In 2002 he played lead role (Biggs) in the film Shottas along with Spragga Benz, Paul Campbell, Louie Rankin, Wyclef Jean, Screechie Bop and many more. It is an original story that shows the life of a shotta/gangster on the streets of Jamaica and Miami.
He achieved even more success as a musician with a cover of Eddy Grant's Electric Avenue, in collaboration with the Fugees' Pras. He has also starred in several films, including Shottas in 2002 and as John the Baptist in the 2004 film Haven.
Remaining true to his Jamaican culture, Ky-mani's fondness for all genres of music influences the work he creates. Ky-mani is an artist with no limits. Incorporating world music, hip hop, blues, rock and a grass roots sound into his music, the end product is the pure representation of life for Ky-mani. The Ky-mani Marley sound is one that transcends cultural lines and prohibits him from being categorized as only a reggae artist. His raw, unadulterated, gruff sound captures the listener and reverberates the essence of Ky-mani's life story.
Ky-mani launched his latest album "Radio" in 2007. The album features several key singles including One Time, The March and Conversation among others. All of the songs contain Marley’s unique sound of classical reggae beats mixed with contemporary hip hop. Also featured on the CD are some of today’s hottest artists including Young Buck, Mya and Gail Gotti.
Johnny Was
Ky-Mani Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died
From a stray bullet
Woman hold her head and cry
Explaining to her was a passer-by
Who saw the woman cry
Now she knows that the wages of sin is death
The gift of God is life
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Johnny was a good man
Oh yeah
Woman hold her head and cry
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died
Just because of the system
Woman hold her head and cry
Comforting her I was passing by
And I saw the woman cry
She cried, oh, oh, oh, oh
Johnny was a good man
Never did a thing wrong
Take it down
Johnny went out on a Saturday night
Never hurt anybody never started no bar room fight
Johnny never did nobody no wrong
Never hurt anybody never hurt anybody
Johnny was a good man
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny...
Johnny was a good man
(Repeat)
In a top floor flat in the middle of the night
There's a man with rifle and Johnny in his sight,
I said oh no, we can't let that kind of thing happen here nomore
Oh no
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny...
A single shot rings out in a Belfast night and I said oh
Johnny was a good man
Can a woman's tender care
Cease towards the child she bears
Johnny (Repeat)
The song "Johnny Was" by Ky-Mani Marley is about a man named Johnny who was unjustly killed by the system. The song is delivered from the perspective of someone who comes across Johnny's mother after she had learned about the tragic news of her son's death. The woman is seen holding her head and crying over her son's demise. The passer-by tried to comfort the woman and asked if she could work it out. The lyrics suggest that the wages of sin are death and the gift of God is life.
Later in the song, the lyrics reveal that Johnny was a good man who didn't deserve to die. The lyrics go on to describe how he was taken out by the system on a Saturday night. The final verse of the song describes a single shot that rang out on a Belfast night, and again the chorus proclaims that Johnny was a good man.
Line by Line Meaning
Woman hold her head and cry
A woman is crying and holding her head.
Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died
Her son was killed by a stray bullet in the street.
From a stray bullet
Her son died from being hit by gunfire that was not aimed at him.
Explaining to her was a passer-by
A passer-by is talking to her to try and understand what happened.
Who saw the woman cry
The passer-by witnessed the woman crying.
Wondering can she work it out
The passer-by is wondering if the woman can find a way to cope with the loss of her son.
Now she knows that the wages of sin is death
The woman now understands that bad actions can have deadly consequences.
The gift of God is life
Life is a precious and valuable gift from God.
Johnny was a good man
Johnny was a decent person with a good heart.
Never did a thing wrong
Johnny never intentionally hurt anyone or did anything bad.
Just because of the system
The reason her son was killed was because of unjust societal systems.
Comforting her I was passing by
Someone passing by offered comfort to the woman who was crying.
She cried, oh, oh, oh, oh
The woman continued to cry.
Take it down
The following lyrics are asking for the music to be turned down.
Johnny went out on a Saturday night
Johnny went out for the evening on a weekend.
Never hurt anybody never started no bar room fight
Johnny was never violent or aggressive in a bar setting.
Never did nobody no wrong
Johnny never intentionally hurt or wronged anyone.
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny...
The repetition of Johnny's name emphasizes his innocence.
In a top floor flat in the middle of the night
In the middle of the night, there was a man with a rifle on the top floor of a building.
There's a man with rifle and Johnny in his sight,
The man with the rifle was aiming at Johnny.
I said oh no, we can't let that kind of thing happen here nomore
The artist doesn't want to see any more violence or tragedy like what happened to Johnny.
A single shot rings out in a Belfast night and I said oh
A gun was fired in Belfast, causing concern and worry.
Can a woman's tender care
A rhetorical question asking whether a mother's love can ever cease.
Cease towards the child she bears
Asking if a mother's love can ever stop for her own child.
Contributed by Stella K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Juçara Santana
Ky tem que continuar cantando reggae. Simplesmente maravilhoso
Juçara Santana
Amo essa voz. Bis
Sean C. Harrison
If there were ever a favourite Bob Marley song, unreservedly, this is it. I had so much pleasure singing this song at the Edna Manley College, I can't even describe my joy at the time.
Juçara Santana
Canta lindo Ky-Mani marley.
Juçara Santana
Acabei de ouvir na voz linda e violão com Skip marley
Juçara Santana
Deveria se decidir entre o reggae e o hip hop. Prefiro o reggae. Você é sensacional e simplismente Maravilhoso . Respeito ao seu trabalho e ao hip hop
Chris Judah
Great music
Juçara Santana
Gostaria de ver um dueto entre vocês, lindos markey, Ky-Mani e Skip marley com essa música. Minha sugestão. Jjs
Jakarta Indonesia
I N D O N E S I A
Yansley Jean Francois
Johnny was is the best of marley