I was lucky enough to see DD at university 20+ years ago, on a double bill with Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band.
 
Happy daze.

Whoa! Haven't heard this in like nearly 40 years.

Oh yes - the genuine article! What a groove, what a voice!

Polka put this up some years back:-

For all of you who wants to know

I get up in the morning slaving for bread sir,
so that every mouth can be fed,
Poor me, Israelites.
Mi wife an' ma kids they pack up an'a leave me,
"darling" she said "I was yours to recieve",
Poor me, Israelites.
Cho! shirt dem a tear-up, trousers a go,
I don' wan' to end up like Bonny and Clyde,
Poor me, Israelites.
After a storm there mus' be a calming,
you catch me in your farm, you sound your alarm,
Poor me, Israelites.
I get up in the morning stabbing for bread sir,
so that every mouth can be fed,
Poor me, Israelites.
Mi wife an' ma kids they pack up an'a leave me,
"darling" she said "I was yours to recieve",
Poor me, Israelites.
Cho! shirt dem a tear-up, trousers a go,
I don' wan' to end up like Bonny and Clyde,
Poor me, Israelites.
After a storm there mus' be a calming,
you catch me in your farm, you sound your alarm,
Poor me, Israelites.

Ain't heard this in a coon's age........about 6 coons' ages to be more precise.

More Desmond Dekker please

 ckcotton wrote: 
your b fell down.

Wow! Now that's a blast from the past.......

Surpurb

 Proclivities wrote: 
I definitely do remember hearing this on WABC - oh yeah...

First reggae song I ever heard. Of course in 1968, growing up in NYC, I had no idea there was such a thing as reggae.

 Frater_Kork wrote: 

For YEARS I thought that was what he was singing. LOL.

 gjeeg wrote: 

For forty years they wandered.

 Laurelia wrote: 

 Laurelia wrote:  
Thanks for re-posting that, but I don't believe there is a lyric about "ketchup in the morning".

Get up in the morning, slaving for bread, sir,
so that every mouth can be fed.
Poor me, the Israelite. Aah.

 Laurelia wrote: 
For those once again wondering what this song is about, I'll repost what I wrote in 2007. (I find if you didn't write it today, it seems to no longer exist).

 gjeeg wrote: 
Well, the Israelites, of course! Duh!

 gjeeg wrote: 
Yep, same here, though I've only wondered for a mere 30 years ;). There's a fair bit of dialect/slang in the song that I just can't figure. I'm guessing that it's about an ordinary Joe Schmoe doing an ordinary boring job every boring day and staying straight to keep the family going, despite the temptations of crime ("I don' wanna end up like Bonnie & Clyde"). Love the sound, but a translation would be nice.

yeah but what the f**k is this song about?
For forty years I've wondered.

The hills are alive?

One more time. . . 

Ooooooh Ooooooh . . . my ears are alight.

Discovered this in college and fell in love with it. It's been a while. Thanks for dusting this one off RP.

 jagdriver wrote: 
Sorry, but I'm listening to it coming through the static of the metal bullhorn speaker over the stools in the burger place across the street from Bowl-a-rama, right down the street from Putt Putt. I'm eating some cold greasy crinkle-cut fries with plenty of ketchup and the speaker just finished playing "Band of Gold." Life is good, although I don't know it yet.

This is now on the recent cd version of Jimmy Cliff's Harder They Come.

 voicers wrote: 

That's so funny, voicers.  I was just about to comment that this song kicks ass.  I didn't catch the whole set but, "this song kicks ass!"

Kick ass set, Bill!

 polymerchm wrote: 

I don't remember Bruce Morrow, or anyone else on WABC-AM, ever playing this tune.  Not that he didn't - I just don't recall.  I do remember Cousin Brucie though.

 jagdriver wrote: 
Yeah, it smelled like dye and ozone!

I had one of those, and a "Wizard" 9 volt radio from Western Auto. I taped the Wizard to my bicycle handlebars, so I could listen to the "hits" while I cruised the neighborhood on my 20" Stingray bike. Seems like Heaven, from here.

I still have the 45 of this I bought in while still in school.....