NO WOMAN NO CRY LYRICS - BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS | NATTY DREAD (1974)

No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley & The Wailers — the 1974 reggae classic from Natty Dread, a remembrance of Marley's Trench Town roots. The 1975 live version from the Lyceum Theatre in London became one of the most-covered songs of all time.

Image: Bob Marley live in concert, Dalymount Park, Dublin, 6 July 1980 — photo by Eddie Mallin (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons (AI-enhanced)

No Woman, No Cry Song Credits

Song: No Woman, No Cry
Artist: Bob Marley & The Wailers
Songwriter (credited): Vincent Ford (V. Ford)
Album: Natty Dread (1974)
Single: Live '75 from Live! (1975)
Producers: Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell, Steve Smith
Recorded: 1974, Harry J Studio, Kingston
Genre: Reggae
Music Label: Island / Tuff Gong

No Woman, No Cry Lyrics

[Chorus]
Nо woman, no cry
No wоman, no cry
No woman, nо cry
Nо wоman, no cry
[Verse 1]
'Cause, 'cause, 'cause I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown
Oba, observing the hypocrites, yeah
Mingle with the good people we meet, yeah
Good friends we have had, oh good friends we've lost along the way, yeah
In this bright future you can't forget your past
So dry your tears I say, yeah
[Chоrus]
Nо woman, nо cry
No woman, no cry, eh, yeah
Little darling don't shed no tears
No wоman, nо cry
[Verse 2]
Eh, Said, said, said I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown, yeah
And then Georgie would make the fire light, I say
A log wood burning through the night
Then we would cook corn meal porridge, I say
Of which I'll share with you, yeah
My feet is my only carriage
And so I've got to push on through
But while I'm gone
[Bridge]
Everything's going to be alright (×8)
[Chοrus]
So No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry, I say
Oh little, oh little darling, don't shed no tears
Nо woman, no cry, eh
[Chοrus]
No woman, no woman, no woman, no cry
Nо wоman, nо cry
One more time I've got to say
Oh little, little darling, please don't shed no tears
No womаn, no cry
[Guitar breakdown]

Official Video

No Woman, No Cry FAQs

Who wrote No Woman No Cry?
The official songwriting credit goes to Vincent Ford (V. Ford), a childhood friend of Marley from Trench Town. Marley is widely believed to have written the song himself, and according to reports, the credit was assigned to Ford to route royalties to his Trench Town soup kitchen amid a publishing dispute with Cayman Music.

Which album is it from?
The studio original appears on Natty Dread (1974). The definitive version is the live recording on Live! (1975), recorded on July 17, 1975 at the Lyceum Theatre in London — it also appears on the Legend compilation.

What does the title mean?
In Jamaican Patois, “No woman, no cry” means “Woman, don't cry” — a message of comfort and reassurance, not a statement about absence.

How successful is it?
It ranks #37 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2005, and has been covered by artists including the Fugees, Boney M., Nina Simone, and Pearl Jam.

Keep exploring: Bob Marley biography — age, career, songs & facts and One Love lyrics — Bob Marley & The Wailers.