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.
You Can'T Be Wrong And Get Right
Jimmy Cliff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uuunh uunnh
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that brings in darkness must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you'll get away
Cheat a little bit and you will have to pay
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh cos you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that brings in darkness must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes if you play with fire, man, you must get burned
If you didn't know then you'd better learn
Cos if you check it out then I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
Hey hey now
Heeey hear me now, now, now, now, now
Instrumental
Uuunh uuunh uuunh
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that brings in darkness must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Cos if you tell a little lie and think you'll get away
Cheat a little bit and you will have to pay
Cos when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh cos you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try, try, try
Anything that brings in darkness must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes if you play with fire, man, you must get burned
If you didn't know then you'd better learn
And if you check it out then I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
No, no, you can't be wrong and get right, right, right
No matter how hard you may try, try, try
Anything that brings in darkness must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
No, no, no you can't be wrong and get right
Jimmy Cliff's "You Can't Be Wrong And Get Right" warns against the consequences of wrongdoing, suggesting that any actions that bring darkness will eventually come to light. He advises listeners to be honest, not to cheat, and not to play with fire as there will be consequences. The song highlights the idea that what goes around comes around, and that even if you think you are getting away with something wrong, it will eventually catch up to you.
The lyrics suggest that everyone has to take responsibility for their actions and that they must face the consequences of their deeds. There is a reference to sudden destruction at the end, depicting a harsh result of wrongdoing. The song urges individuals to always do what is right, and highlights that this is not about morality, but rather emphasizing that bad deeds can lead to negative consequences.
Overall, "You Can't Be Wrong And Get Right" serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of wrongdoing. The song is a reminder that we should all stay honest and be mindful of our actions in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey hey listen now
Pay attention to what I'm about to tell you
You can't be wrong and get right
You cannot do something wrong and expect it to turn out right
No matter how hard you may try
Despite your efforts, if you do something wrong, it will not lead to a positive outcome
Anything that brings in darkness must come out in light
All wrongdoings will eventually be revealed and brought to light
Now if you tell a little lie and think you'll get away
If you deceive or lie, don't think you'll escape the consequences
Cheat a little bit and you will have to pay
Cheating or breaking rules/laws will result in punishment
Cos when you think it's peace and safety, my friend, Sudden destruction's your end
If you think you're safe and secure in your actions but they are wrong, it will lead to sudden and unexpected negative consequences
Yes if you play with fire, man, you must get burned
If you engage in risky or harmful behavior, you should expect negative consequences
If you didn't know then you'd better learn
If you're unaware of the consequences of your actions, it's time to learn and understand them
And if you check it out then I'm sure you will find
If you investigate or seek information, you will discover that doing something wrong will not lead to a positive outcome
No, no, you can't be wrong and get right, right, right
Reinforcing the message that doing something wrong will not result in a positive outcome, no matter how much you try
Contributed by Sydney T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PeterParisius
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you get away
Cheat a little bit, then you will have to pay
'Cause when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh, 'cause you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes, if you play with fire, man you must get burned
If you didn't know then you better learn
'Cause if you check it out, man, I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
(..)
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you get away
Cheat a little bit, then you will have to pay
'Cause when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh, 'cause you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try (try, try)
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes, if you play with fire, man you must get burned
If you didn't know then you better learn
And if you check it out, man, I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
No, no, you can't be wrong and get right (right, right)
No matter how hard you may try (try, try)
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
No, no, no, you can't be wrong and get right..
@MsMutiti
You Can't Be Wrong And Get Right
This song is by Jimmy Cliff and appears on the album House of Exile (1974).
Hey, listen now
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you get away
Cheat a little bit, then you will have to pay
'Cause when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh, 'cause you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes, if you play with fire, man you must get burned
If you didn't know then you better learn
'Cause if you check it out, man, I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you get away
Cheat a little bit, then you will have to pay
'Cause when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh, 'cause you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try (try, try)
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes, if you play with fire, man you must get burned
If you didn't know then you better learn
And if you check it out, man, I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
No, no, you can't be wrong and get right (right, right)
No matter how hard you may try (try, try)
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
No, no, no, you can't be wrong and get Wrong And Get Right
 Last.fm: search for… Jimmy Cliff • House of Exile • You Can't Be Wrong And Get Right
 Pandora: search for… Jimmy Cliff • You Can't Be Wrong
@yomstars
These were the days you enjoy the music and there's a moral message to it as well. God bless you, Jimmy Cliff. Your music was part of my formative years in the 70's.
@charleskafodya7019
Nyimbo yatanthauzo lozama monga Psalms
@anthonyharford1974
jimmy cliff calibrates moral compasses, listen to words of wisdom, I will venture to say he is a psalmist. Love this song
@PeterParisius
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you get away
Cheat a little bit, then you will have to pay
'Cause when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh, 'cause you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes, if you play with fire, man you must get burned
If you didn't know then you better learn
'Cause if you check it out, man, I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
(..)
You can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Now if you tell a little lie and think you get away
Cheat a little bit, then you will have to pay
'Cause when you think it's peace and safety, my friend
Sudden destruction's your end
Oh, 'cause you can't be wrong and get right
No matter how hard you may try (try, try)
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
Yes, if you play with fire, man you must get burned
If you didn't know then you better learn
And if you check it out, man, I'm sure you will find
You can't be wrong and get right
No, no, you can't be wrong and get right (right, right)
No matter how hard you may try (try, try)
Anything that is in darkness, must come out in light
For you can't be wrong and get right
No, no, no, you can't be wrong and get right..
@olaniyitaiye719
Jimmy Cliff music , many of his tracks have greatly enriched my life beyond imagination.
I wish it were possible to meet physically in this incarnation otherwise he remains a brother souling in the vastness of life in like mind.
@ronkebarber6238
Great! Thanks.
@josephinempundu4205
Thanks for the lyrics. Am laughing at how I sung the lyrics wrongly. Now I got it.
@Boubacam
Merci beaucoup pour la traduction ! Le message est très fort.
@KEITHNALUMANGO
Simply one of the most under-played superstars on American radio.
@theonwaigbo3976
Be humble. Be remorseful when on the wrong side. Learn how to say 'I'm sorry'.