Damian was two years old when his father Bob died; he is the only child born to Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. Damian's nickname Junior Gong is derived from his father's nickname of Tuff Gong. Damian has been performing since the age of 13 and released his first album in 1996, at the age of 18. He shares, along with most of his family, a full-time career in music. Unlike his brothers and sisters, however, his musical specialty is "toasting", a Jamaican vocal technique that is a predecessor to rapping.
Damian has 3 records to date, including the highest placed reggae album in the USA billboard album charts with Welcome To Jamrock, and the highest place reggae song in the UK Top 40 with Welcome to Jamrock.
Like his father before him and the rest of the Marley family, he is a Rastafarian and his music reflects the Rastafari guiding principles of love and political freedom.
Land Of Promise
Damian Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I & I say played by the King love is all I bring
And I & I say Africa is I & I responsibility dreadlocks
Yes, huh!
The Promise Land
Going to The Promise Land
Yes the Promise Land, oh gosh now
Ye
Imagine Ghana like California with Sunset Boulevard
Johannesburg would be Miami
Somalia like New York
With the most pretty light
The nuffest pretty car
Ever New Year the African Times Square lock-off
Imagine Lagos like Las Vegas
The ballers dem a ball
Angola like Atlanta
A pure plane take off
Bush Gardens inna Mali
Chicago inna Chad
Magic Kingdom inna Egypt
Philadelphia like Sudan
The Congo like Colorado
Fort Knox inna Gabon
People living in Morocco like the state of Oregon
Algeria warmer than Arizona bring your sun lotion
Early morning class of yoga on the beach in Senegal
Ethiopia the capitol of fi di Congression
A deh so I belong
A deh di The King come from
I can see us all in limos
Jaguars and Beamers
Riding on the King's Highway
To the Promise Land
Going to the Promise Land
Oh gosh
Ye the Promise Land
Yeaha the Promise Land
Oooh
Promised Land I picture Porsches
Basquiat portraits
Pinky rings realistic princesses
Heiresses bunch a kings and queens
Plus I picture fortunes for kids out in Port-Au-Prince
Powerless they not allowed to fit
But not about to slip
Vision Promised Land with fashion like
Madison Ave Manhattan
Saks 5th Ave and
Rodeo
Relaxing popping labels
Promise Land no fables
This where the truth's told
Use them two holes
Above your nose
To see the proof yo!
Imagine a contraption that could take us back when
The world was run by black men
Back to the future
Anything can happen
If these are the last days
And 100-foot waves come crashing down
I get some hash and pounds
Pass around some bud then watch the flood
Can't stop apocalypse
My synopsis is catastrophic
If satellites is causing earthquakes
Will we survive it
Honestly man it's the sign of the times
And the times at hand
There's a lot of work to be done, oh gosh
In the Promised Land
Talking 'bout the Promised Land, oh gosh
Take me to The Promise Land
The Promise Land
The Promise Land
The Promise Land
There's plenty of land for you and I
Buy and buy
Lots of food to share for everyone
No time for segregation
In the Promised Land
Yes a to The Promised Land
The Promised Land
Going to The Promise Land, ohh
There's a lot of work to be done, oh gosh
In the Promise Land
The song "Land of Promise" by Damian Marley is a reflection on the responsibility that Africans have to provide for their own destiny, and imagines an African utopia where the continent's countries have been transformed into prosperous, modern cities worthy of comparison to the Western world. The song opens with a greeting in the name of The Mighty King, signifying the importance of African spirituality, and notes that Africa is the responsibility of everyone, dreadlocks included. The singer then proceeds to paint a vivid picture of what Africa could be if it were allowed to flourish without the constraints of history or the exploitation of other nations. He dreams of Mali as a verifiable amusement park, Las Vegas like Lagos, and Angola as a city of commerce similar to Atlanta. The singer envisions a world in which African cities are world-renowned fashion capitals and the ideal destination for high-end shopping. The song ends with a call to action and hope for the future, as it is essential to work together to make the Land of Promise a reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I and I say greetings in the name of The Mighty King
I say hello in the name of God Almighty
And I & I say played by the King love is all I bring
I bring only love, given by God the King
And I & I say Africa is I & I responsibility dreadlocks
As a Rastafarian, I take it as a duty to be responsible for Africa and its people
The Promise Land
Refers to the land of hope and prosperity
Going to The Promise Land
Traveling to the land of hope and prosperity
Imagine Ghana like California with Sunset Boulevard
Think of Ghana as a prosperous American state with iconic locations
Johannesburg would be Miami
Johannesburg could be as prosperous as Miami
Somalia like New York
Somalia with developed infrastructure and a higher standard of living
With the most pretty light
Beautiful city views
The nuffest pretty car
Luxury cars everywhere
Ever New Year the African Times Square lock-off
New Year's celebrations like New York's Times Square, in Africa
Imagine Lagos like Las Vegas
Imagine a prosperous Nigerian city with lively nightlife
The ballers dem a ball
Wealthy people partying and enjoying life
Angola like Atlanta
Angola with the same economic success as the US city Atlanta
Bush Gardens inna Mali
Mali with beautiful gardens and parks
Chicago inna Chad
Chad with the same development as Chicago
Magic Kingdom inna Egypt
Egypt with a thriving economy and developed infrastructure
