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.
Come Into My Life
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come into my life, come into my life
Come into my life, oh baby
Come in today (Come on in)
Come in to stay (Come on in)
Come into my life, oh baby
I knew I had to make you mine
And when I kissed you
I knew I want you all the time
I don't need no sympathy
All I need is your love for me
Tell me now and I make you happy, oh baby
Come into my life, come into my life
Come into my life, oh baby
Come in today (Come on in)
Come in to stay (Come on in)
Come into my life, oh baby
Hold me and fold me
Anyway into your will
Bend me and shape me
Baby as long as you love me still
I don't need no sympathy
All I need is your love for me
Tell me now and I'll make you happy, hey baby
Come into my life, come into my life
Come into my life, oh baby
Come in today (Come on in)
Come in to stay (Come on in)
Come into my life, oh baby
Come into my life
'Cause I need you (Come into my life)
Said I want you (Come into my life)
I gotta have you baby (Come into my life)
Oh yeah, right now (Come into my life)
And oh yeah, yeah, yeah (Come into my life)
Said I need you, child (Come into my life)
Ah ah yeah
In "Come into my Life," Jimmy Cliff sings about the intensity of his desire for his lover. The first time he met her, he knew he wanted her. He's not looking for sympathy or pity, just her love. He pleads with her to come into his life, declaring that she can make him happy. He's willing to give himself completely to her, bending to her will, as long as she loves him back.
The lyrics are both passionate and vulnerable, with Cliff openly admitting his dependence on his partner's love. The repetition of the chorus and the insistent rhythm of the music create a sense of urgency, as if Cliff can't wait another moment for his lover to join him. The lines "Hold me and fold me / Anywhere into your will / Bend me and shape me / Baby as long as you love me still" suggest a willingness to be molded and changed by love, to be transformed by the power of the relationship.
Overall, "Come into my Life" is a song about the transformative power of love, about the way it can change and shape us. It's a plea for connection and intimacy, a declaration of longing and need.
Line by Line Meaning
Mmh mmh mmh mmh, yeah
Expressing excitement and anticipation for the arrival of the person being sung to
Come into my life, come into my life
Inviting the person being sung to enter the life of the singer
Come into my life, oh baby
Expressing a desire for the person being sung to become a crucial part of the singer's life
Come in today (Come on in)
Urging the person being sung to make haste and come to the singer's life
Come in to stay (Come on in)
Asking the person being sung to commit to staying in the singer's life
Come into my life, oh baby
Repeating the invitation for the person being sung to become an integral part of the singer's life
The first time that I met you
Recalling the memorable first meeting between the singer and the person being sung to
I knew I had to make you mine
The singer felt an immediate attraction and connection to the person being sung to
And when I kissed you
The kiss shared between the singer and the person being sung to confirmed the singer's attraction
I knew I want you all the time
The singer realized that they want to be with the person being sung to constantly
I don't need no sympathy
The singer is not interested in pity from others
All I need is your love for me
The singer only desires the love and affection of the person being sung to
Tell me now and I make you happy, oh baby
Assuring the person being sung to that their happiness is of utmost importance to the singer
Hold me and fold me
Expressing the desire to be held and molded by the person being sung to
Anyway into your will
Telling the person being sung to that the singer wants to be in accordance with all their wishes and desires
Bend me and shape me
The singer doesn't mind being shaped and influenced by the person being sung to
Baby as long as you love me still
As long as the person being sung to continues to love the singer, they do not mind if they are controlled or influenced
Come into my life, come into my life
Repeating the invitation for the person being sung to to enter the singer's life
Come into my life, oh baby
Reiterating the desire for the person being sung to to become an integral part of the singer's life
Come in today (Come on in)
Re-emphasizing the urgency for the person being sung to to come into the singer's life
Come in to stay (Come on in)
Making it clear to the person being sung to that the singer desires a long-term commitment
Come into my life, oh baby
Repeating the invitation for the person being sung to become an integral part of the singer's life
Come into my life
Again inviting the person being sung to enter the life of the singer
'Cause I need you (Come into my life)
Expressing the importance of the person being sung to entering the singer's life
Said I want you (Come into my life)
Reaffirming the desire for the person being sung to to enter the singer's life
I gotta have you baby (Come into my life)
The singer needs the person being sung to in their life
Oh yeah, right now (Come into my life)
Emphasizing the immediacy with which the person being sung to should come into the singer's life
And oh yeah, yeah, yeah (Come into my life)
Expressing enthusiasm for the person being sung to to enter the singer's life
Said I need you, child (Come into my life)
Reiterating to the person being sung to the importance of them entering the singer's life
Ah ah yeah
An excited and affirmative interjection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMMY CLIFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eddy Manijean
Mmh mmh mmh mmh, yeah
Come into my life, come into my life
Come into my life, oh baby
Come in today
(Come on in)
Come in to stay
(Come on in)
Come into my life, oh baby
The first time that I met you
I knew I had to make you mine...
Cariblink
Whoever thumbs down this need serious help. This a classic hit
Cariblink
@rocknroller1986 yeah maybe lol
rocknroller1986
Maybe they were disappointed it's not a video, just a picture of him?
jamuga60
This song should have 22 million views????? Such a wonderful song.
jamuga60
@MrMartin21 Why not?.......get it out there man.
MrMartin21
10 million oldies ain't sharing 100% sure smmfh
eliane viegas
Jimmy Cliff,tbm arrasa no reggae e nas músicas românticas 👏👏👏👏👍♥️
song serenade
jimmy really sang some sweet and timelesss reggae classics.
Mariejosé mbedey
J'aime cette sensibilité, délicatesse, finesse et ce romantisme. Il n'y que les amoureux nés pour savoir exprimer leur sentiments comme tu le fais si bien Jimmy
Maryleneaudreu Mbellebala
@Patrick A tu as tout compris Patrick