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.
Look At The Mountains
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Papa, look at the sea
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sky
I'm going up there
I'm going up there
Who's coming with me
Honey, if you try
I said faith can move mountains
Baby, it's no lie
If I lose one eye
I still got one left to see
If I lose one leg
Still got one left to climb
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sea
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sky
I'm going up there
I'm going up there
Who's coming with me
You know life is what you make it
And I'm gonna make it good
Things don't always turn out
The way they should
But I'm not prepared to take it
No, no, no, no, no
Faith can move mountains
Honey, if you try
Faith can move mountains
Baby, it's no lie
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sea
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sky
I'm going up there
I'm going up there
Who's coming with me
Mama look, Mama look at the mountains
Papa look, Papa look at the mountains
Repeat last verse and fade.
The song "Look at the Mountains" by Jimmy Cliff is a message about having hope and faith, despite life's difficulties. The opening lines of the song are a call to his parents, asking them to look at the beautiful things around them, a sea or a mountain or the sky. Cliff declares that he is going up there and questions who will follow him. The mountain represents the obstacle or challenge, and the sky is the limit of what he can achieve.
The chorus repeats the mantra that faith can move mountains; it is a powerful statement about the power of faith. Getting rid of one leg or one eye means, even if he is deprived of some abilities, he still has one left to go forth. It conveys a message of hope and resilience, and the idea that no matter how difficult the obstacle, one can always find a way to climb it.
"Look at the Mountains" is a song that inspires hope, perseverance and positivity. It encourages people to find beauty in their surroundings and have faith in their abilities. It was popularized significantly, credited for helping to break reggae beyond the Jamaican market and transform it into a global phenomenon.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, look at the mountains
The singer wants his mother to see the beauty and vastness of the mountains.
Papa, look at the sea
The singer wants his father to see the vastness and wonder of the sea.
Mama, look at the mountains
The singer is once again expressing his wonder at the beauty of the mountains.
Papa, look at the sky
The artist wants his father to see the majesty and endlessness of the sky.
I'm going up there
The artist is expressing his ambition to climb the mountains and reach the sky.
I'm going up there
This line is repeated to reinforce the singer's determination.
Who's coming with me
The singer is inviting others to join him in his pursuit of greatness.
You know faith can move mountains
The artist believes that having faith can help one achieve seemingly impossible feats.
Honey, if you try
The artist is addressing his loved one and encouraging them to try to achieve their dreams.
I said faith can move mountains
The artist is repeating his belief in the power of faith.
Baby, it's no lie
The singer reassures his loved one that his belief in faith is not a falsehood.
If I lose one eye
The artist is acknowledging that setbacks may happen, but they do not have to be the end.
I still got one left to see
Even if the singer loses something, he still has something left to work with.
If I lose one leg
The singer is once again acknowledging possible setbacks.
Still got one left to climb
The singer is reassuring himself that he still has one functional leg to continue with his climb.
You know life is what you make it
The artist believes that one can shape their life into whatever they want it to be.
And I'm gonna make it good
The artist is determined to create a good life for himself.
Things don't always turn out
The singer acknowledges that life is full of unexpected events.
The way they should
The singer suggests that things do not always go as planned.
But I'm not prepared to take it
The artist is not willing to accept a negative outcome without a fight.
No, no, no, no, no
The artist is emphasizing that he refuses to accept defeat.
Mama, look at the mountains
The artist again wants his mother to see the beauty in the mountains.
Papa, look at the sea
The singer once again encourages his father to appreciate the vastness of the sea.
Mama, look at the mountains
The artist is still in awe of the beautiful mountains.
Papa, look at the sky
The singer wants his father to appreciate the majesty of the sky.
I'm going up there
The singer is once again expressing his ambition to reach the top of the mountains and sky.
I'm going up there
This line is repeated to reinforce the singer's determination.
Who's coming with me
The artist invites others to join him on his journey to greatness.
Mama look, Mama look at the mountains
The artist once again wants his mother to appreciate the beauty of the mountains.
Papa look, Papa look at the mountains
The singer once again wants his father to appreciate the beauty of the mountains.
Writer(s): Jimmy Cliff
Contributed by Madelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sebastião Queiroz
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sea
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sky
I'm going up there
I'm going up there
Who's coming with me
You know faith can move mountains
Honey, if you try
I said faith can move mountains
Baby, it's no lie
If I lose one eye
I still got one left to see
If I lose one leg
Still got one left to climb
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sea
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sky
I'm going up there
I'm going up there
Who's coming with me
You know life is what you make it
And I'm gonna make it good
Things don't always turn out
The way they should
But I'm not prepared to take it
No, no, no, no, no
Faith can move mountains
Honey, if you try
Faith can move mountains
Baby, it's no lie
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sea
Mama, look at the mountains
Papa, look at the sky
I'm going up there
I'm going up there
Who's coming with me
Mama look, Mama look at the mountains
Papa look, Papa look at the mountains
Fonte: Musixmatch
Compositores: JIMMY CLIFF
Lívia Oliveira
Sou uma brasileira apaixonada pelas músicas do Jimmy Cliff desde quando eu era criança, hj eu tenho 41 anos e ainda dou apaixonada por essas músicas....
Claudio C
Músicas que recorda bons momentos
Arildo Ribeiro
Amo essa música!!!
Francisca Machado
Amo essa musica relembra muito momentos bons
luis carlos marley
nascir em 1968, curtir e curto até hoje!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🇬🇳🇬🇳
Balancei a Paraiba
Linda música, me leva de volta para os anos 80👏👏
Josephine Mpundu
This song with a spiritual aspect to life is inspiring, full of hope.
Maria Gorete Dos Santos
Que lindaáaaa!!! Eu já procurei tanto essa musica!!!❤❤❤❤❤
Raimunda Almeida
Muito linda essa música ❤
Dije Basto
Muita BOM ouvir essas relíquias Eita são Luís Maranhão