As a child Jehro’s imagination was fuelled by the dreams of his Greek-Italian-Corsican mother, and the songs of his Georges Brassens-inspired singer of a father in the Panier area of In that Hammersmith artists’ squat he immersed himself in pop, rock and reggae, surrounded by Spanish and Jamaican musicians. Perfecting his skills as a guitarist by covering all his favorite pop standards, he broke free from his native French by lending his voice to the songs of his new-found idols - he fell in love with Bob Marley’s music, its roots and its spirituality, when busking to it in London's tube stations.
He then moved to Paris, settling in a small hotel on the rue Marcadet in the 18th Arrondissement. A new city meant new places to play: Pigalle, Montmartre, Belleville, Saint-Germain, where he wrote the lyrics and music for his first solo album. “L’arbre et le fruit” was released by Chrysalis / EMI under his real name Jérôme Cotta, earning him well-deserved praise from the French critics in 1999. Jérôme’s songs were heard on the radio, and he took to jamming in the studio of a couple of new acquaintances he met in the courtyard of his block of flats: Christian Brun and Richard Minier. By giving him the opportunity to explore new musical avenues and Jehro moved away from his solo career and sparked a profitable artistic collaboration.
From indo-electro theme tunes for the advertising industry through calypso-pop songs co-written and sung for the Marathonians’ “A Tropical Soul Adventure” LP (Superfruit, 2003), Jehro was gradually finding his own distinctive voice. Somewhere in the South of France, in a little village full of sing-song accents and surrounded by ochre-red hills and olive groves, he came up with the first tune of an album almost entirely written in English, “Shantytown Carnival,” produced by the Marathonians duo and signed to their Superfruit record label. Jehro’s self-titled debut is an album inspired by Caribbean and American grassroots music (reggae, folk, Latin etc.), full of snapshots and tales from the lives of ordinary people.
More information, tour dates, and photos can be found at: http://jehro.free.fr/htmlen/home.htm
I Want Love
Jehro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hunger was gnawing my soul
But the preacher man's sermon
Won't put no food in my bowl
Abidjan to Monrovia
Looking for food and a home
Instead I found factions and armies
I want love, I need love
I want love
I want love, I need love
And a little food in my bowl
Here in this tribal warfare
For food you need money or a gun
I signed up, whose side I don't care
At least now I'm someone
At parade time the grown-ups are cruel
And all of the soldiers are small
Commanders and captains and colonels
All kids with their backs to the wall
I want love, I need love
I want love
I want love, I need love
And a little food in my bowl
They told me I'm joining a family
But here I ain't nobody's son (nobody's)
My brothers are right here beside me
We share our hunger and we share our gun
Tomorrow we start the offensive (yeah)
Been drinking palm wine all day
Grigrimen can keep us from bullets (no, no, no)
But hash won't keep hunger at bay
I want love, I need love
I want love
I want love, I need love
And a little food in my bowl
When it's time the small soldiers march forward
When one falls the next takes his gun
Four to one, AK47
I was number three but now I'm gone
Our future is dying right here
Children only ten years old
In this tribal colonial nightmare
We're reaping the seeds you have sown
We're reaping the seeds you have sown
We want love, we need love
All of us want love
We want love, we need love
And a little food in our bowls
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I want love, I need love (ooh, ooh, ooh)
And a little food in my bowl
The song "I Want Love" by Jehro is a poignant commentary on the devastating effects of war and hunger on innocent people. The opening line immediately sets the tone for the song as it talks about the hunger that is gnawing at the singer's soul. However, despite attending the preacher man's sermon, he doesn't find any respite in terms of food. The following lines then talk about his journey from Abidjan to Monrovia in search of home and food. Yet, instead of finding solace, he finds himself amidst factions and armies engaged in a brutal warfare.
The song also highlights the desperation of young children who are forced to join these forces in search of food and recognition. The lyrics, "For food you need money or a gun, I signed up, whose side I don't care, at least now I'm someone" portrays the hopelessness that these children feel in a world ravaged by war and hunger. The song then describes the cruelty of the grown-ups and the recklessness of the child soldiers who are made to fight battles that they can barely comprehend. In the end, the singer acknowledges that the seeds of this tribal colonial nightmare have been sown by those in power, leaving the children to reap the consequences.
