Siffre released his first six albums of songs between 1970 and 1975, and a further three albums between 1988 and 1998. During this period he had several solo hits, including "It Must Be Love" (No. 14, 1971) (later covered by and a No. 4 hit for Madness, for which Siffre himself appeared in the video); "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" (No. 11, 1972); and "Watch Me" (No. 29, 1972). In 1978 two of his songs, "Solid Love" (performed by Siffre) and "We Got It Bad" (co-written and performed by Bob James) reached the UK finals of the BBC's A Song for Europe. His 1987 hit "(Something Inside) So Strong", which reached No. 4, was an anti-Apartheid anthem that won the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically", and has since been used in Amnesty International campaigns, a television advertisement and Alice Walker's film against female genital mutilation: Warrior Marks.
In 1997, Siffre's play "DeathWrite" was staged at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and later televised.
His song "I Got The..." was sampled in rapper Eminem's hit single "My Name Is," Siffre, who is openly gay, said in an interview that he turned down the offer to approve the song at first until the original sexist and homophobic lyrics were removed: "Dissing the victims of bigotry – women as bitches, homosexuals as faggots – is lazy writing. Diss the bigots not their victims." Siffre eventually allowed its usage when he was sent a censored "clean" version, not realizing that he was also allowing the riffs use on the alternative "dirty" versions with the original lyrics.
In 1984 Siffre began writing poetry and has since released three books of poetry: "Blood on the Page" 1995 and "Monument" 1997. His poetry addresses a variety of themes, from theology and childhood to sociology, love, hate, language, critical thinking, and communication. In 2006, he released a new album, The Last Songs.
All I Wanna Do
Labi Siffre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is mad of inevitability
You walk the ocean
I'm sailing deep into your mystery
Ooh no more losing, no more losing
Just follow me to honesty
All I wanna do
Life is very short
We need nothing more
Than to be where you are
'Cos I just wanna be
Wherever you see
No more fantasies
Good enough for me
With you is where I want to be
Life is illusion
We may believe but we may never know
Love is the comfort
My heart will find you wherever you are
Magic moments
Ooh they happen
Don't let this day just slip away
All I wanna do
Make good love with you
Life is very short
We need nothing more
Than to be where you are
'Cos I just wanna be
Wherever you see
No more fantasies
Good enough for me
With you is where I want to be
Magic moments
Ooh they happen
Don't let this day just slip away
Let it, let it, let it slip away
All I wanna do
Make good love with you
Life is very short
We need nothing more
Than to be where you are
'Cos I just wanna be
Wherever you see
No more fantasies
Good enough for me
With you is where I want to be
All I wanna do
Make good love with you
Do do do do
Make good love with you
The opening lines of Labi Siffre's song "All I Wanna Do" speak of inevitability - it's like there is no other option but to walk toward the singer's mystery while he sails deep into the object of his affection's ocean. There's a sense of surrender, of giving in to the magnetic pull that draws two people together. The idea of losing fades away, as the singer invites the object of his desire to follow him to honesty. He accepts that vulnerability and rawness are the only ways to go in order to have a fulfilling relationship.
Love is portrayed as the ultimate comfort; it provides solace and a sense of belonging. Life, on the other hand, is uncertain - it's an illusion, a mere product of perception. Despite this, the magic of love is constant - it happens in little moments that can quickly slip through our fingertips. Therefore, the singer implores his love interest not to let the day, and by extension their opportunity at love, slip away.
"All I Wanna Do" is essentially a love song that's grounded in realism but also gives in to the all-consuming feeling of love. The message is clear - life is short, fraught with illusions, and we may never know the truth, but as long as we have love, we need nothing more.
Line by Line Meaning
Our conversation
Our talk
Is made of inevitability
Is bound to happen
You walk the ocean
You navigate through challenges
I'm sailing deep into your mystery
I'm exploring your depths
Ooh no more losing, no more losing
No more defeat, no more defeat
Just follow me to honesty
Let's be truthful with each other
All I wanna do
All I want to do
Make good love with you
Express our affection physically
Life is very short
Time is fleeting
We need nothing more
We don't require anything else
Than to be where you are
Than to be with you
'Cos I just wanna be
Because I only want to be
Wherever you see
Wherever you go
No more fantasies
No more unrealistic thoughts
Good enough for me
Is acceptable
With you is where I want to be
Being with you is my desire
Life is illusion
Life may not be what it seems
We may believe but we may never know
We may have faith but never really understand
Love is the comfort
Love brings solace
My heart will find you wherever you are
My love for you will follow you anywhere
Magic moments
Enchanting instances
Don't let this day just slip away
Don't waste this moment
Do do do do
Musical expression
Contributed by Amelia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
evancharlesking
one of the greatest of all time, its like a little industry secret these days, i always stick it on in the studio if i need inspiration.
brianboru62
He's great Labi!!!!!! wow glad ive chased up his music again
Hunter Skowron
how does this have so little views?
Midnight Pretenders
Just said that to my 6 year old 😬