The title and main refrain, “No Woman, No Cry” is rendered “No, woman, nuh cry” in Jamaican Patois. The “nuh” is pronounced with a short schwa vowel (a “mumbled” vowel, often represented as “uh” in spelling) and represents a clitic (“weakened”) form of “no”. It is the equivalent to the contraction “don’t”. The song is about growing up in the ghetto and persuading a woman that things will get better, entreating her not to cry.

No, woman, no cry,
No, woman, no cry,
No, woman, no cry,
No, woman, no cry.

Said, said, said, I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown,
Oba – obaserving the ‘ypocrites
As they would mingle with the good people we meet.
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we’ve lost
Along the way.
In this great future, you can’t forget your past,
So dry your tears, I seh.

No, woman, no cry,
No, woman, no cry.
‘Ere, little darlin’, don’t she’d no tears,
No, woman, no cry.

Said, said, said, I remember when-a we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown.
And then Georgie would make the fire lights,
As it was logwood burnin’ through the nights.
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge,
Of which I’ll share with you,
My feet is my only carriage,
So I’ve got to push on through.
But while I’m gone, I mean,

Everything’s gonna be all right!
Everything’s gonna be all right!
Everything’s gonna be all right!
Everything’s gonna be all right!
I said, everything’s gonna be all right-a!
Everything’s gonna be all right!
Everything’s gonna be all right, now!
Everything’s gonna be all right!

So, woman, no cry,
No, no, woman, woman, no cry.
Woman, little sister, don’t she’d no tears,
No, woman, no cry.

I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown.
And then Georgie would make the fire lights,
As it was logwood burnin’ through the nights.
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge,
Of which I’ll share with you,
My feet is my only carriage,
So I’ve got to push on through.
But while I’m gone,

No, woman, no cry,
No, woman, no cry.
Woman, little darlin’, say don’t she’d no tears,
No, woman, no cry.
Eh! (Little darlin’, don’t she’d no tears!
No, woman, no cry.
Little sister, don’t she’d no tears!
No, woman, no cry.