Mystic Man

As we approach the September 11 anniversary of the horrendous criminal mass-murder destruction that took place in 2001 (that anniversary taking place on this coming Thursday), it is also appropriate to remember that another horrendous murder took place on September 11 in the year 1987, when the poet, prophet, songwriter, and musician Peter Tosh was slain in his home.

His albums are full of songs he composed himself, and each and every one of them is musically compelling, melodious, subtle, and pleasingly satisfying in its chord progression and resolution (some of them quite imaginative and unexpected). 

In addition, his lyrics speak powerfully against oppression and the kinds of violations of natural universal law discussed in the previous post. 

Based on the extremely incongruous details surrounding his murder (including the fact that he was apparently tortured before he was killed, that none of his possessions were taken by the perpetrators, and that two of the three killers were never identified despite the fact that others visited the house while Tosh was being held at gunpoint before being killed, and that one of the three perpetrators served time and was later released early, apparently without ever revealing the identities of the other two), the possibility that his murder was carried out by persons connected to those in power, who had been offended by the contents of his music and his statements against instances of oppression and injustice, must be considered (and the criticisms in his songs went far beyond criticizing the government of Jamaica, but to those he saw as running the entire world-order).

Obviously, murdering someone for his or her beliefs, statements, and verbal opposition to injustice is a gross criminal violation of natural universal law and can never be argued to be legitimate under any circumstances.

Many of Peter Tosh's individual songs are themselves worthy of thoughtful consideration for the insights and truths they contain and illuminate. An artist, songwriter and musician of his caliber can undoubtedly be suspected of being in touch with the other realm and to at times be bringing back glimpses of inspiration from it, to share with the people. We know, for example, that the ancient wisdom of the Greeks attributed such gifts to the Muse (or the Muses), as well as to Apollo (who was both the god of medicine and of music, and who was associated with the premier oracle of the ancient world, the place where messages from the realm of the gods were most frequently sought, and which were delivered through the Pythia, as discussed in previous posts).

As seen in the video above, one of Peter Tosh's entire albums was entitled Mystic Man (released in 1979). The term itself, mystic, specifically refers to one who makes contact with the unseen realm (or one with whom spirits or entities from the unseen realm themselves initiate contact). 

All of the lyrics of the title track ("Mystic Man") are worthy of examination, and carry clear resonances with many of the concepts discussed previously in conjunction with the shamanic worldview, including a series of denunciations against alcohol, and against drugs created by concentration, purification, and enhancement of the alkaloids in the opium poppy (morphine and heroine) or the coca plant (cocaine). 

It is extremely revealing that a song entitled "Mystic Man," in which the lead singer declares he is a Mystic Man and thus one who makes contact with the spirit world, categorically rejects these substances: this tension strongly resonates with the topic discussed in the previous post entitled "The heron of forgetfulness." 

Later in the song, there is a series of stanzas denouncing the consumption of fried chicken, frankfurters, hamburgers, and "soda pop" (and that was even before soda pop was filled up with sweeteners which are almost always derived from genetically-modified corn or sugar beets, as they are today). The fact that the list primarily denounces food items made by killing animals resonates with the many ancient philosophical arguments against raising and killing animals for food, some of which have been discussed in previous blog posts including "Ovid on Pythagoras and the abstention of eating the flesh of animals," "The ancients and the 'plant-based diet' debate," and "Plutarch's 'On the Eating of Flesh'." 

There was also an additional post which ties together both the subject of eating the flesh of animals and the subject of genetically-modified crops, exploring Plutarch's argument that to say "we cannot feed the world without them" is an insult to Demeter and Dionysus (see "Plutarch, Demeter, and genetically-modified food").

Below are the complete lyrics of the song (at least as I hear them). The italicized lines represent lines which are sung by the echoing responses of the accompanying singers, while the non-italic lines are those sung by Peter Tosh:

I'm a Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man

I'm just a Mystic Man
Mystic Man

I man don't
I man don't, I man don't
I don't drink no champagne
Don't drink no champagne
No I don't

And I man don't
I man don't
Noooo
I man don't
I don't sniff them cocaine
Don't sniff no cocaine
'Cho brain

I man don't
I man don't
No I don't
I man don't
Don't take a morphine
Don't take no morphine
Dangerous

I man don't
I man don't, I man don't
I don't take no heroin
Don't take no heroin
No no no

'Cause I'm a
Man of the past
and I'm
Living in the present
and I'm
Walking in the future
Stepping in the future

Man of the past
and I'm
Living in the present
and I'm
Walking
in the future
Walking
Stepping in the future

I'm just a Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man
Got to be a Mystic Man
Mystic Man

I man don't
I man don't, I man don't
Eat up your fried chicken
Eat up your fried chicken
Not lickin'

I man don't
I man don't, I man don't
Eat up them frankfurter
Eat up the frankfurter
Garbage

I man don't
I man don't, I man don't
Eat down the hamburger
Eat down the hamburger
Can't do that

I man don't
I man don't, I man don't
Drink pink, blue, yellow, green soda
Soda pop, soda pop

'Cause I'm a
Man of the past
and I'm
Living in the present
and I'm
Walking in the future
Stepping in the future

Man of the past
and I'm
Living in the present
and I'm
Walking
in the future
Keep on walking
Stepping in the future

Just a Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man
Got to be a Mystic Man
Mystic Man

I man don't
No I don't
Play fool's games on Saturday

And I man don't
No I don't
Congregate on a Sunday
No I don't

Such a Mystic Man
Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man
Mystic Man

'Cause I'm a
Man of the past
and I'm
Living in the present
and I'm
Walking in the future
Stepping in the future

Man of the past
and I'm
Living
and I'm
Walking in the future
Stepping in the future

Such a Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man

Got to be a Mystic Man
Mystic Man

Just a Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man

Such a, such a,
Mystic Man
Such a, such a

Mystic Man
Such a Mystic Man