Overall, "I Want Love" is a heart-wrenching critique of war, hunger, and their devastating consequences, and it evokes empathy and understanding for those who suffer in such situations.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up this morning
I started my day feeling a deep sense of hunger within me, a feeling that gnawed at my soul and left me craving for nourishment.
But the preacher man's sermon won't put no food in my bowl
Although I attended the preacher's sermon with the hope of feeling satisfied on a deeper level, it did not fulfill my basic physical need for food.
Looking for food and a home, Instead I found factions and armies. In the middle of a combat zone
My search for basic necessities like food and shelter led me into a war zone, where various factions and armies fought for power and control.
I want love, I need love. I want love, I want love, I need love. And a little food in my bowl
All I want is to be loved and to have my basic needs met, including the need for food to sustain my body.
For food you need money or a gun. I signed up, whose side I don't care. At least now I'm someone
In order to obtain food in this war zone, I had to choose between acquiring wealth or joining one of the fighting factions, and I chose the latter, even though I didn't care about their cause, simply because it gave me an identity.
Commanders and captains and colonels all kids with their backs to the wall
Despite their titles, the leaders of these factions are young children who are also trapped in this war zone and fighting for survival.
They told me I'm joining a family but here I ain't nobody's son. My brothers are right here beside me. We share our hunger and we share our gun
Although I was promised a sense of belonging when I joined this faction, I quickly realized that I am still an outsider in this world. However, I have formed bonds with my fellow soldiers who share my hunger and my weapon.
Tomorrow we start the offensive. Been drinking palm wine all day. Grigrimen can keep us from bullets, but hash won't keep hunger at bay
As we prepare to fight tomorrow, I have been drinking palm wine to numb the pain and fear, but I know that the magic charms won't protect me from bullets or from the pain of hunger.
When it's time the small soldiers march forward. When one falls the next takes his gun. Four to one, AK47. I was number three but now I'm gone
In battle, the youngest and most vulnerable soldiers are sent to the front lines, and when they fall, another takes their place. Despite being the third in line, I too have fallen in this cycle of violence and hunger.
Our future is dying right here. Children only ten years old in this tribal colonial nightmare. We're reaping the seeds you have sown
As young children fight for survival in this war zone, our future is dying here. This is a result of the seeds of colonialism and imperialism that were planted in our nation and continue to shape our realities.
All of us want love. We want love, we need love. And a little food in our bowls
Despite our circumstances, all of us crave love and basic necessities like food, which remind us of our humanity and give us the strength to continue fighting for survival.
Ooh, ooh, ooh. I want love, I need love. And a little food in my bowl
I repeat my desire for love, my need for love, and my basic need for food, which can sustain my body and give me the strength to fight another day.
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: Christian Brun, Jake Bailey, Jerome Cotta, Richard Minier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@youjinchae3748
I Woke up this morning,
Hunger was gnawing my soul,
But the preacher man's sermon,
Won't put no food in my bowl,
Abidjan to Monrovia,
Looking for food and a home,
Instead, I found factions and armies,
In the middle of a combat zone,
I want love,
I need love,
I want love,
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl,
Here in this tribal warfare,
For food you need money or a gun,
I signed up - whose side I don't care,
At least now I'm someone,
At parade time the grown-ups are cruel,
And all of the soldiers are small,
Commanders and captains and colonels,
All kids with their backs to the wall,
I want love,
I need love,
I want love,
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl,
They told me I'm joining a family,
But here I ain't nobody's son,
My brothers are right here beside me,
We share our hunger and we share our gun,
Tomorrow we start the offensive,
Been drinking palm wine all day,
Grigrimen can keep us from bullets,
But hash won't keep hunger at bay,
I want love,
I need love,
I want love,
