks of the Isrealites escaping Pharoah when they hear wilderness. That story is not only well known, but so often used as a metaphor that it’s an automatic association. Well, I thought the lyrics were well suited to the Passover/Easter season, so here they are!

From the forest itself comes the hand for the ax
Split this wilderness listen up this ain't where it's at
Clear a path so that you could find your way back
Chop 'em down, chop 'em down; chop 'em down, chop 'em down

Time flies by like clouds passing in the sky lifetimes hear and gone like the blink of an eye
March through this desert one-step at a time, march through the desert one step at a time

From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax,
Drop the staff Moshe rabbainu split the ocean in half,
March through the desert this ain't where it's at
Chop 'em down, Chop 'em down

Patterns engraved not so easily erased, still wandering trying to find your place
Playing the game I see pain on your face now a day's the yiddin like children sold as slaves
Strange ways running through the maze, strange ways always lost in the desert trying to
find to find your place lost in the desert trying to find your place

From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax,
Drop the staff Moshe rabbainu split the ocean in half,
March through the desert this ain't where it's at
Chop 'em down, Chop 'em down

Joseph descended sold as a slave,
thrown into a dungeon cause he wouldn't be swayed
Interpreted pharaoh's dreams and Egypt was saved
stock piled food for seven years of rain
then sold to all the nations when the drought came
Joseph rose to power and the yiddin stayed
They started to build and success was made
Pharos getting worried let's make them pay bound in chains
First born was sent down to their graves
Moshe was saved and a prince he was raised
Hashem spoke to him hears a message to relay
Take my Nation from Mitzrayim (Egypt) I see the suffering
Hard hearts ego breaks take sparks and make way
Trail blaze through the wasteland breaking the chains
Last generation just the ruminants
March through the desert leaving footprints
Peel off the lid this is just plastic, get into it, get into it
Heavy hitter stepping solid never quitter jump into the ocean before it split got a jump into it
Rip through Egypt rip through it,
get into it, 600,000 witnessed it, no you didn't forget
In the spiritual desert things are not what they seem
snakes camouflaged just fit the scene
Put your faith in a mirage it's just a smoke screen
The king is sitting on his thrown of glory