No Woman No Cry

Then again, Bob Gibson also said "simplistic" when he obviously meant "simple".

Kerri-Anne....I think we all agree with you when you say he was a musical genius. He has touched so many of us with his music.

I can't believe how many people have drastically different interpretations, and are so adamant that they are right. I believe that there is one meaning, and I would agree with Mr. Gibson. If you have no woman to love, you may have many things, but your heart is empty. There is a fullness in being a man, but without the love and emotion, even crying inherent in relation, what do you really have? Beautiful words that every man should be in contact with. Man's struggle. No woman, no cry.

Newfam, I haven't really scrutinized the lyrics enough to have a strong opinion, but it would seem that most here disagree with you and Mr. Gibson. In any case, you shouldn't be surprised at all that there are so many drastically different interpretations. It is the very nature, perhaps even the definition of poetry that it resonates with many people on many different levels, even beyond the intent and expectations of the poet.

I agree with Mathew:
"he definetly means; woman, dont cry."

i think its all about what the song means to you. this is what it means to me. it could in fact be the political points stated, but its not what i think of when i hear it.
But it most definetly does NOT mean " if you dont have a woman you wont cry."

i dont know if this question is still wanted to be answered but i agree with mellee. bob marley had cancer that started in his foot , which eventually led to his death. he says in the song "my feet is my only carriage, so i've got to push on through. But while im gone..." so he's probably just telling his wife and/or other women to not cry over his death. and the rest of the song is just him recounting his good memories of the past before he dies. its very clear if you know about the cancerous foot part.

I belive that this song (No women no cry )been played by Boony Am team.I belive that the meaning of this song is (Requesting his women ,not to cry).(No ,Women Dont cry )

no woman dont cry, the woman in his song has seen the oppression, poverty, and trials he has. he is comforting her. they share the same past.

the message of the song is life is hard if your not a woman dont cry and get on with it.

The meaning of the song is simple.

"No womman, please don't (no) cry"

It's a song about after he's gone he doesnt wasnt people esspecially women to cry over him because as it say it the song "everything is gonna be alright"

That's my personal belief of the song. Your's my differ.

Woman meant World. As in the sum of folks.
It has nothing to do with a woman. As in a unit.
Since everyone comes from one. It zeroes down to woman.
Now that is a take I have had for 15yrs.
Interestingly vast variations on the significance.

This song can be seen in many ways....I'm positive that it did not mean if you have no one you will not cry. Listening to the lyrics will give you that much. I agree with Rasta Gial, it's about the struggles of Jamaica. He says "in this bright future you can not froget the past" which i think he i s saying that Jamaica will have a good future but it's past will always shape it. Also anyone who keeps sayin ghtat it's about having no one, will make you not cry should see bobmarley.com
I fyou truly love bob marley and his music you will do research berfore opening your mouth.
I understand you have your opinions but that's not what sumi was asking she wanted a reliable answer, with some researhable background.

Sumi go to bobmarley.com and see for yourslef.
I have a friend that is fighting with me now, he says bob marley's music is pointless, I lost total respect to him as a singer.....he doesn't have to like the music but the message of untiting the world threw music and other thingks bob marley stood for should make him want to at least understand the words....lets se if i can change his mind!!! ;-)

he means: no my dear, please no tears! Buts its cool that is sort of also implies that if you don't have a woman you don't have to put up with their insane poo :)

i cant be botherd to read all your comments but the real meaning of ''no woman no cry is very different''!! first of jamaicans speak jamaican bt in a recent times (as with alot of the world) they have half adopted english. the meaning of no woman no cry is that as jamaicans and esp rasta's hate babylon, and the white british, this song was written against the queen of england when jamaica were under british power.... no woman (the queen) no cry! so when they arnt ruled by the british queen they are happy!! this is the true meaning!! jah live

I got a snake, man!

I read that the way it's supposed to be pronounced is No woman...nuh cry.
It's a poor translation.
Nuh meaning "Dont"...
It means No woman, don't cry.

I think he is talking about a woman and tells her not to cry when he wont be around

My family is Jamaican it definately means no woman nuh (don't) cry, because the song is about nostalgia about lost loved ones, and there is even a lyric in the song that says dry your tears...
but when i was really little i thought it meant that too until my dad explained it lol

He means he has his penis in a womens dirty mouth (Trenchtown) and she is crying. He tells her stop crying and let him cum in her mouth and swollow cause it will taste like cornmeal parridge. He goes on to say he doesn't have a car (carraige) and his feet are infected so he uses a wheelchair to get around. People won't help him get around but want his money so he observes those hypocrites. Georges is real a porn actress that he befriended and taught him all he knew about singing. As she taught him she would light a fire so he could stay warm as they practiced late into the night.
That is the true version just any True Rausta Mon!

