The classical and classic piano riff from "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" that opens this piece hardly sets the stage for this haunting number, as producer Gussie Clarke remodels another old melody into a fiercely roots arrangement. The rhythm sizzles underneath, all snapping beats and a deeply throbbing bass line, further fueled by the piano riffs, but it's the brass section of Dean Fraser, Nambo Robinson and Chico Chin that conjures up the moody atmosphere, buttressed by Willie Lindo's evocative guitar riffs and lead. Lindo oversaw the song's arrangement, and gave it plenty of atmosphere, which Clarke accentuated in the production.
It's a sublime backdrop for Gregory Isaacs to offer up an always timely warning to potential gunslingers that without love, you will harvest only woe. The singer is entirely sympathetic to their plight, as the pressure drops builds ever more intensely around them. Cool Ruler no more, here his voice warms to his theme, coaxing, reasoning, and providing support for the youth not to give in to hatred and violence. It's a superb performance that comes straight from the heart, and made "Plant" one of the stand-outs on the artist's classic Private Beach Party album.