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl,
When it's time, the small soldiers march forward,
When one falls, the next takes his gun,
Four to one AK-47,
I was number three, but now I'm gone,
Our future is dying right here,
Children only ten years old,
In this tribal colonial nightmare,
We're reaping the seeds you have sown,
We're reaping the seeds you have sown,
We want love,
We need love,
All of us want love,
We want love,
We need love,
And a little food in our bowls
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl
@BarbaraWisniewskaAPA
Obudziłem się dziś rano
Głód gryzł moją duszę
Ale kazanie kaznodziei
Nie włożę jedzenia do miski
Abidżan do Monrowii
Szukam jedzenia i domu
Zamiast tego znalazłem frakcje i armie
W środku strefy walki
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości
Chcę kochać
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości,
I trochę jedzenia w mojej misce
Tutaj, w tej wojnie plemiennej
Do jedzenia potrzebujesz pieniędzy lub broni
Zapisałem się, po czyjej stronie mnie to nie obchodzi
Przynajmniej teraz jestem kimś
W czasie parad dorośli są okrutni
A wszyscy żołnierze są mali
Dowódcy, kapitanowie i pułkownicy
Wszystkie dzieci odwrócone plecami do ściany
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości
Chcę kochać
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości,
I trochę jedzenia w mojej misce
Powiedzieli mi, że dołączam do rodziny
Ale tutaj nie jestem niczyim synem
Moi bracia są tuż obok mnie
Dzielimy się głodem i bronią
Jutro zaczynamy ofensywę
Piłem wino palmowe cały dzień
Grigrimen może nas uchronić przed kulami
Ale haszysz nie powstrzyma głodu
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości
Chcę kochać
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości,
I trochę jedzenia w mojej misce
Kiedy nadejdzie czas, mali żołnierze maszerują do przodu
Kiedy jeden upada, następny bierze broń
Cztery do jednego AK47
Byłem numerem trzy, ale teraz mnie nie ma
Nasza przyszłość umiera właśnie tutaj
Dzieci mają zaledwie dziesięć lat
W tym plemiennym koszmarze kolonialnym
Zbieramy nasiona, które zasiałeś
Zbieramy nasiona, które zasiałeś
Chcemy miłości, potrzebujemy miłości
Wszyscy pragniemy miłości
Chcemy miłości, potrzebujemy miłości
I trochę jedzenia w naszych miseczkach
Chcę miłości, potrzebuję miłości,
I trochę jedzenia w mojej misce
@PininaFlandes
Your really great; I can't believe until now I meet you!!!! Thank you so much for this beautiful songs.
@timgustave6105
Jehro is a true revolutionary, I met him years ago and he's the most incredibly humble and kindhearted person. His songs bring a tear to my eye because of how real they are. Thank you for everything, sir!
@autosteez
I cant even listen to this song without crying. its so real!!
@ImThaidUp
Jehro has a feel good voice....
@GangBlud
beautiful song with a deep meaning. Timeless Classic.
@youjinchae3748
I Woke up this morning,
Hunger was gnawing my soul,
But the preacher man's sermon,
Won't put no food in my bowl,
Abidjan to Monrovia,
Looking for food and a home,
Instead, I found factions and armies,
In the middle of a combat zone,
I want love,
I need love,
I want love,
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl,
Here in this tribal warfare,
For food you need money or a gun,
I signed up - whose side I don't care,
At least now I'm someone,
At parade time the grown-ups are cruel,
And all of the soldiers are small,
Commanders and captains and colonels,
All kids with their backs to the wall,
I want love,
I need love,
I want love,
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl,
They told me I'm joining a family,
But here I ain't nobody's son,
My brothers are right here beside me,
We share our hunger and we share our gun,
Tomorrow we start the offensive,
Been drinking palm wine all day,
Grigrimen can keep us from bullets,
But hash won't keep hunger at bay,
I want love,
I need love,
I want love,
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl,
When it's time, the small soldiers march forward,
When one falls, the next takes his gun,
Four to one AK-47,
I was number three, but now I'm gone,
Our future is dying right here,
Children only ten years old,
In this tribal colonial nightmare,
We're reaping the seeds you have sown,
We're reaping the seeds you have sown,
We want love,
We need love,
All of us want love,
We want love,
We need love,
And a little food in our bowls
I want love,
I need love,
And a little food in my bowl
@blucie9768
Just as haunting as when I first heard it
@VietNguyen-xg7od
It's beautifully meaningful! I hope everything good come to you sir!
@yjo8771
노래가 넘 좋아요😍
@claudiwtm
love your voice jehro!