Obviously.

i hope sumi has got the answer. although i'm an indian, still i'd like to post. considering dear bob's other songs, his genre and his (assumed) thoughts he has most obviousy sung for the women. he has identified with them, their sufferings and have supported and consoled them by telling them not to cry.
please refrain from misunderstanding him

jumbulia. your thought is indeed dirty and filthy!!
this quite reveals how nasty a person you are!!!!

i condemn people like you!!!

oh no!! Jumbulia! You've been condemned!!!!!

The correct meaning of the song "No Woman No Cry"
is:
If you do not have a girlfriend/signifigant other, you will not cry over the pain and suffering she may cause you to have. As in when you break up, when you fight, etc. Bob is saying that if you do not have a relationship, you will not have a bad relationship. It's actually quite a pessimistic song, but it's very good in the same regard.
=] Hope this helps you out!!!

myspace.com/lorid7790

the song is about hardship... but the line "no woman no cry" more broadly implies that to whoever is experiencing hard times, man or woman, don't cry, don't fret, keep your head up and stay positive... because "everything is gonna be alright"

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1744

Try this explanation, Sumi.

No woman, no cry means if you don't have a woman you won't suffer all the problems a relationship brings. For some reason men think women are complicated! :) So if you don't have a woman, maybe you are coasting along feeling ok, but maybe you miss some of the great highs, too. But that's just my opinion. There is a great visualization of this here: http://www.mwilliams.info/images/MenVsWomen550.jpg

Anyone who takes 5 minutes to read the lyrics would understand that the meaning is "No, woman, don't cry." Whether the "woman" relates to his lady, women in general, or the queen is open for debate, but it's painfully obvious that the song has NOTHING to do with the notion that if you don't have a woman, you'll have nothing to cry about.

If only Bob Marley had put a comma before the direct address in the title, nobody would be confused ...

"is taken from one of bobs friends that was dying in hospital the mans wife was cry by his bed side and the dying man held her face in her hand and said.."no woman!....no cry!.." bob was toucjed by this and wrote the song in memory of his friend."

This is the most common explanation of the song, but it leaves out that what Bob is actuall saying is "No Woman, Nuh Cry". In the Jamaican language "Nuh" means "Don't". So he was telling his woman not to cry over his impending death.

why did he not write the lyric ,No woman nuh cry in the first line then make it easy to the listener by writing the next line as No woman don't cry.......compromise, no need to sell out

James Warrior, when you put the line No woman no cry out of context your explanation would be flawless, but you are wrong, some people have already given a pretty clear analyse of the song so I wont bother.

Sign: uwfgv Hello!!! khctf and 407xhbyfwwuus and 2547 My Comments: Great!

Hank, James Warrior is not "wrong", there is no such thing as an incorrect interpretation. I may disagree with his interpretation, but that does not make it wrong ; )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Woman,_No_Cry

Simple as this... the dialect he originally used was "No woman, Nuh Cry." In Jamaican dialect, the "nuh" means "don't". He's telling a woman not to cry, not to shed a tear, and that everything is going to be alright.

Originally no, woman, nuh cry. And "nuh" in Jamaican English means "don't".

No, woman, don't cry. Everything will be all right. I'll be back, things will get better, don't cry. I love you.

I think this is what he meant. It's beautiful and like all his songs, it comes out of his experience, carrying his energy and if we listen, we cannot help but be moved by it.

Hah Hah, it's only a punctuation marks question!
Please keep it simple. The answer is:
No, woman, no cry
No cry woman, please not to cry.
That's all.

I was reading somewhere i cant remember.
but Bob Marley and the Wailers original recording of this song is from a live gig in London. and it was apparently originally titled "no woman nuh cry" and anyone who knows better correct me if im wronge. but i believe 'nuh' translates from native jamaican to 'do not' or dont. so if im not mistaken the song would be "No woman, do not cry" which i believe to be a line of comfort for the woman. the song is about the trenchtown living.

admittingly, havent read the above answers, but:
The title and main refrain, "No Woman, No Cry", would be rendered "No, woman, nuh cry" in Jamaican Patois. The "nuh", which makes a shorter vowel sound for "no", is the equivalent of the contraction "don't".[5] from wikipedia

Would you morons stop beating a dead horse. This question has been answered over and over already! Get a clue!

