Jimmy Cliff OM (Jamaican Order of Merit) born as James Chambers (1 April 19… Read Full Bio ↴Jimmy Cliff OM (Jamaican Order of Merit) born as James Chambers (1 April 1948, St. Catherine, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is best known among mainstream audiences for songs like "Sittin' in Limbo", "You Can Get It If You Really Want," "Many Rivers to Cross" and the title track from The Harder They Come, a film soundtrack which helped popularise reggae across the world.

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.

Hey Mister Yesterday
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Whoa, I'm free, nobody now owns me
Yes, I'm free, nobody owns me
I'm a free man living in a free country
No, no, no, baby, you don't own me
If you think you do, you're sadly mistaken
I do what I wish and I go where I like, I'm free
I live the life I love
And I love the life that I live

I do the things I wish
And you ain't gonna stop me
Whoa, I'm free, nobody now owns me
Yes, I'm free, nobody owns me
I'm a free man living in a free country
No, no, no, baby, you don't own me

If you think you do, you're sadly mistaken
I do what I wish and I go where I like, I'm free

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jimmy Cliff's song Hey Mister Yesterday speak to the theme of personal freedom and individuality. The song starts by asserting the singer's freedom from being owned by anyone. The repetition of the line "I'm free, nobody owns me" serves as a mantra to emphasize the importance of this freedom. The singer then underlines their autonomy by stating that they can do whatever they wish and go wherever they like. This is an important celebration of individuality and personal power, as it upends traditional power structures where one person or group can control another.

The song is also notable in its recognition of the importance of context. While the singer is celebrating their own freedom, they emphasize that one's autonomy is not absolute, but is rather contextualized in a larger social setting. The singer acknowledges that they are a free man living in a free country, recognizing the vital importance of collective freedom alongside individual freedom. The song then ends with a reminder to anyone who might try to control the singer that they do not own them. The song becomes an anthem of defiance against any and all attempts to limit one's personal freedom and self-expression.

Line by Line Meaning

Whoa, I'm free, nobody now owns me
I am a free individual and no one has control over me.

Yes, I'm free, nobody owns me
I have complete freedom and ownership over my own life.

I'm a free man living in a free country
I am a free citizen living in a country that values liberty and freedom.

No, no, no, baby, you don't own me
You do not have any power over me or my decisions.

If you think you do, you're sadly mistaken
You are wrong to assume that you have any control over me or my life.

I do what I wish and I go where I like, I'm free
I have the ability to make my own choices and go wherever I please without any restrictions or limitations.

I live the life I love
I live a life that brings me joy and fulfillment.

And I love the life that I live
I am happy with the life that I have created for myself.

I do the things I wish
I engage in activities that bring me happiness and satisfaction.

And you ain't gonna stop me
You do not have the power or authority to prevent me from living my life freely.

Whoa, I'm free, nobody now owns me
I am a free person and no one can lay claim to me.

Yes, I'm free, nobody owns me
I maintain complete autonomy over my life and my choices.

I'm a free man living in a free country
I am proud to be a citizen of a nation that values freedom and individual liberty.

No, no, no, baby, you don't own me
You cannot control me or dictate how I live my life.

If you think you do, you're sadly mistaken
Your assumption of ownership or control over me is incorrect and misguided.

I do what I wish and I go where I like, I'm free
I am free to make my own choices and to live my life according to my own desires.

Contributed by Julia N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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