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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2023 January 11

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January 11[edit]

NO WOMAN NO CRY[edit]

I NEED A CLEAR STORY BEHIND THIS SONG BY Vincent Ford AMOSABRAHAM (talk) 08:13, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]

AMOSABRAHAM I found this - Huber, Chris (7 December 2021). "The Meaning of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry"". Extra Chill. Retrieved 11 January 2023., hope it's useful. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 08:35, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
1. Please try to avoid writing in all-caps in the future. It looks like you're screaming.
2. This should be Jamaican patois for "No, woman, don't cry!", so it's not as misogynist as it looks like at first glance. 惑乱 Wakuran (talk) 14:59, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure where you came up with what Bob Marley should have titled his song. He wrote it, he titled it what he did. There is no "should be" in this case. There are several well-referenced sentences in the Wikipedia article in question explaining how Marley came up with the specific lyric "No woman, no cry", and you (or anyone else) can follow those references to learn more. The attribution of the song to Vincent Ford is explained in that Wikipedia article; it is widely believed that Marley is the true author of the song, but for several reasons, including avoiding contractual obligations and throwing some extra money to Ford, who was a friend that likely needed the publishing royalties more than Marley. It's an interesting story that gets down to some of the business of music publishing. --Jayron32 19:38, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I think you misinterpret what "should be" is supposed to mean here. --Wrongfilter (talk) 20:12, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Uhmm, yeah. This is supposed to be Jamaican Patois, rather than regular English. Sorry it that was unclear. 惑乱 Wakuran (talk) 21:38, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
"Supposed to be" or "should be" or whatever near perfect synonym you wish to use in that case is still not appropriate here. "Supposed to be" still implies that Marley was somehow incorrect when he chose the title of his song. It's not a math problem, it's a creative endeavour, and as such, there is no "supposed to be" anything. There is just what he wanted to title his song, for whatever reasons he wanted to title it. --Jayron32 12:01, 12 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I think you are still misunderstanding this usage. Wakuran is saying that the title should be understood as being in Jamaican patois. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 15:34, 12 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
AH! Gotcha. Yes, I am an idiot. Ignore me, as you always should. --Jayron32 20:04, 16 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Wow, this is great. but even as that can you help out with the story behind this? thanks AMOSABRAHAM (talk) 16:16, 11 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]