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.
Piece Of The Pie
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What is the jungle
Equal rights and justice
And if he doesn't get it
He's gon' to take it any way and anyhow
So you better give up
We want our piece of the pie
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
They run our fathers up their pole
And try to take their soul
We realize we know the score
So don't try that no more
No tricks, no traps, no lies, no gripes
Can't hold us anymore
We've had enough of jive and bluff
We want our share for sure
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
A hungry man is a angry man
I hope you understand
Because a hand to mouth won't work it out
Of this there is no doubt
We want our share, we have no fear
So you better beware
â??Cause a hungry mouth is a angry mouth
Worse without a job, hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie (A seh a seh a seh a so a seh)
Right here, right now (A seh a seh a so oh)
Bom dee long dong bom bong bom da ding dong
Bom la bom bom bom bom dey
Rom bom bom bom ding dong a ring rong a free mon
Bom bom bom bom dey hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
There's one thing we'd like to know
Where does the money go
â??Cause some got it, and some drop it
Well, someone ought to know
This life as living to offer
To every single one
Birds and bees, no woods and trees
There is no existence, hey
We want our piece of the pie, hey
Right now, right here
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
Bom dee long dong bom bong bom da ding dong
Bom la bom bom bom bom dey
Da diddle ling ding dong, da diddle ling ding dong
Da dong dong hey
Hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
We want our piece of the pie (A seh a seh a seh a so a seh)
Right here, right now (A seh a seh a so oh)
We want our piece of the pie (A seh a seh a seh a so a seh)
Right here, right now (A seh a seh a so oh oh so)
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
The lyrics of "Piece of the Pie" by Jimmy Cliff speak about a desire for equal rights and justice. The "jungle" referred to in the beginning represents society where there are power dynamics that favor certain groups over others, leaving a "lion," representative of the oppressed, weak and ready to fight for their share of the "pie." The "pie" symbolizes a fair distribution of resources and opportunities.
The lyrics emphasize the need to give people what they deserve, rather than what is simply given as a handout. It speaks about the inherent anger and frustration that arises in a society where basic needs are not being met. The song reflects the dissatisfaction and awareness of the exploitation and oppression of the working class at the time, and the need for them to demand their due rights.
Line by Line Meaning
The lion is weak and ready for his jungle
Society is unstable and in need of change
What is the jungle
Equal rights and justice
And if he doesn't get it
If a person is denied equal rights and justice
He's gon' to take it any way and anyhow
He will resort to any means necessary to obtain it
So you better give up
It is in society's best interest to grant equal rights and justice
We want our piece of the pie
We demand our fair share of resources
Right here, right now
Immediately
They run our fathers up their pole
Those in power oppress and subjugate our ancestors
And try to take their soul
They attempt to strip away their identity and culture
We realize we know the score
We are aware of the injustice and oppression we face
So don't try that no more
We won't stand for it any longer
No tricks, no traps, no lies, no gripes
Deceit, manipulation, and complaints won't deter us
Can't hold us anymore
We won't be oppressed or silenced any longer
We've had enough of jive and bluff
We are tired of empty promises and excuses
We want our share for sure
We demand our fair share of resources
A hungry man is a angry man
Poverty and hunger can lead to unrest and rebellion
I hope you understand
It is important to recognize the impact of poverty and hunger
Because a hand to mouth won't work it out
Living paycheck to paycheck isn't sustainable
Of this there is no doubt
It is an indisputable fact
We want our share, we have no fear
We demand our fair share of resources without intimidation
So you better beware
Those in power should be wary of our demands
A hungry mouth is a angry mouth
Poverty and hunger can lead to unrest and rebellion
Worse without a job, hey
Unemployment exacerbates poverty and hunger
There's one thing we'd like to know
We have a question
Where does the money go
We question the distribution of resources
“Cause some got it, and some drop it
Some people have access to resources while others do not
Well, someone ought to know
The distribution of resources should be transparent and fair
This life as living to offer
Every person has the right to a good life
To every single one
This right extends to every individual
Birds and bees, no woods and trees
Everyone deserves access to basic needs like food and shelter
There is no existence, hey
Without access to basic needs, life is not worth living
Bom dee long dong bom bong bom da ding dong
Nonsensical lyrics
Bom la bom bom bom bom dey
Nonsensical lyrics
Rom bom bom bom ding dong a ring rong a free mon
Nonsensical lyrics
Hey
Exclamation
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY CLIFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TeAhu Adams
The lion is weak and ready for his jungle
What is the jungle
Equal rights and justice
And if he doesn't get it
He's gon' to take it any way and anyhow
So you better give up
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
They run our fathers up their pole
And try to take their soul
We realize we know the score
So don't try that no more
No tricks, no traps, no lies, no gripes
Can't hold us anymore
We've had enough of jive and bluff
We want our share for sure
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
A hungry man is a angry man
I hope you understand
Because a hand to mouth won't work it out
Of this there is no doubt
We want our share, we have no fear
So you better beware
â??Cause a hungry mouth is a angry mouth
Worse without a job, hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie (A seh a seh a seh a so a seh)
Right here, right now (A seh a seh a so oh)
Bom dee long dong bom bong bom da ding dong
Bom la bom bom bom bom dey
Rom bom bom bom ding dong a ring rong a free mon
Bom bom bom bom dey hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
There's one thing we'd like to know
Where does the money go
â??Cause some got it, and some drop it
Well, someone ought to know
This life as living to offer
To every single one
Birds and bees, no woods and trees
There is no existence, hey
We want our piece of the pie, hey
Right now, right here
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
Bom dee long dong bom bong bom da ding dong
Bom la bom bom bom bom dey
Da diddle ling ding dong, da diddle ling ding dong
Da dong dong hey
Hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now, hey
We want our piece of the pie (A seh a seh a seh a so a seh)
Right here, right now (A seh a seh a so oh)
We want our piece of the pie (A seh a seh a seh a so a seh)
Right here, right now (A seh a seh a so oh oh so)
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
We want our piece of the pie
Right here, right now
Bruno Bastos
“Não tenha limites, viva uma aventura. A adrenalina é melhor quando sentida ao extremo.”🍷🗿
Phil -
Playing REALLY LOUD in my neighborhood here in St. Croix !!!
One of the original Legends Jimmy Cliff they don't make them like this anymore.
Love & Strength to all Jah children in the four corners of the Globe
Edvaldo Arcanjo dos Santos
Jimmy Cliff é top.
jewellers100
I could play the 'Power and the Glory' LP from beginning to end both sides without skipping and then even repeat this time and time again. Never get tired of this LP. I swear I could never do this with any other LP or CD and I own over a 1000 discs. Album of the 80's
chouchou 68
This song
accompanied me during a very great moment of deliverance from my
existence, I had just avoided what would have been the worst moment of
my life, perhaps even the end. Listened and sang very loudly in my car, she was the best anti-depressant. Since then, it has a special place in my heart and my head.
svalerie98
I want to know more I’m curious
svalerie98
Omg get back to me!!! I've already waited 2 years
Carol Alphus
Still enjoying in 2020 love you Jimmy Cliff!!!!
Y Camara
Still LOVE this song
Lucy tchai
RELEMBRO MOMENTOS BOMS DA MINHA VIDA.