Oh, the pirate's just a rabbi,
sold dye to the merchant ships

The story:

Having loved this song for years, I could never understand the purpose of the first two lines in relation to the rest of the song. One day while listening to Marley with a friend of mine, I asked my friend for his input on the meaning of the first two lines. After he stopped laughing, the predictable, "What are you smoking?" came bellowing out.