Cliff moved to Kingston in 1962. After he released two singles that failed to make much of an impression, his career took off when his "Hurricane Hattie" became a hit, while he was aged just 14; it was produced by Leslie Kong, with whom Cliff would remain until Kong's death. Later local hit singles included "King of Kings", "Dearest Beverley" and "Pride and Passion". In 1964, Cliff was chosen as one of the Jamaican representatives at the World's Fair, and Cliff soon signed to Island Records and moved to Britain. Island initially (and unsuccessfully) tried to sell Cliff to the rock audience, but his career took off in the late 1960s. His international debut album was Hard Road to Travel, which received excellent reviews and included "Waterfall", a Brazilian hit that won the International Song Festival.
"Waterfall" was followed in 1969 by "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" and "Vietnam" in 1970, both popular throughout most of the world. Folk rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan even called "Vietnam" the best protest song he'd ever heard. Wonderful World included a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World", which was a success in 1970.
Leslie Kong died of a heart attack in 1971. The soundtrack to the reggae film The Harder They Come was a huge success that sold well across the world, but did not break Cliff into the mainstream. After a series of albums, Cliff took a break and traveled to Africa, exploring his newfound Muslim spirituality. He quickly returned to music, touring for several years before he recorded with Kool & the Gang for Power & the Glory (1983). (During the 1981 River Tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band added Cliff's little-known "Trapped" to their live set; it achieved great prominence when included on 1985's We Are the World benefit album.) The follow-up, Cliff Hanger (1985) won a Grammy Award, though it was his last major success in the U.S. until 1993. He continued to sell well in Jamaica and, to a lesser extent, the UK, returning to the mainstream pop charts in the U.S. and elsewhere with a version of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" on the Cool Runnings film soundtrack in 1993 .
In 2002, Cliff released his new album, Fantastic Plastic People in Europe, after first providing free downloads using Delacove's People Music Media p2p software. This album featured collaborations with Joe Strummer, Annie Lennox, and Sting as well as new songs that were very reminiscent of Cliff's original hits. In 2004 Cliff completely reworked the songs, dropping the traditional reggae in favor of an electronica sound, for inclusion in Black Magic.
Cliff has also covered the famous African song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
His recording of 'You Can Get It If You Really Want' was used as a campaign anthem by the Sandinista National Liberation Front in the 1990 election in Nicaragua (they lost). It was also adopted by the British Conservative Party during their annual conference in October, 2007. It is unclear whether Mr Cliff endorsed either party. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 15,2010.
Brown Eyes
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat, oh
Ain’t found her yet got a ways to go..
Gotta find that girl and make her mine,
yeah man
Oh she’s the one with the big brown eyes.
In my dream I met this girl, we fell in love
and she is a pearl.
I promised her I’d show her the world,
Now I’m awake and there is no girl.
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat,
oh
Ain’t found her yet got a ways to go..
Gotta find that girl and make her mine,
yeah man.
Oh she’s the one with the big brown eyes.
Now I heard that dreams come to life,
And if it's true she’ll be my wife.
Crazy they’d call me soon they’ll see.
We’ll be together in harmony.
I’ve seen a lot of girls that men admire, (echo)
and they’re fine, so fine
Not one of them compare to mine. (echo)
Not one of them compare to mine
She’s got the cutest little smile, yeah man. (echo) She’s got the
cutest little smile
I’m looking for the one with big brown eyes.
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat,
(echo) In my little rowboat
Ain’t found her yet got a ways to go..(echo) Ain’t found her yet got a
ways to go
Gotta find that girl and make her mine, yeah man (echo) Make that
sweet girl mine
Oh she’s the one with the big brown eyes.
Gotta find that girl, yes, ah, ah ah
Brown eyes
Gotta find that girl, yes, ah that girl,
Hawaiian eyes
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat, (echo) In my little rowboat
Ain’t found her yet got a ways to go..(echo) Ain’t found her yet got a
ways to go
Gotta find that girl and make her mine,
yeah man (echo)
I’m gonna make that sweet girl mine
Oh she’s the one with the big brown eyes.
