Sugar Minott was one of the classic roots singers. “Rome” was released in 1979 in Jamaica, and has a style that straddles reggae and dancehall. Sugar Minott is regarded as a pioneer of dancehall, and was popular in the U.K in particular.
Rome is another name for the Rasta idea of Babylon, which is the oppressive system of evil, in the same way as the biblical Babylon was the seat of evil. And of course it was the Romans who crucified Jesus. So the song is basically saying don’t go down the path of evil.
The song is a very danceable one, but at the same time, the guitar and keyboard parts add a complexity which makes the tune a very involving listen. The dub version is called “Savage Dub”, which is the flipside of the original 7″.
A classic roots track.