007 (Shanty Town) - Desmond Dekker & the Aces

007 (Shanty Town) - Desmond Dekker & the Aces

2:34

007 (Shanty Town), 1967

Written by Desmond Dekker

A now-typical rocksteady tale of rudeboys and their violent ways. "And rudeboy get a probation / A shanty town / And rudeboy bomb up the town / A shanty town."  Desmond wrote the song after watching news reports on a student demonstration that turned into a riot.  This song cemented Dekker's popularity among rude boys in Jamaica, apparently since his earlier music had preached parental respect and the importance of education.

It Mek - Desmond Dekker & the Aces

It Mek - Desmond Dekker & the Aces

2:32

single, 1969

Written by Desmond Dekker and Leslie Kong

The song's title is Jamaican patois meaning "that's why" or "that's the reason." The phrase was also used as a schoolyard taunt roughly meaning "that's what you get." This is the sense used in the song's lyrics, which tell of the problems that happens when someone goes too far: "You think I never see you when you jump over de wall  / You think I never see you when you accidentally fall / Me said a it mek, mek you pop yu bitta gall."