Wailing Souls Fire Deh Mus Mus Tail

Almost jaunty piece using a deceptively frothy style to discuss a cautionary Jamaican proverb from a reggae group spanning five decades in music.

‘Fire Deh A Muss Muss Tail’ is a classic example of how reggae can use an almost lighter touch to convey a more serious sentiment. The light and breezy vocals with almost angelic harmonies and beat that has you swaying gently from side to side belies the gravity of the subject matter. Indeed, the backing track on its own has been recorded as an instrumental; if you heard it before the track here you’d not know it underpinned such a serious message.

The basic translation of the title is ‘fire is behind the mouse and he thinks it’s a cool breeze’ and can mean that someone can be oblivious to actions that might endanger them and thus be unprepared for when disaster may strike.

The Wailing Souls were originally known as The Renegades.