Found this tattooed guy in remote village on the west coast of South Africa. The poem on his back reads:
The Roker’s Song (The Pot-Smoker’s Song)
A Roker Boy came here one night
and found his house without a light
He struck a match to go to bed
when a sudden thought came into his head
He went into his daughter’s room
and found her hanging from a beam
He took his knife and cut her down
and on her breast these words he found
My love was for a Roker Boy
who smoked his dagga (pot) just for joy
So dig my grave and dig it deep
and plant some dagga at my feet
And on my breast a turtle dove
to show the world I died for love
Now all young Sheilas bear in mind
a Roker’s love is hard to find
If you find one good and true
never change it for a new.
Also see the The Flip Side
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Robin Thom 101 months ago | reply
Just kidding.
Ale Nahra [deleted] 101 months ago | reply
I am trying to get more photos posted on Word on Skin! Please post!
hummanna 101 months ago | reply
wow. nice!!
Nad 100 months ago | reply
I need a smoke after reading this
TFUFKAY 100 months ago | reply
please post in www.flickr.com/groups/textureit/
busman70 99 months ago | reply
in jail you got coffee,
in jail you got tea,
in jail you got everything
except the darn key.
They say a picture ia worth a 1000 words,
I say this one is worth many more.
do you know more about this guy?
Jan Tik 99 months ago | reply
Very little.
All I remember is that he was working at the only bar in this one horse town. We got there very late at night and I do not recall anybody else being in the bar at that hour.
I was not paying too much attention to the guy, but a friend started talking to him. Before long the guy took his shirt off and proudly showed his tattoos - that is when I grabbed the camera.
I do have another photo of him. I will look for it and post it when I find it.
dancharvey 98 months ago | reply
For a brief second there, I was worried that it was the lyrics and interview segments from Neal Diamon'd, The Pot-Smoker's Song. Whew.
Jan Tik 98 months ago | reply
Yup, that would have been a copyright nightmare :)
bradrobinson 88 months ago | reply
the chorus sounds alot like this song written by joan baez...
I'm a Rake And a Ramblin' Boy
Joan Baez
Oh when I die don't bury me at all
place my bones in alcohol
and at my feet place a snow white dove
to let the world know I died for love.
Lil_Ms_Muffet 82 months ago | reply
I absolutely loved the words to this, spent many a year trying to locate them. You have made a 70's / 80's child very happy. First came across it as a very young different teenager in East London (Eastern Cape) in 1981, one of my buddies ex boyfriends had it on a denim jacket hanging up in his room. I have since posted it on my Bebo as I thought it was one of the most beautiful love poems (for want of a better word) from our time. Nostalgia... that and Rodriguez... those were the days :)
seanhabig 76 months ago | reply
Very interesting, I found this photo while looking around the flickr map, do you remember the village you took this, on the map it shows its near Papendorp, but I don't recall another village east of Papendorp (I was there on a recent roadtrip)
Jan Tik 76 months ago | reply
Unfortunately, Sean, this was many years ago and I do not remember. I added the map location just to show it was somewhere on the west coast.
We were traveling with 4 wheel drive vehicles on some remote dirt roads from Kleinsee (west of Springbok) towards the Cape. It was already late at night when we showed up at this place. If my memory serves me right then we were still somewhere north of Saldanha. It could have been anywhere from Papendorp to Lambert's Bay, or it could have been as far south as Port Owen.
HrStuks 73 months ago | reply
A picture is worth a 1000 words..
SerialCoder 71 months ago | reply
This image has been added to the Flickr Museum for making explore's top 25. Kudos!You can check it out here...
Disha Singh 69 months ago | reply
Amazing
See it here also
Thanks for posting.
Renée~Gurl 67 months ago | reply
this is awesome! I lvoe the words thanks for sharing!
filmnet 35 months ago | reply
Seems to be a variant of these rhymes:
able2know.org/topic/52-2
"A [varying person] came from work one night
And found his house without a light."
cannabisafrica 24 months ago | reply
Free the weed. Have an irie day.
www.weed.co.za
nippy norman 24 months ago | reply
I heard a lady friend of mine sing this for me in Timaru. N.Z in 1957. It has haunted me ever since..In those days there was no mention of drugs in the song NAVY BOY NK