Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, NYC, on 1 Ma… Read Full Bio ↴Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, NYC, on 1 March 1927; died 25 April 2023) was an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Caribbean-American pop star, he popularized Jamaican mento folk songs which was marketed as Trinbagonian Calypso musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough album Calypso, released in 1956, was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.

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Wake Up Jacob
Harry Belafonte Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wake up Jacob, day is a breaking
Wake up Jacob, day is a breaking
I said wake up Jacob day is a breaking
I wanna go to heaven when I die and I'm on my way
Yes I wanna go to heaven when I die and I'm on my way

I got some friends on the other shore
(chorus: Do love the Lord)

And I wanna see 'em more and more
Now when I get to heaven gonna live at ease
Cause me and God gonna do as we please

Oh wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way
I said wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way

Oh this is the year of the Jubilee
(Chorus: Do love the Lord)
Oh the Lord had set his people free

Oh wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way
I said wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way

Overall Meaning

Harry Belafonte's song Wake Up Jacob is a call to action to Jacob, who could be interpreted as an individual or a community. The repetition of "Wake up Jacob, day is a breaking" emphasizes the urgency of the message. The lyrics suggest that the day breaking symbolizes an opportunity to start anew and make a change. The singer expresses their desire to go to heaven when they die and that they have friends on the other shore, implying a belief in an afterlife. The use of the phrase "I wanna see 'em more and more" implies that the singer is not satisfied with their current state and has a yearning for something more.

The lyrics also mention the year of the Jubilee, which in the Bible was a year of freedom and forgiveness. This may suggest a desire for liberation or a new beginning for Jacob or the community the song is addressing. The repetition of the phrase "do love the Lord" in the chorus suggests that this change or liberation is tied to one's relationship with God.

Overall, Wake Up Jacob is a song that encourages its listeners to take action towards a better future, both in this life and the next.

Line by Line Meaning

Wake up Jacob, day is a breaking
Calling out to Jacob to wake up to the breaking of a new day

Wake up Jacob, day is a breaking
Reiterating the call for Jacob to wake up to the new day

I said wake up Jacob day is a breaking
Emphasizing the urgency for Jacob to wake up and seize the day

I wanna go to heaven when I die and I'm on my way
Expressing the desire to go to heaven upon death, with the belief that the artist is on the right path towards it

Yes I wanna go to heaven when I die and I'm on my way
Reaffirming the artist's desire to go to heaven and assurance that they are on the way there

I got some friends on the other shore
Acknowledging the presence of friends who have passed away and are waiting on the other side

(chorus: Do love the Lord)
Repetition of the chorus, stating the message that the singer loves the Lord

And I wanna see 'em more and more
Expressing the yearning to reunite and spend time with those friends on the other side

Now when I get to heaven gonna live at ease
Expressing the belief that once the artist reaches heaven, they will live peacefully

Cause me and God gonna do as we please
Belief that in heaven, the artist will be free to do as they please in the company of God

Oh wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way
Repeating the earlier call to action for Jacob to wake up and the singer mentioning they are on their way towards their goal

I said wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way
Reiteration of the urgency for Jacob to wake up and the artist's progress towards their destination

Oh this is the year of the Jubilee
Referring to the biblical concept of Jubilee, symbolizing the release and liberation of people and property

(Chorus: Do love the Lord)
Repeating the chorus, which emphasizes the singer's love for the Lord during this time of liberation

Oh the Lord had set his people free
Acknowledging the Lord's role in setting people free during the Jubilee

Oh wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way
Repeating the call to action for Jacob to wake up and the artist's progress towards their destination

I said wake up Jacob day is a breaking and I'm on my way
Final reiteration of the urgency for Jacob to wake up and the artist's progress towards their destination

Writer(s): Harry Belafonte, Milton T. Okun, Robert Corman, Robert Decormier

Contributed by Madelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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