She’s the One
I’ve seen a lot of girls that men admire, (echo)
yes they’re fine, so fine
Not one of them compare to mine. (echo)
Not one of them compare to mine
She’s got the cutest little smile, yeah man. (echo) She’s got the
cutest little smile
I’m looking for the one with big brown eyes.
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat,
(echo) In my little rowboat
Ain’t found her yet got a ways to go..(echo) Ain’t found her yet got a
ways to go
Gotta find that girl and make her mine, (echo) find that girl and make
her mine
Oh she’s the one with the big brown eyes.
The song "Brown Eyes" by Jimmy Cliff showcases a man who is on a quest to find the girl of his dreams. He sets out to sail down the coast in his little rowboat searching for the girl with the "big brown eyes." However, he hasn't found her yet and has a long way to go. In his dream, he meets the perfect girl, falls in love with her, and promises to show her the world. But when he wakes up, there is no girl.
The lyrics are powerful and allow the audience to relate to the singer's longing for someone he hasn't met yet. He is so desperate to find her that he believes his dream could come true, and they could end up together in harmony forever. He compares the girl he is looking for to all the other girls he's seen, but none can compare to the one with the big brown eyes.
Overall, this song is a beautiful portrayal of a man's determination to find his soulmate, despite the hurdles that might come his way. It’s an excellent piece of music that encourages listeners to keep looking for their true love and not give up on their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat, oh
I am on a journey to find someone special
Ain’t found her yet got a ways to go..
I haven't found her yet, but I won't give up
Gotta find that girl and make her mine, yeah man
I am determined to find her and make her mine
Oh she’s the one with the big brown eyes.
I know that she has big brown eyes and that she is the one for me
In my dream I met this girl, we fell in love
I had a dream where I fell in love with a girl
and she is a pearl.
She is a precious gem to me
I promised her I’d show her the world,
I promised her that I would take her on adventures
Now I’m awake and there is no girl.
But now that I am awake, she doesn't exist
Now I heard that dreams come to life,
I heard that dreams can come true in real life
And if it's true she’ll be my wife.
If it is true, then she will be my wife
Crazy they’d call me soon they’ll see.
People may think I am crazy, but they will soon see that I am right
We’ll be together in harmony.
We will be together in perfect agreement
I’ve seen a lot of girls that men admire, (echo)
I have seen many girls that other men think are attractive
and they’re fine, so fine
And they are indeed beautiful
Not one of them compare to mine. (echo)
But none of them compare to the one I am searching for
She’s got the cutest little smile, yeah man. (echo) She’s got the cutest little smile
She has an adorable smile that I cannot resist
I’m looking for the one with big brown eyes.
I am looking for someone who has big brown eyes
Gotta find that girl, yes, ah, ah ah
I must find that girl
Brown eyes
She has brown eyes
Gotta find that girl, yes, ah that girl,
I need to find that girl
Hawaiian eyes
Perhaps she is from Hawaii
find that girl and make her mine
I am determined to find her and make her mine
She’s the One
She is the one for me
Contributed by Bella G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kissmeagain54
2021..... THIS SONG IS LIT ......
@melvynamoako-frimpong2964
Sailing down the coast in my little rowboat, oh
Ain't found her yet got a ways to go..
Gotta find that girl and make her mine
Yeah man
Oh she's the one with the big brown eyes...🥰
@OriginalKryschan
Great to find Jaco Pastorius play bass along with Jimmy Cliff!
@timothymwansa272
This song reminds me of my beautiful wife,she has big brown eyes,wlll be forever loving her
@jessicacamilla5956
I’ve loved this for years but never knew the title ..so glad I found it 😍
@gailrickman7238
Love this song. When I was much younger an admirer sang it to me all the time. I really have big brown eyes that brought me a lot of compliments.
@samuelodoi-agyei5449
My childhood favorite.... Didn't hear words but enjoyed the tune
@hyacinthdelimini1390
My love song
@naarriowens2355
@Hyacinth Delimini ! Up
@TashaSmilesDaily
Latoya Jackson won a Grammy for her production on this Jimmy Cliff album! ❤❤❤