In 1998, the band Santana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Carlos Santana, José "Chepito" Areas, David Brown, Gregg Rolie, Mike Carabello, and Michael Shrieve The band has earned nine Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, the latter all in 2000. Carlos Santana won a Grammy Award as a solo artist in 1988. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling groups of all time. In 2013, Santana announced a reunion of the classic line-up for a new album, Santana IV, which was released in April 2016. They are tied for having the most won Grammy Awards in one night.
Free All the People
Santana Lyrics
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You gotta make life worth living in Soweto
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
You gotta make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
Freedom is a birthright given by Jah to man
You cannot claim it, this you must understand
Who are you to decide who has to give it up
They've had enough
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worth living in Soweto
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
Slavery is brutal, it steals your identity
Wherever it?s living, suffer humanity
What leads you to believe you can treat people so?
You know it isn't right, give up the fight, let them go
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worth living in Soweto
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
It?s not right, this hate for life you're teaching
No more fight, we're all in this together
You've lost sight, you'll never find what your soul is seeking
You, you abolish Apartheid
Can free, free, South Africa
Make life worth living in Soweto
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
Slavery is brutal, it steals your identity
Wherever it?s living, suffer humanity
What led you to believe you can treat people so?
You know it isn't right, give up the fight, let them go
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worth living in Soweto
Gotta free all the people in South Africa
Make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
It?s not right, this hate for life you're teaching
No more fight, we're all in this together
You've lost sight, you'll never find what your soul is seeking
Until you abolish Apartheid
Can free, free, South Africa
Make life worth living, Soweto
Gotta free all the people, South Africa
Make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
The lyrics of "Free All the People" by Santana is a call for human rights and equality in South Africa. The song is an appeal to end apartheid, a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that existed in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. The lyrics acknowledge the struggles and sufferings of the people of South Africa, particularly in Soweto, where life is tough and dehumanizing.
The song stresses the importance of freedom, which is a birthright given by Jah (God) to all human beings. The lyrics highlight that it is not for anyone to decide who gets to enjoy freedom and who doesn't. The song condemns slavery and the inhumane treatment that people are subjected to. The call for freedom and equality is not only about ending brutality and violence but also about creating a life that is worth living, where people can find reasons to smile.
The song urges all people to work together to free South Africa and create a better future for all. It underscores that hate is not the answer but unity is, and the promise that we are all in this together.
Line by Line Meaning
You gotta free all the people in South Africa
All individuals in South Africa deserve to be free from oppression and discrimination
You gotta make life worth living in Soweto
The quality of life in Soweto should be improved to make it enjoyable and fulfilling
You gotta make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
People should have hope and happiness in their lives
Freedom is a birthright given by Jah to man
The right to freedom is inherent and granted by a higher power
You cannot claim it, this you must understand
Freedom cannot be earned or taken, it is a natural right
Who are you to decide who has to give it up
No one has the authority to deny freedom to others
Know it in your heart, that it's wrong
Oppression and discrimination are morally unjust
They've had enough
The people of South Africa have suffered for too long and deserve freedom
Slavery is brutal, it steals your identity
Being enslaved takes away a person's sense of self and dignity
Wherever it?s living, suffer humanity
Slavery is a tragic reality that affects all of humanity
What leads you to believe you can treat people so?
There is no justification for treating people as less than human
You know it isn't right, give up the fight, let them go
Oppressors must acknowledge their wrongdoing and release their grip on those they have enslaved
It's not right, this hate for life you're teaching
Teaching hatred perpetuates a destructive cycle of oppression and discrimination
No more fight, we're all in this together
We must work together to end oppression and create a better world for all
You've lost sight, you'll never find what your soul is seeking
Those who perpetuate oppression are misguided and will never find true fulfillment until they change their ways
Until you abolish Apartheid
Apartheid must be completely dismantled in order for true freedom and equality to be achieved
Can free, free, South Africa
South Africa must be freed from oppression and discrimination
Make life worth living, Soweto
Soweto must be a place where people can thrive and be happy
Gotta free all the people, South Africa
Everyone in South Africa deserves to be free
Make life worthwhile, give a reason to smile
People should have hope and happiness in their lives
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Jacquelyn B Holmes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind