This song is about the execution of Paul Bogle (ca. 1820 — 1865) a Jamaican Baptist deacon and is a National Hero of Jamaica. He was a leader of the 1865 Morant Bay Protests, which agitated for justice and fair treatment for all in Jamaica. Leading the Morant Bay rebellion, he was captured and hanged on 24 October 1865 in the Morant Bay Court House and executed by the United Kingdom authorities. He is depicted on the heads side of the Jamaican 10 cent coin. His face was also depicted on the Jamaican two dollar bill. However, this bill is no longer used in Jamaican currency. The Paul Bogle High School in the parish of his birth is named after him.
Lyrics:
96 degrees in the shade
real hot in the shade
said it was 96 degrees in the shade
ten thousand soldiers on parade
taking i and i to meet a big fat boy
sent from overseas
the queen employ
excellency before you i come
with my representation
you know where i’m coming from
you caught me on the loose
fighting to be free
now you show me a noose
on the cotton tree
entertainment for you
martyrdom for me
96 degrees in the shade
real hot in the shade
some may suffer and some may burn
but i know that one day my people will learn
as sure as the sun shines, way up in the sky
today i stand here a victim the truth is I’ll never die
96 degrees in the shade
real hot in the shade
