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.
Rise Up
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got your destiny to fulfill
And you welcome which what you will
So no more sitting on the fence
Living your life in false pretense
Yeah
Rise and shine
Give the most of the Glory
Let the world know your story
Rise up, Rebel
Rise up, Wake up
Rise up, Wake up, Get up and seize the time
You're wallowing in mediocrity
Living your life in poverty
We know the system is a fraud
That's why they make your life so hard
Rise and shine
Give the most of the Glory
Rise and shine
Let the world know your story
Rise up, Rebel
Rise up, Wake up
Rise up, Get up, Stand up and seize the time
You've got your life to complete
And there will be no retreat
So for what on to progression
Getting complete satisfaction
Yeah
Rise and shine
Give the most of the Glory
Rise and shine
Let the world know your story
Rise up, Rebel
Rise up, Wake up
Rise up, Wake up, Stand up and seize the time
Rise up (oh my brother)
Wake up (oh my sister)
Rebel
Living your life in poverty won't make you feel that happy
Living your life in false pretense, it just don't make no sense
Rise up (oh mama)
Wake up (oh papa)
Rebel
Rise up and seize the time
The song "Rise Up" by Jimmy Cliff is a call to action for listeners to take control of their lives and fulfill their destiny. He encourages them to stop "sitting on the fence" and living their lives in "false pretense." Cliff empowers listeners to rise up, rebel against the system, and overcome poverty and mediocrity. The lyrics also remind listeners that life is finite and should not be wasted, they should seize the time and work towards their goals. The song highlights that progress and complete satisfaction can only be achieved by taking control of one's life.
Through the lyrics of "Rise Up," Cliff attempts to motivate individuals to embrace their inner power and not fall into the trap of living an average life. He emphasizes that listeners have the ability to control their destiny and must believe in themselves if they want to make a difference in the world. The song's chorus repeats "Rise and shine, give the most of the glory" to remind listeners to rise to the occasion, showcase their best self, and let their story be known.
Line by Line Meaning
Rise up
Take action and make a change
You got your destiny to fulfill
You have a purpose in life that you need to achieve
And you welcome which what you will
You have the power to choose your own path
So no more sitting on the fence
Stop being indecisive and take action
Living your life in false pretense
Stop pretending to be someone you're not
Yeah
An expression of enthusiasm
Rise and shine
Time to awaken and embrace the day
Give the most of the Glory
Make the most of your opportunities
Let the world know your story
Share your experiences with others
Rise up, Rebel
Take a stand against conformity
Rise up, Wake up
Open your eyes to the world around you and take action
Rise up, Wake up, Get up and seize the time
Make the most of the present moment and take action now
You're wallowing in mediocrity
You're stuck in a state of average and are not reaching your full potential
Living your life in poverty
You're not living the life you truly desire
We know the system is a fraud
The system is corrupt and not working in your favor
That's why they make your life so hard
The system is designed to make it difficult for you to succeed
You've got your life to complete
You have goals to achieve in your lifetime
And there will be no retreat
You cannot give up or turn back
So for what on to progression
Focus on progressing forward in life
Getting complete satisfaction
Achieving full contentment and happiness
Rise up (oh my brother)
Encouragement to all men to stand up and take action
Wake up (oh my sister)
Encouragement to all women to wake up and take action
Living your life in poverty won't make you feel that happy
Being unhappy with your current state of living is not productive
Living your life in false pretense, it just don't make no sense
Pretending to be someone you're not is not productive
Rise up (oh mama)
Encouragement to all mothers to take action
Wake up (oh papa)
Encouragement to all fathers to wake up and take action
Rebel
Take a stand against conformity
Rise up and seize the time
Take action in the present moment and make a change
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hercules Skinny
My continent Africa must rise up,wake up, stand up and cease the time.
Flip Curry
Hercules Skinny, been to joeburg in South Africa and also Maputo in Mozambique, I don’t know where your from in Africa, but just from being in those 2 countries i think know what you mean about when you say “Rise up” I liked Maputo, very dangerous, but I liked it...South Africa on the other hand is the most openly racist country that I’ve ever been to..
Barry Oxley
Dj barryox
Barry Oxley
Rise up djbarryox