Philadelphia like Sudan
Sudan with developed infrastructure and a thriving economy
The Congo like Colorado
The Democratic Republic of Congo with the same economic potential as the US state Colorado
Fort Knox inna Gabon
Gabon rich in natural resources
People living in Morocco like the state of Oregon
People in Morocco living with the same comfort and standard of living as the US state of Oregon
Algeria warmer than Arizona bring your sun lotion
Algeria with a hot desert climate like the US state of Arizona
Early morning class of yoga on the beach in Senegal
Yoga class in a beautiful beach setting in Senegal
Ethiopia the capitol of fi di Congression
Ethiopia with the same political importance as a world capital
A deh so I belong
This is where I belong
A deh di The King come from
This is where God the King comes from
I can see us all in limos Jaguars and Beamers
I envision everyone driving in luxury cars
Riding on the King's Highway
Traveling towards prosperity with God's blessings
Promised Land I picture Porsches
In the Promised Land, I see luxury cars like Porsches
Basquiat portraits Pinky rings realistic princesses
In the Promised Land, I see art, valuable jewelry, and beautiful women
Heiresses bunch a kings and queens
In the Promised Land, there are wealthy and influential people
Plus I picture fortunes for kids out in Port-Au-Prince
I imagine good fortunes for children in regions like Port-au-Prince in the Promised Land
Powerless they not allowed to fit
In the Promised Land, people will not be powerless or oppressed
But not about to slip
But it won't be easy to reach and maintain the Promised Land
Vision Promised Land with fashion like Madison Ave Manhattan
Fashion in the Promised Land would be like the trendy Manhattan style
Saks 5th Ave and Rodeo
High-end shopping districts imagined in the Promised Land
Relaxing popping labels
People in the Promised Land are comfortable with high-end brands
Promise Land no fables
The Promised Land is real, not a myth
This where the truth's told
The Promised Land is a place of truth and honesty
Use them two holes Above your nose To see the proof yo!
Look around and see for yourself what the Promised Land is really like
Imagine a contraption that could take us back when The world was run by black men
Imagine a time machine that brings us back to when the world was ruled by black men
Back to the future Anything can happen If these are the last days
Anything can happen in the future, especially if we are in the end times
And 100-foot waves come crashing down I get some hash and pounds Pass around some bud then watch the flood
Even in the face of disaster, we should relax with friends and enjoy our time together
Can't stop apocalypse My synopsis is catastrophic
Even in the Promised Land, we must be prepared for disaster
If satellites is causing earthquakes Will we survive it Honestly man it's the sign of the times And the times at hand
Even technology and advancements can cause disasters, and we must be ready to survive them
There's plenty of land for you and I Buy and buy Lots of food to share for everyone No time for segregation
In the Promised Land, there is an abundance of space and resources for everyone, and there is no room for discrimination and segregation
Ye the Promise Land
The Promised Land is a real place
There's a lot of work to be done, oh gosh In the Promised Land
Developing and maintaining the Promised Land takes effort and dedication
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Dennis Biddy, Dennis Brown, Paul Fakhouri, Brinsley Forde, Angus Gaye, Nasir Jones, Damian Marley, Tony Robinson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RubenGarcia-cy2es
Now I and I say greetings in the name of The Mighty King
And I & I say played by the King love is all I bring
And I & I say Africa is I & I responsibility Dreadlocks
Yes, Huh!
[Hook 1 SAMPLE]
To the Promise Land
Going to The Promise Land
Yes the Promise Land O Gosh now
To the Promise Land
Ye
[VERSE 1 JR GONG]
Imagine Ghana like California with Sunset Boulevard
Johannesburg would be Miami
Somalia like New York
With the most pretty light
The nuffest pretty car
Ever New Year the African Times Square lock-off
Imagine Lagos like Las Vegas
The Ballers dem a Ball
Angola like Atlanta
A pure plane take off
Bush Gardens inna Mali
Chicago inna Chad
Magic Kingdom inna Egypt
Philadelphia like Sudan
The Congo like Colorado
Fort Knox inna Gabon
People living in Morocco like the state of Oregon
Algeria warmer than Arizona bring your sun lotion
Early morning class of Yoga on the beach in Senegal
Ethiopia the capitol of fi di Congression
A deh so I belong
A deh di The King come from
I can see us all in limos
Jaguars and B'mos
@Israel-nb7ip
Just an absolute perfect song. Rhythm, lyrics, substance, meaning, harmonization, and beautiful rap poetry. Had the privilege of watching Marley and Nas perform this live in 2010 at Williamsburg waterfront park, my home neighborhood born and bred. Beautiful experience backed by beautiful music...and women. Nas is majestic on this and Junior Gong lays it down. Life is good.
@Alec-sn6lo
Cool
@billionaire2370
“Imagine the contraption that could take us back when, the world was ran by black men, back to the future” That was THE hardest line!!🤴🏿
@dcrfilms1
Damian's verse is awesome :)
@briansykes3213
A real slept on album. Still bumping 2018.
@neciohunt4544
Brian Sykes me too I'm the biggest nas fan but I never took the time to listen to this joint I'm sorry lol
@LoveMusic4652
In 2019!😃
@TheCrappyZipper
I never slept, you wouldn't have if you really heard it. Welcome to the fam
@pansysgarden
I agree with you. Slept on is right. No respect for real quality work such as this album. Only respect for garbage on the radio. Still bumping in 2020.
@shaungarrett5291
2021. Such a beautiful album.