Slave Driver
Bob Marley · Catch a Fire
Catch a fire so you can get burned
Slave driver the table is turned
Catch a fire you're gonna get burned
Ev'ry time I hear the crack of the whip
My blood runs cold
I remember on the slave ship
How they brutalised our very souls
Today they say that we are free
Only to be chained in poverty
Good god, I think it's all illiteracy
It's only a machine that make money
Slave driver the table is turned
Slave driver the table is turned baby now
Catch a fire so you can get burned baby now
Slave driver the table is turned
Catch a fire so you can get burned
Ev'ry time I hear the crack of the whip
My blood runs cold
I remember on the slave ship
How they brutalised our very souls
Oh god have mercy on our souls
Slave Driver
Bob Marley's 'Slave Driver,' featured on the landmark 1973 album *Catch a Fire*, stands as a powerful testament to the Rastafarian message of liberation and resistance against oppression. Recorded during the artist's early years in Jamaica, the track blends traditional reggae rhythms with a driving, percussive groove that became a signature of the genre. The song's lyrics, delivered with Marley's distinctive vocal style, address the plight of the enslaved and call for freedom from both physical bondage and spiritual chains. As one of the earliest recordings on *Catch a Fire*, it helped establish the international profile of reggae music and underscored Marley's role as a global voice for social justice. The composition remains a cornerstone of his discography, reflecting the political and cultural fervor of the 1970s while maintaining its relevance as an anthem of unity and defiance.