You weren’t born to be a sufferer
Oh no my friend
And you don’t have to be a sufferer
Oh no my friend
Use your courage
Ambition and strength
And you can make it
Make it still be had
You weren’t born to be a poor pour
Oh no my friend
And you don’t have to be a loser
Oh no my friend
Keep on trying, Keep on trying my boy.
I know you’ll make it
Make it still be had
Oh no my friend
Oh no my friend
Keep on trying, Keep on trying my boy.
I know you’ll make it
Make it still be had
You weren’t born to be a sufferer
Oh no my friend
And you don’t have to be a sufferer
You don’t have to be a sufferer. That’s what The Tennors hoped to impart upon listeners when the song was released as a single in 1968. The song “Sufferer” was recorded in “Kingston, Jamaica at Studio One records” (Moskowitz 269). The Tennors formed this label to sponsor and finance their own endeavors, as well as the other aspirations of local artists. Reggae was a huge genre emerging in the Caribbean and America in the 1960s. The most famous composer was none other than Bob Marley and The Wailers.
In 1968, tragedy struck the group when Maurice Johnson was killed in an accident. The surviving members would continue on with their songwriting ambitions. Charismatic and incumbent front-man Ronnie Davis would file into the group soon after. The three would continue on to produce a plethora of Jamaican hits and memorable tracks. One of their most popular compositions is “Weather Report”, a piece that makes many illusions to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Only Boy in New York.” (Moskowitz 269) Simon and Garfunkel, like the Tennors both, focused on folk-style lyrics and rhythms. During 1968, Jamaica had seen a fair share of violence and dissent. “The much-talked-about ‘Rodney Riots’, aka ‘The October Riots’” (Hendricks) raged through the streets of Kingston. 1968 also marked the year that Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were both assassinated. Their deaths were difficult to bear worldwide, as the American civil rights movement became a pressing issue across the globe.
“You weren’t born to be a sufferer…oh no my friend.” (The Tennors). This lyric has a wide variety of connotations. From a literal sense, the singer hopes to impose upon his audience that this is never the case. However, beneath the simple bassline and matching drum rhythm could be so much more. Perhaps, this is a cultural reference to the outbreaks of violence and persecution stemming from the civil rights movement. This could be a call to ease the suffering of all and restore peace and unity among humanity. Finally, this could be an allusion to the passing of friend and former member Maurice Johnson. The bereavement could have been unbearable and this song served as a remedy to quell the sorrow.
“Use your courage, ambition and strength…and you can make it.” (The Tennors). The most beautiful motif featured in this song is wrapped in this verse. Courage, ambition and strength have always been the answer to adversity. You don’t have to remain imprisoned in sorrow and pain. These three liberators will lead you to happiness and freedom. While not all believe this, The Tennors emphatically do.
“I know you can make it.” (The Tennors) and “You don’t have to be a sufferer” (The Tennors) are repeated several times throughout the song. Perhaps, the true morale that Davis and Murphy wish to exude is that no matter what strife we are met with, we do not have to let it remain. The lack of specificity and the nebulous lyricism implies that this could be applied to any situation. No “you don’t have to be a sufferer, my friend” (The Tennors). You just need to believe you can rise above it. Whether you are suffering from: a mental illness, cultural persecution, physical ailment or simply a broken heart. The Tennors want to remind you, that everything can be okay if you truly want it to be.
Works Cited
Hendricks, Sharlene “Jamaica, 1968” Jamaica Observer 2012. Web.
Moskowitz, David V. Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Pg. 269. Greenwood Press, 2006. Print.
The Tennors. “Sufferer” Studio One, 1968. MP3.