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.
Ruby Soho
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Havin' a party up next door but I'm sittin here all alone
Two lovers in the bedroom and the other starts to shout
All I got is this blank stare and that don't carry no clout at all
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
He's singin and she's there to lend a hand
He's seen his name on the marquee but she will never understand
Once again he's leavin' and she's there with a tear in her eye
Embraces with a warm gesture it's time, time to say goodbye
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby's heart ain't beatin cause she knows the feelin' is gone
She's not the only one who knew there's somethin' wrong
Her lover's in the distance as she wipes a tear from her eye
Ruby's fading out, she disappears, it's time, time to say goodbye
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown (Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho)
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown (Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho)
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
"Ruby Soho" is a song originally performed by the Jamaican reggae musician Jimmy Cliff. The song tells a tragic story of two lovers, Ruby and her unnamed partner, who seem unable to reconcile their differences. The first verse of the song finds Jimmy Cliff reflecting on the night sounds of his neighborhood, the reggae music blaring in the background. He imagines a couple making love in the next room, but he is isolated and without a partner. Ruby Soho is mentioned, and it remains unclear what exactly the phrase means. Is it a place? A person? A lost lover?
The second verse is about a rock star who has an ambitious vision of his career, but his lover does not understand his dreams. The singer, like Ruby, has to say goodbye to his lover and hit the road. The third and final verse is the most melancholic, revealing that Ruby's heart is broken, and she is slipping away from her partner. The destination is unknown, but they both need to move on with their lives.
Overall, "Ruby Soho" is a sad but beautiful song that speaks of the pains of love and the need for closure. It is not clear whether Ruby Soho is a person or a place, but it is a symbol of a lost time, a lost love, and a lost hope. The song demonstrates the strong emotional connection between reggae music and storytelling, which is perhaps one of the main reasons it has remained popular for so long.
Interesting Facts:
Line by Line Meaning
Echoes of reggae comin' through my bedroom wall
Reggae music is audible from the wall that separates the singer's and his neighbor's bedrooms.
Havin' a party up next door but I'm sittin here all alone
The neighbor's party is in full swing, but the singer is feeling lonely.
Two lovers in the bedroom and the other starts to shout
The singer can hear two people quarreling in the neighbor's bedroom, and one of them is shouting.
All I got is this blank stare and that don't carry no clout at all
The artist can't do anything about the situation, so his blank stare is powerless.
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
The artist is unsure where he is headed, but he keeps repeating the name of Ruby Soho, a place or person that he is searching for.
He's singin and she's there to lend a hand
A male singer is singing, and a woman is supporting him.
He's seen his name on the marquee but she will never understand
The male singer has become famous and his name is on a billboard, but the woman supporting him doesn't fully comprehend his success.
Once again he's leavin' and she's there with a tear in her eye
The male singer is leaving, and the woman supporting him is crying.
Embraces with a warm gesture it's time, time to say goodbye
The male singer and the woman supporting him share a warm embrace, signaling that it's time to part ways.
Ruby's heart ain't beatin cause she knows the feelin' is gone
Ruby, who may be either a place or a person, is not feeling any emotion since she knows that the relationship or experience that once gave her joy has ended.
She's not the only one who knew there's somethin' wrong
It's not only Ruby who is aware that something is wrong.
Her lover's in the distance as she wipes a tear from her eye
Ruby's lover, who is responsible for her distress, is far away as she tries to keep her emotions in check.
Ruby's fading out, she disappears, it's time, time to say goodbye
Ruby is gradually losing her vitality and disappearing, which is indicative of the end of something significant; it's time to say goodbye.
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
The singer keeps saying the name of Ruby Soho repeatedly as if he is desperately searching for it.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Lars Frederiksen, Roger M. Freeman, Timothy Armstrong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Guinness feast
Echoes of reggae comin' through my bedroom wall
Havin' a party up next door but I'm sittin here all alone
Two lovers in the bedroom and the other starts to shout
All I got is this blank stare and that don't carry no clout at all
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
He's singin and she's there to lend a hand
He's seen his name on the marquee but she will never understand
Once again he's leavin' and she's there with a tear in her eye
Embraces with a warm gesture it's time, time to say goodbye
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby's heart ain't beatin cause she knows the feelin' is gone
She's not the only one who knew there's somethin' wrong
Her lover's in the distance as she wipes a tear from her eye
Ruby's fading out, she disappears, it's time, time to say goodbye
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown (Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho)
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Destination unknown (Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho)
Ruby ruby ruby ruby soho
Erich Rafer
Wow! A true legend recognizing my generation's legend.Respect to both of them and their contributions to the music we all love.This is gold.
RcTrue
This is unreal . It sounds like classic jimmy cliff . Harder they come type stuff. Tim Armstrong did an excellent job producing obviously. Jimmy nailed it too. Killer vocals on a classic rancid cover . Hard to beat the original. But this is just as good ub Its own way
HighAngleLarry
Ever listen to that song by rancid? Jimmy basically did a one song split with them lol.
RcTrue
@HighAngleLarry for sure, bro. I love Rancid
HighAngleLarry
I love that cover cant hear any version without seeing monks
oh herro
probably one of the best covers ive ever heard
fahim113
A voice like velvet. Wonderful!
Der Ehrenwerte Wellensalat
A Rancid classic and one of my favorite songs. Jimmy Cliff did so well with this that you can find his name attached to it when you google the lyrics. Great.
hellobiafra
is amazing an old school reggae legend covering an "new" punk band
HighAngleLarry
I mean they covered one of his, its only fair to do the same.