I want it to mean, if you don't have a woman, you don't need to cry about it. And I'm going even further with: no man, no cry! So there!!!

I urgently need Dr. Azer Naji's email address for research purposes. She has posted a message in this site. Is there any way to find her email address? Thanks

It means "No, Woman, Don't Cry".

Consider the original lyrics:

"No woman no cry, no woman no cry
Little darling, don't she'd no tears, no woman no cry"

think of it this way, a woman is in deep pain, and crying, bob was telling her, no woman, or dont woman or stop woman , nuh cry, meaning dont cry.. NO WOMAN NO CRY.. judging from the context of the song, shes singing this to a woman not for a man to dont cry without a woman..

Bob is bascially tell ing his love ones do not worry although he moving on to greater things he will not forget the pass and he will always be there they will be alright.

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.

Said - said - said: I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in trenchtown,
Oba - observing the hypocrites
As they would mingle with the good people we meet.
Good friends we have, oh, good friends weve lost
Along the way.
In this great future, you cant forget your past;
So dry your tears, I seh.

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
ere, little darlin, dont shed no tears:
No, woman, no cry.

Said - said - said: I remember when-a we used to sit
In the government yard in trenchtown.
And then georgie would make the fire lights,
As it was logwood burnin through the nights.
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge,
Of which Ill share with you;
My feet is my only carriage,
So Ive got to push on through.
But while Im gone, I mean:
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right!
I said, everythings gonna be all right-a!
Everythings gonna be all right!
Everythings gonna be all right, now!
Everythings gonna be all right!

So, woman, no cry;
No - no, woman - woman, no cry.
Woman, little sister, dont shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry.

I remember when we used to s

No woman no cry means No! woman, don't cry. The absence of the punctuation can lead the listen to interpret it in a variety of ways, but if listened in context, the meaning becomes clear.

Jamaican patois is a distinctive language or dialect - just as English is - which uses words from many other languages including English and French and has its own form of grammar. It is far more flexible and creatively oriented than many other languages. There are numerous variations of Jamaican patois and local accents, just as there are local accents and dialects in England.

The history of English is similar. It started out as dozens of disparate dialects, which were each used to be able to distinguish outsiders from locals and communicate in a spoken "code" unintelligible to the King's tax collectors.

Originally the song was titled "No Woman, Nuh Cry" or "Woman, Nuh Cry" (if I recall correctly) and it means "Woman, don't cry", but the title was Anglicized for the convenience of non-Jamaicans as the popularity of Bob Marley's music exploded outside Jamaica. The most plausible explanation for the song's meaning (in my opinion) is that Jamaica (in Rastafari belief, woman is the god of life) shouldn't cry while he (Bob Marley) is gone (on tour?) or is going to be gone (when he dies - he had predicted his early demise around this time).

The references to Trench Town are to provide some context and describe the life of desperate poverty and suffering in Kingston's best known slum.

"Everyt'ing's gonna be a'right"

Eventually, English language was, by necessity, standardized as what is now known as Britain was consolidated under the power of a single kingdom.

The Holy Bible as we know it today is just a consolidation of numerous texts, many of which were not included in the final consolidated version of the Bible. Powerful Christian leaders decided which books would be included in the standardized Bible and which would be left out.

Perhaps the influence of globalization will eventually accelerate the process of linguistic standardization of Jamaican patois, but I doubt it because it is largely a spoken language with limited opportunity for outside influence due to the location being an island and the difficulty non-Jamaicans experience in understanding the language.

I thought that no women no cry was bob's song to his wife, rita when she became suspicious of his alledged mistresses. The song explain to her that there was no other women so don't cry about it. He goes on reminicing all the hard/old/good times they had together that meant more to him than any other women.

As a Jamaican and reading the lyrics, it is obvious that he is telling his woman not to cry. Not sure about what though, I am not really a big fan.I think it is basically a reflective song. Oh, and Patois(the Jamaican dialect), pronounced Pat-wa, is a mixture of English, French, African tribal languages among other languages. This was because there was a language barrier in the days of slavery and they all needed to communicate(slaves and slavemasters) so they developed a hybrid english language basically.

what ever the meaning it still is 1 of the greatest anthems ever created by a man that i am sure is sitting at the table next to god !!.... also i guess there is no wrong answer... what u believe it means has some connections to the feelings this song gives you

so guys NO WOMEN NO CRY!!!

