Meaning
'Same ting weh tick sheep, tick goat' — the same thorn that pricks the sheep also pricks the goat. What troubles one person troubles the other just the same, the proverb observes: we share the same hardships, and no one is exempt from the afflictions that beset their neighbour. It is a levelling reminder of common humanity and common suffering — that the pains, dangers, and troubles of life fall alike on everyone, and that none can imagine themselves spared what strikes down others.
Examples
-
Wi all a feel di hard times; same ting weh tick sheep, tick goat.
We're all feeling the hard times; the same trouble hits us all.
-
Nuh laugh at mi problem, for same ting weh tick sheep, tick goat.
Don't laugh at my problem, because the same trouble can hit you too.
-
Wi inna di same boat; same ting weh tick sheep, tick goat.
We're in the same boat; what afflicts one afflicts the other.
Origin
A pasture image: the same thorn in the field pricks whichever animal steps on it, sheep or goat alike — trouble makes no distinction between people.
How it’s used
Used to stress shared fate and common hardship — a call for empathy, since the same trouble can strike anyone.