Fi free
Ef fi free mean you shut up
bikaaz me have sompm fi seh
Ef fi free mean you inna prison
so me no hafi fraid
se you difan inna wha you du an no du
Ef fi free mean fi fix up
tumaro by change up tiday
an mek it wan likkla day
Ef fi free mean fi lack up door
fi look pan screen an see
wah supuos fi hide weh
Ef fi free mean fi sleep comfatable
all di time bikaaz dem tek weh adda people tongue
Ef fi free mean fi eat weh you want wen you want
aldough dem trow weh di scrapsiz
inna newspiepa weh have hungry hide up in deh
Ef fi free mean fi no hafi know
wah mek me free wah kip me free
wah mek me stay free everyday
Ef fi free mean fi wait fi smaddy else
fi mek me no fraid fi notn weh me alwiez fraid fah
Ef freedom tek ova weh me a tink bout
ef freedom blow aalbout roun me an inside me
but you kyaa ketch it
Ef freedom shelta me from
wha you a tink wen me tink sompm difran
Ef freedom tidaylook so natral to me aldoughyou no know wha it mean
Den freedom a put crown pan mean a cut aaf fi you headden freedom a air an everybody can tek it
But paraps me can giweh some a fi me whole heap a
freedom
-ef aal a we she yes- eida fi lkkl time ar fi lang time
so you no hafi bear fi me freedom
weh a choke you
Marion Bloem
Jamaican translation by Velma Pollard
From English translation “Freedom” by Martin Cleaver