"Get Up Stand Up" Analysis

The poetic devices in Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up” are many including repetition, rhyme, and syntax. For most of the song, the last syllable of every other line rhymes, but sometimes in the verses this fundamental structure is altered. Marley employs many common phrases in his song such as “not all that glitters is gold,” “now you see the light,” and “you can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” Marley attacks the traditional theological idea of heaven being somewhere else other than on earth partially by using hyperbole to exaggerate this position, but he does this essentially through argumentation, though not through symbolism.

The mood of "Get Up, Stand Up" is really where its message is conveyed to the listener. The repetitive nature of the song suggests the rhythms of a protest or a picket line. Some verses sound angry, while others try to convince the audience of Marley’s position that it is not worth waiting for heaven, but that it is better to see God on earth and work for heaven in this life. Both the lyrics and the rhythm of the song strengthen the overall message of the song as a whole.