Get Up, Stand Up
The Marley and Tosh protest song that became his usual closing number.
Bob Marley and the Wailers, from Burnin' (1973)
- Written by
- Bob Marley, Peter Tosh
- Released
- 1973
- Length
- 3:15
- Album
- Burnin'
Written by Marley and Peter Tosh and recorded at Harry J Studios for Burnin', it was a single in September 1973 with Slave Driver on the B-side. Esther Anderson said it was written after Marley toured Haiti and was moved by its poverty. The chorus hook may derive from Slippin' into Darkness by War (1972).
Live
It was Marley's usual closer. Tosh joined him at the Starlight Amphitheater in 1978 for the last verse, according to Ben Harper. His last stage performance, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh on 23 September 1980, included it. It was also played at the 1988 Amnesty International Human Rights Now concert by Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N'Dour. Pitchfork wrote in 2026 that it became the de facto anthem of Amnesty International, subject to periodic superstar sing-alongs.
Covers and versions
- Martha Velez (1976) Produced by Marley.
- Glenn Tilbrook (2014)
- Bloom Twins (2014) Recorded for Euromaidan.
More songs by Bob Marley and the Wailers
No Woman, No Cry, I Shot the Sheriff, Exodus, Three Little Birds, Redemption Song, Jamming, Is This Love, Could You Be Loved, Buffalo Soldier
Sources
- Get Up, Stand Up, Wikipedia
- Burnin' (Bob Marley and the Wailers album), Wikipedia
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Bob Marley Bassist, Dies at 77, Pitchfork (2024-02-05)
- Legend, Pitchfork (2026-01-18)