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," though Siffre objected to what he described as "lazy writing" and it had to be edited to get the sample cleared.
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.
My Song
Labi Siffre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And no one can take it away
It's been so long, but now you're here,
Here to stay
And I wonder if you know what it means
To find your dreams come true
This is my song
It's been so long since someone
Could make me cry
And I wonder if you know what it means
To laugh as tears go by
I may not always sing in tune
And sometimes you don't hear me
But you don't have to be near me
To know that I'm singing
This is my song
And nothing can make it die
It's been so long and it's stronger
I know why
And I wonder if you really, really know
That as long as I live I will sing my song for you
In "My Song," Labi Siffre is declaring ownership over his life and his dreams. He has waited for a long time for someone like the person he's now addressing to show up and share his life with him. He's overjoyed that they are solidly there in his life now, able to appreciate what he's singing about. He hopes that they recognize that his singing about his dreams coming true is not just about personal fulfillment for himself. He sings about his joy and his love for the person listening, indicating that they are the reason he has found his dreams.
Labi Siffre's song "My Song" is an incredible way of expressing happiness and love for another person, but it's also a song of empowerment. The song's theme of being in control and owning your dreams is empowering, especially in the face of adversity. It's a reminder that our dreams are valuable and that we must cling to them regardless of the circumstances. His reference to singing 'out of tune' is a metaphor for life's challenges and the challenges he's faced while pursuing his dreams. He's acknowledging the fact that he's not perfect, but he'll keep singing despite his flaws. The last verse, "This is my song, and nothing can make it die; it's been so long and it's stronger, I know why,", suggests that Siffre's voice is a gift, that in singing his song, he's able to overcome his struggles, and the song will always remain his despite what life throws his way.
Line by Line Meaning
This is my song
I am the author of this song and it belongs to me.
And no one can take it away
No one has the power to steal my song from me.
It's been so long, but now you're here,
It has been a while since one has been around to appreciate my song, but now you are here.
Here to stay
I hope you appreciate my song enough to stay and listen to it.
And I wonder if you know what it means
I am curious if you comprehend the significance of my song.
To find your dreams come true
It is a miraculous feeling when your dreams become your reality.
And no one can make it a lie
No one can twist the message of my song to make it false.
It's been so long since someone
It has been some time since someone has had the ability to impact me emotionally.
Could make me cry
No one has had the power to bring tears to my eyes.
And I wonder if you know what it means
I am curious if you comprehend the significance of my song.
To laugh as tears go by
The feeling of laughing through my emotions as I cry is indescribable.
I may not always sing in tune
My singing abilities may not be perfect at all times.
And sometimes you don't hear me
Occasionally, you may not pay attention to my singing.
But you don't have to be near me
You do not have to be physically close to me to hear my song.
To know that I'm singing
Even if you are not near me, you can tell that I am singing with passion.
And nothing can make it die
My song will continue to exist and be heard even after I am gone.
It's been so long and it's stronger
My song has persisted for a long time and is even stronger now.
I know why
I understand why my song has endured and is still valued today.
And I wonder if you really, really know
I am curious if you truly understand the impact of my song.
That as long as I live I will sing my song for you
For the entirety of my life, I will continue to share my song with you and anyone who will listen.
Contributed by Chase W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@BlueeJ
Bro called it my song and still got sampled
@sk8erdude3216
underrated comment
@bt55
😂😂
@AntonioRodrigues-cz6vf
lol
@robertespinoza6342
Damn bro 😂 I literally laughed out loud
@forroo
fr
@docinq2060
“i wonder if you know what it means to laugh as tears go by” is such a good quote
@1FoxProject
What does this mean to you?
@bobby2pistolz617
@@1FoxProjectjust enjoying life ,as you get older and make memories man ,cause that’s all there really is to it so enjoy it man why not
@fumiko___
@@1FoxProject double entendre
can mean both just winging it and going for it (which fits in w/ other lines)
but can also mean hiding your tears with laughter, akin to hiding your sad emotions under happy lines