WISER THAN SOLOMON

1968

WISER THAN SOLOMON * LESTER STERLING * BLUE CAT 116 * UK

A rare vocal outing on this Rock Steady B side from hornsman Lester Sterling, better known for his place in the various Studio 1 house bands playing saxophone. There were some eight Coxsone Dodd produced records out of the hundred and seventy three issues on the somewhat elusive Blue Cat label.

Reported to have been written about one hndred years befor the advent of Christ by a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria, in Egypt, the Wisdom of Solomon as seen in part below runs for another 19 lists of similar length. This particular version is from the King James version of the holy Bible, to be able to better get an idea of the 'wisdom' I have removed all reference to imaginary beings.

Chapter 1

1: Love righteousness, ye that be judges of the earth: think with a good (heart,) and in simplicity of heart seek.
2:
3:
4: For into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin.
5: For the spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding, and will not abide when unrighteousness cometh in.
6: For wisdom is a loving spirit; and a true beholder of heart, and a hearer of tongue.
7:
8: Therefore he that speaketh unrighteous things cannot be hid: neither shall vengeance, when it punisheth, pass by him.
9: For inquisition shall be made into the counsels of the ungodly: and the sound of his words shall come for the manifestation of his wicked deeds.
10: For the ear of jealousy heareth all things: and the noise of murmurings is not hid.
11: Therefore beware of murmuring, which is unprofitable; and refrain your tongue from backbiting: for there is no word so secret, that shall go for nought: and the mouth that belieth slayeth the soul.
12: Seek not death in the error of your life: and pull not upon yourselves destruction with the works of your hands.
13:
14:
15: (For righteousness is immortal:)
16: But men with their works and words called it to them: for when they thought to have it their friend, they consumed to nought, and made a covenant with it, because they are worthy to take part with it.

Chapter 2

1: Our life is short and tedious, and in the death of a man there is no remedy: neither was there any man known to have returned from the grave.
2: For we are born at all adventure: and we shall be hereafter as though we had never been: for the breath in our nostrils is as smoke, and a little spark in the moving of our heart:
3: Which being extinguished, our body shall be turned into ashes, and our spirit shall vanish as the soft air,
4: And our name shall be forgotten in time, and no man shall have our works in remembrance, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, that is driven away with the beams of the sun, and overcome with the heat thereof.
5: For our time is a very shadow that passeth away; and after our end there is no returning: for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh again.
6: Come on therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are present: and let us speedily use the creatures like as in youth.
7: Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and ointments: and let no flower of the spring pass by us:
8: Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds, before they be withered:
9: Let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness: let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place: for this is our portion, and our lot is this.
10: Let us oppress the poor righteous man, let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the ancient gray hairs of the aged.
11: Let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble is found to be nothing worth.
12: Therefore let us lie in wait for the righteous; because he is not for our turn, and he is clean contrary to our doings: he upbraideth us with our offending the law, and objecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education.
13: He professeth to have the knowledge
14: He was made to reprove our thoughts.
15: He is grievous unto us even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, his ways are of another fashion.
16: We are esteemed of him as counterfeits: he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness: he pronounceth the end of the just to be blessed, and maketh his boast
17: Let us see if his words be true: and let us prove what shall happen in the end of him.
18: For if the just man deliver him from the hand of his enemies.
19: Let us examine him with despitefulness and torture, that we may know his meekness, and prove his patience.
20: Let us condemn him with a shameful death: for by his own saying he shall be respected.
21: Such things they did imagine, and were deceived: for their own wickedness hath blinded them.
22: As for the mysteries they knew them not: neither hoped they for the wages of righteousness, nor discerned a reward for blameless souls.
23:
24: Nevertheless through envy came death into the world: and they that do find it.

and so on