Desert Island Singles: “Book Of Rules” by The Heptones (1973)
Posted: July 24, 2012 Filed under: Desert Island Discs | Tags: desert island disc, music, wisdom 1 Comment
Image from rootsvinylguide.com
Bag Of Tools
Isn’t it strange that princes and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings
And common people like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, a book of rules,
And each must make – Ere life is flown –
A stumbling block, or a steppingstone.
– R.L. Sharpe
I first heard this song on a reggae sampler LP I got in college. It’s based quite faithfully on a poem by American poet R.L. Sharpe. The Heptones made it a reggae classic back in 1973. I get requests for it on the radio, nearly 40 years later.
Image from splintersandcandy.com
Name-Brand Ketchup. 
[…] Want To Love You But) You Got Me Anyway” by Sutherland Brothers and Quiver (1973) 7/24/12: “Book Of Rules” by The Heptones (1973) 6/20/12: “Girl of My Dreams” by Bram Tchaikovsky (1979) 5/16/12: “I’m On Fire” by Dwight […]