Original title is "Nuh woman don't cry. Nuh in jamaica means, "Hey"...it means hey woman don't cry. This song is for his friend Tartar, where tartar help bob marley (giving food and shelter). The woman who is georgie is always crying because the slum that they are living, in trenchtown is going to be demolished.

WTFC!

Georgie is still alive and well though ageing rapidly. I had the good fortune of meeting Georgie at Bob Marley's house (56 Hope Road, Kingston) in August 2012. At the house there is a mural of Georgie on the wall captioned "Georgie keep the fire light".

I always thought the meaning was:
No woman, no misery.
So without a woman you're better off.
I like that one better than the actual meaning......
(PS: I'm not a homosexual!)

it means 'no woman! dont cry!' in jamaican patois or creole..... pls dnt get confused the 2nd 'NO' stands for 'dont'

It means "Please don't cry, my love".
When I'm away looking for a living in the post WW2 society of Jamaica, don't shed a tear.
For everything's gonna be alright, and we'll eat cornmeal porridge together later this night. Trust me.

This song is about love, and how a man reassure his spouse ... it's never about breaking up, it's never about abusing of women

I thought it mean if a boy don't involve themself with girl , they won't ever get hurt and you know won't never cry .

"No woman No cry" contrary to social belief is about telling a woman that she shouldn't cry. The idea that we have about a man not crying if he doesn't have a woman,or the famous one "if a man doesn't have a woman he doesn't have reason to cry,because he doesn't have a woman to cause him pain(emotionally) or to stress him out".
Many people taught that's what it meant. But really and truly its only saying that women shouldn't cry because of hardships.
And also the woman in the song specifically:In the song the man is a travelling minstrel telling his woman he will come back for her.
"So dry your eyes I say, and while I'm gone
everything is going to be alright
everything is going to be alright now
no woman no cry, no woman no cry".

I’ve thought that the meaning is “There is no woman who does not cry”.

And when he said "so dry your tears," that wasn't clear enough for you, genius...?

it´s like say: "without woman, there isn´t cry".

I always thought it meant, ‘if he doesn’t have a woman, he won’t cry,’ as in, having his or a woman causes him pain and tears, not having one spares him the pain that comes to him in a relationship...

The lyrics say:
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
'Ere, little darlin', don't shed no tears:
No, woman, no cry.

So it means No, Woman, don't cry

It's a song of romantic and kindred love about a man reminiscing about the time he left his home, his close friends and his girlfriend to find work elsewhere. He reflects about his close friendships, despite their poverty (he lives in a poor ghetto, namely the "government yards in Trenchtown"). His imminent departure makes his girlfriend cry; and the man comforts her ("little sister don't shed no tear; no woman, no cry" meaning "please don't cry").

The song is from Bob Marley's real life. He assigned the lyrics copyright to his friend so that he could continue to "cook corn meal porridge" for the poor residents.

The song has a political implication, due to its frankness about poverty and its celebration of people's strength in that situation. That's the point of comparing "hypocrits" to the "good people".

The meaning of the repetition of "no woman, no cry" isn't apparent from reading the lyrics. If you listen to the song you'll hear it start as a request (as in "please don't cry") and end as a statement of women's strength (as in "you are so strong you never cry"). Note that the woman is the strong person here: she is being left behind in the ghetto, presumably to keep their home whilst he sends her his earnings.

The multilayered meanings, the subtle messages despite the simple lyrics, the subtle but simple-sounding playing -- all are reasons why this song is still so loved, despite being over 40 years old.

i started getting the idea that it could be that without a woman there is no cry of a child. No woman, no cry also could be said "No woman, no child".

Bob Marley wrote this song for his sister, the words 'no, woman, no cry' are literally telling his sister not to cry. He is reminding her of happy memories when they would make cornmeal porridge by a fire light, he is reminding her that everything will be alright

It speaks to rise of Rastafarianism after the earthquake in 1907. Georgie is King George V of England. This was a very troubling time for Jamaica. And it laments the trouble the common people were going through. Marley would have been very familiar with this times as told to him by his parents and grand parents and everyone around him. The song is a lament to not cry- for better times will come, and remember the good times we had.