The song “Necromancy” is the 2nd track on the 1984 album Give the People What They Want by Lino and The Hardway. It was written by Lino Hughes.
This funky jam features an irresistible synthesizer melody that melts into blasts of brass over a rhythm section bursting with energy. It winds its way through several musical sections, continually building.
The verses of the song tell stories from three different points of view: a grieving father, an innocent girl and a man just trying to get by. All three are driven to desperation by powerful forces of darkness and injustice. In each case, they call on the Afro-Caribbean spiritual traditions of Obeah, or necromancy, for justice and empowerment.
Below is a transcription of the lyrics. (Corrections are welcome!)
Necromancy
I am a country boy in the city
Stop into a corner one day
Where a sign hanging sayin’ Necromancer
I am a country boy in the city
Stop into a corner one day
Where a sign hanging sayin’ Necromancer
I push my head on my sleeve
And so I ask “What does it mean?”
That sign that hanging sayin’ Necromancer
I push my head on my sleeve
And so I ask “What does it mean?”
That sign that hanging sayin’ Necromancer
And so a voice came sayin’
“It means someone with the art of conjuring up the spirits of the dead
for the purposes of magical revealing the future.
In better words…
In better words…
My son was caught and shot down by a deputy
Oh, he was on a suspect of a robbery
But a son of a gun of a deputy
He did no longer live again
Because I did my thing
With necromancy
I say, I did my thing
WIth necromancy
I say I did my thing…
I am a little girl, little experienced,
Living in a dreadful world
Where man seems to have no mercy, no sympathy
I am a little girl, little experienced,
Living in a dreadful world
Where men seem to have no mercy, no sympathy
But if I take a chance to climb a fence,
I learn myself some self defense
Before falling to the lions
But if I take a chance to climb a fence,
I learn myself some self defense
Before falling to the lion’s den
Some friends told me that i should find myself someone with the art
Of conjuring up the spirit of the dead
For the purposes of magical revealing the future.
In better words…
In better words…
I’m not going to cry my heart right out to them
Who feel that they can do the things that will make me grim
They are son of a gun, those dreadful men
But I’ve got something that will make them bend
Doing my thing
With necromancy
I said I do my thing
With necromancy
I said I do my thing
With necromancy
I said I do my thing
I am the kind of guy with ambition
Fighting without ammunition
To stop my life from walking into desperation
I am the kind of guy with ambition
Fighting without ammunition
To stop my life from walking into desperation
But if I take a chance and climb a fence
And leave myself some self defense
Before fallin’ to the lion’s den.
But if I take a chance and climb the fence
And leave myself some self defense
Before fallin’ to the lion’s den.
So I”m going to find myself someone with the art
Of conjuring up the spirits of the dead
For the purposes of magical revealing the future.
In better words…
In better words…
I’m not going to bow my head because of you
Who feel that you can do to me what you want to do
You’re a son of a gun and a dreadful man
But I’ve got something that you’ll understand
That’s doin’ my thing
With necromancy
I say I do my thing
With necromancy
I say I do my thing
With necromancy
I say I do my thing thing thing thing thing thing
I say I do my thing thing thing thing thing thing
I say I do my thing thing thing thing thing thing
I say I do my thing thing thing thing thing thing