Johnny Osbourne (born Errol Osbourne, 1948) is a popular Jamaican reggae an… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Osbourne (born Errol Osbourne, 1948) is a popular Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer from Kingston, Jamaica, who rose to success in the late 1970s and mid 1980s. His album Truths and Rights was a notable roots reggae success, and featured "Jah Promise" and the album's title track, "Truths and Rights". However, he is probably best known for his mid 1980s dancehall reggae hits "Buddy Bye" (based on King Jammy's Sleng Teng riddim), "Ice Cream Love" and "Water Pumping".

During 1967 Osbourne became lead vocalist of The Wildcats, and recorded for producer Winston Riley, although nothing was issued. The Wildcats' manager then financed a session at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One, from which his debut single, "All I Have Is Love", was released. In 1969 he recorded an album, Come Back Darling, again for Riley. On the day that he completed the album, Osbourne emigrated to Toronto, Canada, to join his family. After singing with various soul and reggae groups, he became lead vocalist for Ishan People, and recorded two albums with them. The group broke up in 1979, and Osbourne decided to return to Jamaica.[2]

Shortly after returning, he recorded "Forgive Them" and "Jealousy, Heartache And Pain" for the Studio One label. Through late 1979 and early 1980 he recorded extensively for Dodd, with these sessions culminating in Truths And Rights. In 1979 he also had a hit for King Jammy (then Prince Jammy) with "Folly Ranking", and an album of the same name followed in 1980. The success of these recordings made him one of the most in-demand vocalists on the island, and a glut of material was released, including Fally Lover, Warrior, Innah Disco Style and Never Stop Fighting, between 1980 and 1982. In 1983, he began the year with two big hits, "Yo Yo" and "Lend Me A Chopper", and later in the year enjoyed further success with "Water Pumping", an adaptation of Hopeton Lewis' "Take It Easy", which had also served as the basis for Johnny Clarke's 1976 hit "Rockers Time Now".

The hits continued with "Get Cracking", "Check For You", "Rewind" (1984), "Buddy Bye", "No Sound Like We" and "In The Area" (1985). In the late 1980s he was particularly successful when recording for Bobby Digital, and had hits with "Good Time Rock" (1988) and "Rude Boy Skank" (1988), both of which are included on his 1989 album, Rougher Than Them. Throughout the 80s he continued to record for Coxsone Dodd, and singles included "Keep That Light", "Unity" and "A We Run Things", but a long-promised second album from Dodd has not materialized.

Purify Your Heart
Johnny Osbourne Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're going to church on sunday(sunday)
There's no love in your heart on monday(monday)
You're trying to show me, that you know yourself
Purify your heart then you know yourself
Purify your heart then you know yourself
A fool says in this heart, there's no god(no god)
But if that's your belief my friend, it's too sad(too sad)
You're trying to show me that you know yourself

Purify your heart then you know yourself
Purify your heart then you know yourself

A fool says in this heart, there's no god(no god)
But if that's your belief my friend, it's too sad(too sad)
You're trying to show me that you know yourself
Purify your heart then you know yourself
Purify your heart then you know yourself

Purify your heart then you know yourself
You better purify your heart and then you know yourself yeahyeah

Overall Meaning

In Johnny Osbourne's song "Purify Your Heart", the lyrics are a reflection on the disconnect between the actions of people who claim to be religious and their actual behavior. The lyrics acknowledge the hypocrisy of individuals who attend church on Sundays but show no love in their hearts on Mondays. The song encourages listeners to take a deeper look at themselves and to purify their hearts from negative attitudes and beliefs. Only then can they truly know themselves and their beliefs.

The song also references the idea that a fool says in their heart that there is no God, but in reality, this belief is a sad one. It encourages individuals to take a closer look at their beliefs and not just adhere to them simply because they were taught to do so. The message of the song is to encourage self-reflection and to live a life that is truly reflective of one's beliefs.

Overall, "Purify Your Heart" is a song that encourages individuals to look beyond surface-level actions and behaviors and to purify their hearts from negativity and hypocrisy. It reminds us that true belief and understanding of ourselves can only come through honest self-reflection and action.

Line by Line Meaning

You're going to church on sunday(sunday)
You attend church on Sundays, but your actions during the rest of the week do not reflect God's love.

There's no love in your heart on monday(monday)
Your behavior on non-church days is not loving towards others.

You're trying to show me, that you know yourself
You attempt to prove your self-awareness and knowledge to me.

Purify your heart then you know yourself
You must cleanse your heart of negativity and impurity to truly understand yourself and your place in the world.

Purify your heart then you know yourself
A repeat of the previous point.

A fool says in this heart, there's no god(no god)
Someone who denies the existence of God is foolish.

But if that's your belief my friend, it's too sad(too sad)
If you truly believe there is no God, it is a pitiful belief.

You're trying to show me that you know yourself
Again, an attempt to prove self-awareness and knowledge to someone else.

Purify your heart then you know yourself
Once more, emphasizing the importance of purity of heart as a path to self-understanding.

Purify your heart then you know yourself
Reinforcing the idea that purity of heart leads to truly knowing oneself.

Purify your heart then you know yourself
One final time, driving home the song's central message.

You better purify your heart and then you know yourself yeahyeah
A final warning to listeners to focus on improving their own hearts and achieving self-knowledge.

Writer(s): Errol Johnny Osbourne, Lloyd Woodrowe James

Contributed by Jordyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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