Texty: Linton Kwesi Johnson. Story.

wance upon a time
jus like inna nursery rime
before piggy tun swine
mi did wear
mi fear
pan mi face
like a shiel
like a mawsk
an evrybody tink mi cool an deadly

nottn yu coulda seh
woulda mek mi tek it awf
an if yu get mi nervos
ah voulda jus lawf it awf
an evrybody tink mi cool an deadly

but not soh long ago
ins like inna pitcha show
whey di hero get a blow
mi spirit get vex
an mi get soh ressless
dat mi get careless
an goh bare mi mawgah chess

mi newah indah tink seh
dat it mek outa glaas
dat di whole wide worl coulda si
rite dung to di vien inna mi awt
ow dem twis-up
ow dem tie-up
ow dem tite-up
o mi awt
ow it cut-up
ow it craw-up
ow it scar-up

( it is a aad awt fi mawstah yu noe
dis smilin an skinin yu teet
wen yu awt sweel-up soh till yu feel it a goh bus
wen yu cyaan fine di rime fi fit di beat
wen yu cyan fine di ansah fi di puzzle complete)

soh mi tek awf mi mawsk
an staat fi wear daak glaas
but eyry so awftin
mi haffi tek it awf
an evry nowanden
mi fine mi laas
oonu evah
si mi trial
si mi crawsiz ?

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With LKJ, it's a lot of work to decipher the lyrics. Here's the best I can make out so far.

Once upon a time

just like in a nursery rhyme
before piggy turn swine
me did wear
for my fear
on my face
like a shield
like a mask
an everybody think me cool and deadly

Nothing you could have said
would have make me take it off
and if you get me nervous
I woulda just laughed it off
an everybody think me cool and deadly

But not so long ago
just like in a picture show
where the hero gets a blow
me spirit gets vexed
an me get so restless
that me get careless
and go bare me mawgah(?) chest

Me never even think
that things are make outta glass
that the whole wide world coulda see
right down to the feeling in my heart
how them twist-up
how them tie-up
how them tight-up
oh my heart
how it cut-up
how it craw-up
how it scar-up

It's a hard act to master you know
this smiling and skining your teeth
when your heart swell up so till you feel it gonna bust
when you can't find the rhyme to fit the beat
when you can't find the answer for the puzzle complete.

So (?) me take off me mask
and start for wear dark glass
but every so often
me have to take it off
and every now and then
me find me last
onnu(?) ever
see me trial
see me crosses?