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.
Sadie and The Devil
Labi Siffre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sadie soul was white as snow, evil, she did not know
Then one day by the river wide, Devil appeared by Sadie's side
Devil said, "Sadie, come with me; I'll teach you to be free."
She said, "no, no, no..."
She said, "no, no, no..."
And the devil said: "hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo..."
The Devil said, "Sadie, look around!"
"Look at the trees and look at the ground."
"Look at the Sun and look at the sky."
"We can share them, you and I."
She said, "no, no, no..."
She said, "no, no, ha, ha, ha..."
Whooh!
The Devil said, "Sadie, come on down!"
Then the Devil and Sadie lay on the ground.
The Devil gave Sadie something nice.
He give to her once and he give it to her twice.
And she said, "Oh, oh, oh."
She said, "Oh, oh, oooh."
And the Devil said, "Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh."
Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh!
Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh!
Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh!
The song Sadie and The Devil by Labi Siffre tells a story of a young country girl named Sadie who is confronted by the Devil. Sadie is religious, and her soul is pure and innocent like snow. However, the Devil appears before her one day aside from the river, offering to teach her the ways of freedom. At first, Sadie refuses, saying "no, no, no..." to the Devil's tempting offer. But the Devil persists, showing her the beauty of nature and promising to share it with her. Sadie still refuses, and the Devil becomes more manipulative, persuading her to lie down on the ground with him. He gives her something "nice" twice, and she finally loses her innocence, saying "Oh, oh, oh."
The lyrics of the song symbolize the eternal battle of good versus evil, and how temptation can lead to a loss of innocence. Sadie represents purity and faith, while the Devil represents temptation and corruption. The Devil's seductive words and actions show how easy it is to be swayed from one's beliefs and morals. The lyrics also suggest that once someone gives in to temptation, it's difficult to resist the second time.
Facts about the song "Sadie and The Devil":
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
Sadie was a country girl, she believed in the bible
Sadie was a simple girl from the countryside who held strong religious beliefs.
Sadie soul was white as snow, evil, she did not know
Sadie was innocent and pure, and unaware of the temptation of evil.
Then one day by the river wide, Devil appeared by Sadie's side
One day, the Devil appeared to Sadie by the river.
Devil said, "Sadie, come with me; I'll teach you to be free."
The Devil tempted Sadie with the promise of freedom, and urged her to follow him.
She said, "no, no, no..."
Sadie refused to be tempted by the Devil's offer.
She said, "no, no, no..."
Sadie remained steadfast in her refusal to join the Devil.
And the devil said: "hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo..."
The Devil continued to try and lure Sadie with his cackling laughter.
The Devil said, "Sadie, look around!"
The Devil tried a different tactic, pointing out the beauty of the world around them.
"Look at the trees and look at the ground."
He urged Sadie to appreciate the natural world and all its wonders.
"Look at the Sun and look at the sky."
He pointed out the majesty of the sky and the sun.
"We can share them, you and I."
He suggested that they could enjoy the world together.
She said, "no, no, no..."
Sadie still refused to surrender to the Devil's temptations.
She said, "no, no, ha, ha, ha..."
Sadie laughed at the Devil's attempts to tempt her, confident in her faith.
The Devil said, "Sadie, come on down!"
The Devil continued to try and convince Sadie, urging her to join him.
Then the Devil and Sadie lay on the ground.
Eventually, Sadie was convinced to lie down with the Devil.
The Devil gave Sadie something nice.
The Devil offered Sadie something pleasurable.
He give to her once and he give it to her twice.
The Devil gave Sadie his offering multiple times.
And she said, "Oh, oh, oh."
Sadie enjoyed the Devil's offering, despite her reservations.
She said, "Oh, oh, oooh."
Sadie continued to enjoy the Devil's offerings.
And the Devil said, "Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh."
The Devil celebrated his victory over Sadie.
Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh!
The Devil continued to revel in his success.
Whooh, whooh, whooh, whooh!
The Devil's triumph over Sadie continued to fill him with joy and power.
Writer(s): Labi Siffre
Contributed by Anna B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Melanie
on Cannock Chase
So beautiful :)