Euphemism as Sweet Talking

4.3.1. Euphemism as Sweet Talking

Growing up in the rural Parish of St.Ann and urban Kingston, Bob Marley was exposed to the rural proverbs and street language which he later on utilized in his songs. They are his richness to become a lyrical genius. He found some creative and artistic ways in depicting the phenomenon of life deliberately to the people. And one of them would be euphemism. There are some dos and dont in the society which need to be considered. Therefore in discussing a certain issue, a singer tends to use euphemism as sweet talking to soothe the roughness and vulgarity. Clear example of sweet talking can be found in Bob Marleys songs like Stir It Up, Easy Skankin, Kaya, and Pimpers Paradise. Stir it up, little darlin,stir it upcome on babystir it up...Ill push the woodthen I blaze your fireThen Ill satisfy your hearts desireSaid I stir it every minuteall you got to dois keep it in baby...quench mewhen Im thirstycome on and cool me down when Im hotyour recipe is darlinis so tastywhen you show and stir your pot Stir It Up Excuse me while I light my spliffOh God I gotta take a liftFrom reality I just cant driftThats why Im staying with this riff Easy Skankin Got to have kaya nowGot to have kaya nowGot to have kaya nowFor the rain is falling Kaya A pimpers paradisethats all she was nowA pimpers paradise thats all she was...she loves to model up in the latest fashionShes in the scramble and she moves with passionShes getting high, trying to fly the skyNow shes bluesing when there aint no blues Pimpers Paradise Stir It Up is Bob Marleys most seductive love song about love making. To soften the vulgarity and the taboo, in the chorus he employs the image of cooking to depict the circular, up and down motion of love making stir it up little darling. 61 Furthermore he makes a good parable of mans and womans genital to wood and pot so they would sound polite. The way he used those euphemism 61 Dawes, Kwame. Bob Marley Lyrical Genius, p. 62. and parables makes the song sounds good and far from the sense of vulgarity. Easy Skankin and Kaya are Bob Marleys two relax songs about smoking ganja, enjoying reggae music and treating each other with respect. They depict the 1970s Jamaican Rastafarian drug culture. As what has been explained before that the Rastas use marijuana or ganja as sacrament and ritualized it as part of their daily life. 62 Rastas cite many Biblical references to the herb in their defense of its use in ceremony as well as daily life. It is seen as the gift from Jah to humans which help them to see truth and increase understanding of Jah. 63 Bob Marley was very aware of the illegal status of marijuana in Jamaica. Thus avoiding detection was an everyday activity for him and many Rastas. In his songs he would employ euphemism to address the issue. In these two songs he replaced the word ganja or marijuana with spliff and kaya. Pimpers Paradise is speculated by some, like Dawes and Moskowitz to be ambiguous. As the writer can see, basically Pimpers Paradise is a song about the selling of self or prostituting of self that points to the failure of integrity. It refers to either a generic woman or specific woman, either a prostitute or Jamaica in a larger sense. In the context of euphemism as sweet talking, Pimpers Paradise is a more subtle way of calling the prostitute a whore or bitch. The pimper is the pimp, and the prostitute constitutes a paradise for the pimp. 64 It is speculated that the song is specifically addressed to one of Bob Marleys girlfriends since he involved in several love affairs in the peak of his career. It depicts the life of a woman who has cultivated a drug habit, who models for a 62 Moskowitz, David. The Words and Music of Bob Marley, p. 88. 63 Worth, D.S. Rastaman Vibration: The Rhetoric of Bob Marley, p. 23. 64 Dawes, Kwame. Bob Marley Lyrical Genius, p. 295. living and was a part of the jet set, and whose ego is causing her undoing. 65 In a larger metaphorical context through a close reading, Pimpers Paradise may refer to Jamaica as well. The IMF deals which had been made during that time period causing Jamaica heading down a path of prostitution. 66 Self-reliance on foreign countries had allowed Jamaica to sell itself. Its natural resources are being exploited for the advantage of others. Similarly, The Black Brothers clearly employs euphemism as sweet talking in their songs about Pramuria prostitute like Kisah Seorang Pramuria The story of a prostitute, Cinta dan Pramuria, Love and a prostitute, Doa Pramuria The prostitutes prayer, Untukmu Pramuria To you O prostitute, Balada Pramuria Ballads of prostitute, Pramuria Tapi Biarawati Prostitute but nun, Juwita Malam Night Angel and Melati Plastik Plastic Jasmine. They refer to either a generic woman andor a specific woman. It is speculated that those songs except the last two are based on a true love story between Hengky, The Black Brothers lead vocal and his girlfriend who used to be a prostitute. In the context of euphemism as sweet talking, Pramuria prostitute Juwita Malam Night Angle, Kupu-kupu malam Night Butterfly, and Melati Plastik Plastic Jasmine are a more subtle way to call a prostitute than a whore or bitch. Those songs describe about how the two lovers were being excluded and alienated by the society because of their love affairs. Hengky, as the singer positioned himself as a pro-feminist who would treat the prostitute in a right way by taking her as his lover. He against the society who have dehumanized her being as a mere object of mans satisfaction and a sinner. 65 Moskowitz, David. The Words and Music of Bob Marley, p. 107. 66 Dawes, Kwame. Bob Marley Lyrical Genius, p. 297. In a larger metaphorical sense like Bob Marleys Pimpers Paradise, those songs about prostitute generates another layer of meaning. Through a close reading, it can be concluded that they actually refer to Indonesia in general and Papua in specific. Just like Jamaica, Indonesia as one of the third world countries would economically depend on foreign countries through the loans from IMF and the World Bank. This self-reliance had caused Indonesia to sell its natural resources to be controlled and exploited by foreign countries. Indonesia may be heading down a path of prostitution in this sense as well. The signing contract between Indonesia and American Mining Corporation, Freeport in 1967 67 might lead to a massive exploitation which makes Papua as a mere pimpers paradise. Papua only became an object of satisfaction. Hence, the mellow mood song of The Black Brothers about “Pramuria” in a certain sense is a lamentation and a plea to be treated rightfully. It is a voice and a cry to humanize Papuans mother nature from being exploited and abandoned. Both Bob Marley and The Black Brothers would use euphemism as sweet talking to soothe the specific issue which is regarded as taboo, impolite, forbidden and offended. Specifically Bob Marley used it to sing about bodily effluvia, sex, and forbidden object like ganja or marijuana. While The Black Brothers used it to sooth the language to become less offended. Under the issue of prostitute both of their songs have similarities in regard to the aim of euphemism which is to make it less offended and its another layer of meaning in relation to socio-economic condition. 67 Saltford, John. The anatomy of betrayal: The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua, 1962-1969, p. xxii.

4.3.2. Euphemism as Deception